Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up. -Pablo Picasso

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On Thursdays, I attend an art class with a handful of my friends. They typically last an hour, and at the end we've all created something we are really proud of. After finishing the class and parting with my friends, the teacher instructs a new class of young kids and I stay after as her assistant. My job at first seemed simple- pass out supplies, make sure they're paying attention, etc. But the more weeks I stayed to help, the more I realized that something different was actually happening.

First off, let me say that kids amaze me sometimes. The things they say, the questions they come up with, and their ideas and creativity just blows my mind. I like working with kids, it's really an enjoyable task :)

During a particular class, the kids were being taught how to draw hot air balloons. One of the older boys was arranging his crayons carefully and testing the colors on paper. Walking over to him, I asked how he would decorate his balloon.

“I'm gonna put the colors from darkest to lightest on the balloon!” he said to me, smiling.

I smiled back and informed him, “You know what that's called? When you fade a color into another one, it's called ombre.”

His eyes seemed to light up with this new information, and he must have flagged down the teacher about three separate times to tell her, “Look, look- my balloon is ombre!”

This is the essence of childhood. The creativity and curiosity and innocence is so pure and amazing, and it is an honor to be a part of that, even in some small way. I love helping the class because these kids remind me of myself as a child. I loved art and could rub my crayon against the paper for hours upon hours at a time. And I've tried to maintain and exercise my creativity because that's an important part of my life. It brings me such joy to know that a piece of my childhood has remained with me all of this time, and I'm also seeing it displayed in front of me through these kids. Their tender hearts and excited faces are so sweet and touching, it's a loss for people who don't enjoy the presence of kids.

I guess the point of all of this is encourage imagination, not only in the little ones around you, but in yourself as well. I remember reading a social experiment that compared child-like thinking and adult thinking. The first group was asked how they would solve a series of problems. The second was asked how they would solve the same series of problems as a child. After completing this, both groups then took a test, and the results of the second group were far better than the first. Now, what does this mean?

… In all honesty, I don't actually know. All I can gather from this is that positive, imaginative thinking can sometimes lead to a better outcome. Maybe the core of it relates to the stress in our lives. I don't know. But having a more innovative mindset certainly can't hurt. The way I see it, it helps every once in a while to loosen up a bit, dare I say act like a child ;)

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