Children and the Power of Art

[my little girl deep in thought]

Last week, as part of an upcoming PTS-sponsored arts contest at school, I took Madeleine to Los Angeles in search of BEAUTY. This year's theme is "Beauty is..." and one of the categories is photography.


(I wish video had been on there, but she loves photography just as much as video.)

As we journeyed about throughout our day, I started thinking about the power of art and how the current cutbacks in schools at the state level is all but diminishing the arts.

Imagine a world without the arts, a world without a place to nourish one's untapped creativity. Now, more than ever, do we, as parents, need to take it upon ourselves to enlighten our children to the beauty around us. More importantly, we need to expose our children to various methods and means in which our children can express themselves in a creative manner.



[my little guy on location]

Recent research suggests, that "when children begin school, their level of creativity is evident and often flourishing. By the time they reach the fourth grade, however, they have become more conforming, less likely to take risks, and less playful or spontaneous than in earlier years. These trends continue throughout the school years and into adulthood."



[another famous photographer we brought along for the fun ride]

Unless we are content with a world of conformity (based on standardized testing and fill-in-the-bubble thinking), today's children must be afforded the chance to develop their creativity in an effort to reach their full creative potential--not only for the sake of their own development but for the development of humankind in general.