Portrait of the young girl as an artist

It’s difficult for parents not to project every little activity a toddler enjoys into her future life. Humming along to a song on the radio? Future singer. Kicking a ball across the yard? Future soccer player. Petting a cat? Future veterinarian. Painting a picture? Future artist.

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My little girl loves to paint. She loves to color. She loves to stamp ink. She loves music and singing and dancing. Are any of these the future that lay ahead of her? I don’t know. But it seems to me that they will play a part – even if just a small one. And that’s enough to make me smile. If the little scrawls and doodles that adorn our walls at home and even my office are launchpads for nothing more than weekend watercolors in her backyard while taking a break from the daily 9-5, I will still gladly hang up the results.

There is much beauty and creativity in this child and she will learn to express it in whatever terms are best for her.

But sometimes it’s too easy to get wrapped up in 20 years from now. Beyond projecting adulthood endeavors from such simple childhood fun, parents have a tendency to search out their own aspirations in their little ones. While I will happily encourage her to pursue any dreams that come her way, I’ll make sure not to mistake mine for hers.

In the meantime, it’s lovely to simply watch her begin this self discovery – hopefully just part of a very long journey.

Close encounter of the Facebook kind

While Facebook is typically a place to answer stupid quizzes and play time-consuming games, it turns out that it can also be a good place to reconnect with old friends. I’ve had a couple conversations with people whom I lost contact with years ago and have been happy to find out how theirs lives have progressed. Up until tonight any real life meetups have passed me by. But today circumstances lined up just right to let me catch up with an old buddy from elementary school.

Several months ago my old classmate Harry and I “friended” each other as modern social networking dictates. I was happy to see that he had made good on his early talents and is currently working as an artist. For the past year he’s been doing a project called 365 Monsters in which he draws a new, bizarre creature every day.  I’ve really been enjoying it and feel a little guilty for not having shared it earlier (since there’s less than a month left). Still, peruse the archives and enjoy the twisted fun.

Last week Harry announced that he would be showing some of the original artwork (many of which are on sale at Etsy) during First Friday in Doylestown. And what do you know? My family just happened to have plans there on First Friday to see a Jim Henson exhibit. What timing!

After a fun filled day of watching Kayleigh’s head nearly explode thanks to the plethora of Elmo dolls the Bert and Ernie puppets, and my own attempt at puppetry, a whole group of us had a chance to swing by the gallery. Although I was happy to see some of the artwork up close (and determine that I must buy one or two), the real kicker for the evening was reconnecting with someone I haven’t seen in the better part of 2 decades.

So maybe Facebook can actually serve a purpose beyond Bejewelled Blitz afterall…