Making mistakes is GOOD for you
As an art teacher, I see this happening all the time.
Students making drawings in their sketchbooks, a mistake happens, and they rip it out. They just don't throw it away. They crumble it up to a tiny ball or rip it apart so many times that no one will be able to reassemble the pieces and see the mistake. I actually remember doing this myself as a teenager.
Why are we so ashamed of our mistakes? It's not like we will catch a disease from drawing incorrectly. For me, if it wasn't perfect everytime, I thought people would think of me as less of an artist. But it was really only me that felt that way, not the people who viewed my art. They were always amazed, even when I tried to fast forward through the mistakes. It wasn't until college that I allowed myself to make mistakes. And boy, did I make a lot of mistakes in college. And they weren't all drawing mistakes!
Mistakes are part of our journey. Some are actual milestones, where I found a new medium, color palette or a new style would enter my sketchbooks. I very rarely draw with a pencil anymore. I enjoy the boldness of a marker or pen. I embrace the mistakes I can't erase. My drawings have taken on new directions I never envision happening. My sketchbooks are filled with page turning surprises, and ripping out a page is never and option anymore.
The first day of school, I always share my old college sketchbooks as well as my present day sketchbooks with my students.They need to see my mistakes so they can make their own. I want them to make lots of mistakes. I want them to problem solve, find new roads, try new mediums, and put down that eraser. And I definitely don't want them to rip it up into itty bitty pieces.
Our children Art Classes at Earth Arts are a fun, safe place to experiment, thinking creatively, make friends and learn something new. It's also a great place to make some mistakes. Registration is now open. You can sign up online, at Earth Arts or at the Long Beach Recreation Center.
Come create some mistakes with us and turn them into masterpieces today. We are open 12- 7 today, tomorrow and the next day for walk in pottery painting
