Think of a time in your life when you experienced tremendous joy while creating in art, music, poetry, or dance, or discovered a new way of doing a project, or developed a new idea after grappling with a challenging task. It is that spark of awe, that moment of inspiration, that the heart and soul celebrates this creative drive and feels strengthened and nourished.
Rachael Kessler, the Founder of Passage Ways Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and the author of THE SOUL OF EDUCATION, stated that one of the gateways to the soul is the creative drive. She further stated, "This is perhaps the most familiar domain for nourishing the spirit in school. It involves developing new ideas, a work of art, a scientific discovery, or a new way of looking at life that students feel the mystery and awe of creating."
There is a deep connection to the heart and soul that arises with artistic expression. This connection links us to "the source of creative inspiration--God, muse, the collective unconscious, the complexity of each person's inner being (Kessler, 2000, p.91). Kessler further elaborated "creativity is a way of thinking, learning, and expressing oneself that goes beyond the arts into the entire way we understand the world" (p.93).
One of the ways for young children to experience this deep connection is through storytelling. Stories and metaphors encourage the use of one's imagination and are a form of symbolic expression. This form of expression can help enrich a child's imagination and can provide soothing calm, joy, or peacefulness. Autobiographies and journal writing can help address issues that a child may be facing. Writing about themselves and their experiences reveal areas of a child's inner life that may need attention and healing. Parents can provide a variety of books at home, or make frequent visits to the library. Home-made journals, which can be made out of several pieces of blank paper that are stapled together, can be a safe place for sharing drawings or writings.
Providing various opportunities for nourishing a child's creative drive can bring about tremendous joy, healing, and inspiration. This helps children to understand their world in a more holistic and compassionate way.
Shirley Rivera
CE/ Counseling
Mid-Pacific Institute Elementary
441-3839
srivera@midpac.edu
Posted on March 9, 2010 4:18 PM | Permalink