If you’ve followed me for long, you know that I have six boys all born within a span of eight years. The oldest is now nine, and the two who fall beneath him are seven and six. They’re the only ones in school right now, so when they’re out for the summer, we make it a highly creative summer—because teaching them creativity is important to me.
I’ve talked about this before, but this summer my older boys and I created some picture books. We haven’t finished the digitizing part of it all, but we’ve finished the drawings and the writing and will be working on putting the final touches on it so we can give some out as Christmas gifts this year. If you’re my family, pretend you didn’t read that.
When I first started the project with my boys this summer, I pretty much had my own ideas about the way things would go. I would write the story, they would draw the pictures. I chose to do this, because young children, while great at coming up with imaginative concepts, aren’t always great at putting words to the paper, and I wanted them to see how I took one of their concepts and turned it into a full story using description, dialogue and conflict. Picture books are the perfect short example of this.
But what I wasn’t expecting was for them to come back, after I’d read the completed whole story to them, and say, “I think it would be better if we did this.” And I certainly didn’t expect them to be right.
Here’s the thing. I could have said, “You know what, smarty pants? I know more about storytelling than you do, because I’ve been doing this a long time.” But the truth is, children are so much closer to their imagination than we are. I remember what that was like. I had whole worlds built in my imagination when I was a kid. I’ve tried to find them now, and they’re nowhere around. I have new worlds, of course, but I suspect that these new worlds aren’t quite as vivid as those worlds I had when I was a kid.
So the best way to create with kids? Listen to them. Let them be experts. Give them permission to lead. Sometimes, of course, they won’t know quite as much about our craft as we do. But when we’re in the beginning stages, when we’re still shaping that invention? Children have a lot of valuable things to say, and if we dismiss them, we’re missing out on something spectacular.
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If you don’t have kids or don’t plan on having kids, don’t think that you’re off the hook from this particular concept. There are children everywhere. We can always learn something from them. Seek them out. Invite them into your home and your creative endeavors. And watch how your imagination blooms.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this inside look at my life and the lives and inspiration of my boys. Every Friday, I publish a short blog on something personal that includes a valuable takeaway. For more of my essays and memoir writings, visit Wing Chair Musings.
