Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Hidden Art of Homeschooling - Chapter 4

In chapter 4, Mrs. Schaeffer discusses the hidden art of art - painting, sketching, sculpturing. She says,

(p. 48)" ... come to a recognition of the fact that it is important for you to be creative in this area to the extent of your talent: important for you as a person who is a creative creature." (emphasis in the original)

She urges the reader to include sketches and drawings on all sorts of papers, even grocery lists or menus. Included in the chapter are illustrations of sermons that she did for small grand-children as they would sit beside her in church.

The chapter is a continuation of the idea that art does not have to be part of a career in order to be an important part of one's life. She concludes the chapter with this:

"There is no need to lock up this capacity for expression because you have not been able to make a career of it. Develop it for your own sake, for the enrichment of the lives of those you live with, and as an unconscious spark to set fire to other dry wood, other creative creatures on a finite level." (p. 63)

I completely agree with this idea of developing one's creative expression and enriching your own and others' lives. However, I have to say that this is one area that is not likely to develop very much in my own life, although we are trying. If I was to decorate a grocery list or menu, others would wonder what small child had been scribbling on them! We are making more of an attempt to include some artistic expression in our studies. And I also scrapbook which is a form of artistic expression and one that I feel much more comfortable with!

Once again, though, I really appreciate the reminder to not lock up our artistic expression because it's not part of a career (or school studies). As a homeschool family, it can be easy to put art firmly in the school studies and if we don't get to it in our studies, we assume that we can't include it elsewhere. I would love to have my children have the ability to draw, paint or sculpt and not only that, to include it in their adult lives on a regular basis.


1 comment:

Pam said...

I appreciate this. While I am not a painter or artist with pens or clay, I've had moments of creativity that have spawned a blue dresser painted over with butterflies, flowers, mushrooms, and rocks, and a kid's paint rendition of tulips on computer paper that I've had on my fridge for 10 years. Though I've never had an art class (except one week in my after-degree program at Kings) I feel blessed to appreciate art...even my own fragile attempts!