I'm reading a very interesting book right now: Imagine or How Creativity Works, by Jonah Lehrer. One of the thoughts I took away from this book (I'm not done yet) is that everybody can create, if only you let go of your inhibitions and doubts. I've always admired people who can draw or paint and I am doing art lessons with my kids as part of our homeschool curriculum just so that they are not afraid of drawing. Like I am. My art teacher in school has always been very dismissive of my drawings and I got more and more insecure and ended up with an F in art. Yikes. I nearly failed the class because of this grade! So I thought that my kids should never be afraid of creating, and of trying again and again. Because, Lehrer demonstrates, often art is just that - the result of very hard work.

Today, we did some charcoal drawings. It was very cool because we actually used charcoal from our own fireplace. The kids were fascinated. You can draw with charcoal? Who knew? We did a still life and they could choose between an apple or a feather from an African bird (I don't remember which one). Alan and David chose the apple, Jacob and I did the feather. See, if I ask the kids not to be afraid of creating, then I cannot be, either, right? So we sat and drew. David became very frustrated because his apple didn't look like he wanted it to look (oh, I know that feeling well!!). I showed him to look for shapes and lines in the apple. See how these lines are actually curved up and out? And this part is darker? He did a second drawing and was delighted by the improvement. I was delighted that he was delighted. Fearlessness is part of creativity.

Jacob did a great feather and Alan has always been fearless about creating. I'm so glad that David is having fun now, too.

Here's my feather -- made by someone who cannot draw and who had an F in art in High School. Be fearless. Try something new. Create.