Why Crayons Are Weapons and How to Wield Them Well
Brows furrowed. Eyes focused. Tongue peeking from between pursed lips (a clear tell of intense concentration).
It’s coloring time.
Her small hand confidently grips the pink crayon, dragging it down and around the dark-printed lines of octopus tentacles. It swims beside a purple seahorse, a blue anchor, and a peach turtle named “Peachy.” She fills in every bubble with dark, black wax.
“Mommy,” my daughter inquires, her eyes not leaving the paper. “Do you like what I’m making?”
My chest fills with affection, and my eyes well with tears. The simple act of filling in a coloring page is Beauty. The freedom to explore with color, style, and technique. Scribbled or smooth. Acute, fine lines or broad, blunt streaks. Pushing hard. Holding softly. Fisting four crayons at once.
I love that we’re here together. She’s exploring who she is as an artist — and who I am as a mom.
The point isn’t perfection or rightness of any sort. It’s wonder.
The point isn’t the lines. It’s the marvel of color and styles and internal heart attitudes.
The point may not even be the product. But the journey? The very act of pursuing creativity?
“I love seeing how you create,” I tell her. She never looks up, just grins and selects both brown and gray to fill in the background spaces.
And, oh, do I want to give that same kind of delight and encouragement to myself!
Creativity really is a battle sometimes.
I pick up a crayon and mull a battle cry, one that defies the instincts to criticize, perfectionize, and rationalize. That presses against the feelings of being too busy or not talented enough. One that gives freedom for crayons or even gardening, singing, plating a pasta dinner, or savoring a poem.
Create anyway — and in any way.
The toddler joins too, the three of us creating together. And, for a moment, the only sound is the victory scratch of wax against paper.
*****
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