"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once [one] grows up." – Pablo Picasso
Our curriculum focuses on art as a tool to develop a strong sense of self. Our Claiming Face™ curriculum stresses the importance of presence and the embodiment that we are all artists. Through this curriculum our children can know themselves deeper and sense their true place in the world, thus creating a stronger people.
Can you remember what it’s like to be a child? Learning and growing and trying to make sense of your world around you. Can you remember staring at a blank piece of paper unsure of where to begin or how to express what you were feeling? Or perhaps you remember what it’s like to be overwhelmed and frustrated by the wonderful vision you have in your mind that you just can’t seem to bring forth into the physical world, whether that be through art or baking or building or speaking or maybe even just living? Or maybe you remember turning away from art, claiming that you’re not an artist, you really can’t draw and you’re not very creative?
As a child when you looked around in your world did you see your face and your experience and your culture reflected back to you…in media, in books, on television, in the movies? Did you have a fundamental sense that you belonged in this world? Perhaps you still can relate to these complex feelings.
As educators or parents or someone who works with children, we want what is best for our children. We want them to feel loved and nurtured and respected. We want them to grow up to be healthy, happy, capable adults. But when budget cuts take away our art supplies and musical instruments, and creativity takes a back seat to standardized tests, how do we find the time, energy or resources?
It is no secret or surprise that creativity is a powerful tool worthy of commitment. If you are an educator you may have witnessed the power of creativity at work in your classroom or perhaps in your own life. So many books and programs discuss the power of creativity and presence yet most adults only have level of creative expression comparable to a fourth grader. Interestingly enough, studies have shown that the pressure to conform begins to take its toll around the fourth grade.
Yet, creativity is far more than teaching a child how to draw. It is a way of thinking and engaging with the world. It is about establishing a relationship with the creative process that becomes a tool for self-exploration, expression, and ultimately empowerment. It is about reconnecting with the creative force that will allow us to reclaim and harness a way of being and thinking that we believe will help support us, our children and our planet for generations to come.
maya's Latest book:
I Know the River Loves Me, now available through Children's Book Press. This is her second book which she has both written and illustrated, the first being, My Colors, My World, which won the Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Award for 2008.
Reflection Press | San Francisco, CA | info@reflectionpress.com | 
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | site design by: Radical Dragon Manifestations | Report Site Problem |
