I truly believe the more confidence you are filled with in childhood, the more secure & successful adult you will be. Of course this is just a theory. Still, what can it hurt to instill confidence in a child or anyone for that matter? So, every Monday I am going to try & come up with a way to instill confidence in people.
Today’s is art related.
Remember when you were a kid & you would work for what seemed like hours on a drawing? Remember the feeling you had when you thought you had done something amazing? The excitement!? The sheer joy & feeling of accomplishment? The next step was to run as fast as you could to the nearest person & show them.
Now, this is an important moment. Do NOT take this moment lightly. Your child has worked hard. Art is hard work. It demands concentration. It requires observation & attention to detail. These are good things. Things you should want to nurture. The more you nurture these things, the more likely they are to repeat them & perfect them. This is also true in adults. It works with almost anything you want someone to have confidence in, repeat & perfect.
Take whatever it is your child drew & really look at it. Stop whatever you are doing. Get off FaceBook. Turn off the TV. UNPLUG. Connect with this person. Look at it. Really look at it. Be amazed by it. Do NOT say it’s “pretty good”. Say positive encouraging things. Or just say “Wow!” and listen to them explain it. Then, whatever you do, make sure #1 on your shopping list is a frame for it. Seriously. Go get a frame for it. They’re like $10 at Wal-mart or Dollar General or some similar place. Get one. Now, frame it.
Don’t hang it in their room or your bedroom. The child will view this as you being nice but too embarrassed to let others see it. Hang it right smack dab in the place that company is most likely to see it. Put it where you would put your prized Picasso or Van Gogh if you ever had the chance to own one. You know exactly the spot I’m talking about.
(Early Artwork by me!)
I never had this happen as a kid. Not once. I did, however, have it happen to me this May. My amazing friend Cindy did exactly that. I drew her a picture while I was staying at her house. She immediately went to the store with me in tow, bought a frame & stuck my drawing up & hung it in her living room. I almost cried. I can’t even begin to tell you what that felt like, but I will say that it was warm & beautiful & made me even more confident in what I do & who I am.
These things are the things that are really important.
Well, what else was I supposed to do with it? You know what? I think you’re pretty amazing.