When we watch toddlers painting or blowing into a flute, we might be a little envious of how unselfconsciously and unbiased they approach things. Pablo Picasso said:
Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once they grow up
Pablo Picasso
Let’s see why this is true:
- Toddlers feel no resistance to start – no procrastination, no overthinking, no anxiety over a blank canvas. Children get started right away with what is in front of them. They paint, craft, and drum fearlessly.
- Toddlers try everything without expectations. They don’t know failure in creating. When they paint a picture, they don’t care about the result. It has no meaning, no value to them. It is all about the moment of painting. They also don’t care (yet) whether we, the adults, admire their works or not. We are the ones who see value in their paintings by collecting or hanging them on walls. The toddlers move on as soon as they finish without looking back.
- Toddlers are immediately in the flow. As soon as they have something interesting in front of them, they grab it. We adults need time and think about strategies to get into a creative flow as quickly as possible and not get distracted by e-mails, news, or social media.
- Toddlers enjoy the freedom of being unattached to their identity, yet. It’s all about perception. They try everything they can find. They don’t define themselves as illustrators, composers, chefs, or professional tower builders. Adults do this to ensure their place in society and write it on business cards. On the other hand, a toddler can be everything at once, always, and sometimes even at the same time.
When we watch toddlers playing, we see the pure act of experiencing and creating—such a great role model for us adults.