The Collage

By Jessica Floyd

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

We are all artists, it is true. Have you ever noticed how most all small children love to draw, paint, color, mold clay, play with Play-Doh? They enjoy the creative process more freely than adults because they are not afraid of making mistakes. So what changes? In my experience in the art room, I can tell you that as children get older they start to compare their art projects to others. Peers might even tell them that their project is very good, or maybe even that it is not so great. Parents may not realize when their child comes with an art project that it is something they have worked very hard on and that they may be self-conscious about the caliber of their work. So how do we react as parents? Do we say, "Oh that is very nice honey," brushing it aside? Or do we celebrate their hard work?

I remember when I was in second grade I made this collage. It was actually for a backdrop that my group used for a class project. My dad had come up to school for open house and my teacher told me I could take the backdrop home. I thought it was trash; where would I put the huge 8x10 foot collage on butcher paper? I told the teacher I would just throw it away. Dad stopped me. He said it was beautiful and he would like to have it. He hung it up at his house on a wall for years. That meant the world to me as a little kid. As I got older and went to high school, my dad moved. I probably did not notice the first couple of times I was at his new place, but I went in his room to get something and the closet door was open. He had used my collage on the back wall of his closet. It looked a little roughed up, but there it was. I could not believe it. The same pride that I felt when I was eight years old lit up inside me. I felt so special that he kept my artwork that I deemed as trash for all those years. 

I went off to college and my dad got transferred to Memphis. He called me up and told me that he did bring my collage with him but it was smaller now because it got damaged in the move. I just laughed and told him that he did not have to keep that ratty old thing. I was majoring in art and promised to make him something new. But he told me he was going to keep it, that it was just going to be a little smaller, and that I should not worry because he had already taken pictures of it. He was telling the truth because a few years later on my 21st birthday I received a hand-made card in the mail. The inside of the card was filled with a collage of pictures of me and my Dad, and adorning the cover was a picture of my huge collage. Again, I was filled with pride that something I had created meant that much to my dad. He passed away about a year and half later. I do not really know whatever became of that silly collage on butcher paper, but I do know that I graduated with a degree in art.

As parents we have the ability to build up our children and encourage them. They are not all going to grow up and be professional artists, but they probably will want to pursue careers in areas in which they feel accomplished. In the art room, I noticed how a child feels about their artwork is not necessarily based on their artistic ability. Children with high self-esteem and self-worth may not be the most artistically talented in the class, but they hold their head up high and are proud of what they have created---and cannot wait to go home and show their parents! Likewise, the child with the best drawing may just assume it is not worth anything. So why is it important to foster creativity in our children? Creativity is not just slapping paint on canvas, it is problem solving. When children start to care about what others will think about their art, they can have a meltdown when they make a mistake. Part of my job as the art teacher was to pick up the pieces and show them that their work is not ruined. This is where even more creativity comes in. I would tell the child that even the most famous artists made changes to their artwork to make it better. In almost any creative project there are choices and decisions that have to be made and sometimes we make mistakes. Mistakes are OK. 

Try working on something creative at home with your child. Perhaps a scrapbook, a chore chart, or even an art project. If you or your child makes a mistake, don’t trash it and start over. Talk it through with your child and see what you can come up with to fix it. Problem solving is a wonderful attribute to model for your children. Instead of starting over or melting down, they can be confident and know that they have the ability to work something out. 

Her entry won first place at the county fair

We are all God's children. God is the creator of all things. Let us not forget that we are created in HIS image. We are just like a work or art. We may make some mistakes along the way as parents, as children, as friends. There is no blemish too big for God to repair within us, if we let Him. Thank goodness God is a patient artist and continues the work He started when He created us!