I have always felt the need to create. I was always looking for something new to work on. Rummaging through piles of felt, construction paper, crayons, colored pencils, paints and pens. Pretty much any art medium you could think of, I had clutched in my small, already ink-stained hands. Plain surfaces were just a blank canvas for me, even the walls! Especially the walls. The familiar sage green plaster of my kitchen was no match for me and my trusty pencil.
Covering the bumpy old farmhouse walls with scribbles, attempting to spell ‘Rosemary.’ Countless traces of backward R’s and B’s, crooked flowers and my rendition of people and familiar faces. Which was really just a torso with a face, stick arms and legs jutting out from the side. Those marks scattered the walls until my creativity took another form as I painted over them, turning my old art into something new and “grown up.”Art has always been such a safe space for me. These flashes of carefree creativity will always be warm, fond memories to me. Spending hours and hours just completely absorbed in whatever project popped into my head that day was such a gift. Thankfully, I had the most supportive parents when it came to my creativity being scattered all over the house.
My parents have always been so intentional about giving me the space and freedom to create as I felt. Being able to develop alongside them was not only fun, but also educational. I wanted to know everything I could about what I was looking at. Question after question, fueled by my creative pursuit, was hurled at my parents and each one was answered with “Let’s figure it out together!”
This freedom to learn and express myself through art led me to Goshen College. The encouragement to always channel my creativity has undoubtedly made me who I am today. I believe that art, in whatever form it takes, can be an incredible tool for expression, connection and understanding — not just of yourself but of the world and others around you. This theme has been fueling me to pursue a career in art education.
I think that it is important now more than ever to remind ourselves of the crucial role that art can play in our lives. Curiosity about the impact of art in schools led me to a study titled “Emotional Intelligence and Values: A Comparative Study among Children with and without Engagement in Expressive Arts.” The results of the study showed that significantly higher emotional intelligence was measured in students who engage in expressive arts than in students who do not.
The study also said “portraits made by the children contributed to their self-knowledge, empathy, behavioral self-regulation, motivation, and social skills.” The children studied also appeared to be more cooperative and demonstrated less aggressive behavior. “Children who practice expressive arts are better able to control their emotions, both internally (such as anxiety, shyness, etc.) and externally (such as aggressive tendencies) and express them in productive ways.”
Art can be a life-changing tool for expression and understanding. As budgets are getting cut in schools for arts programs across the country, I ask you to pay attention. Pay attention to the impact that this will have on the people around you. Pay attention to the silence that follows when creativity is pushed aside. What will happen when students lose one of the few places where their voices feel heard? Advocate for them and support them.
