It started with a dot
And the possibilities are endless
Hello friend,
I remember the afternoon my creative, try-anything seven-year-old son shuffled into the house after school as if he had lost his favorite Lego block. Head hanging, he announced, “She wadded it up and threw it in the trash!”
“Who is she, and what did she throw away?”
“My teacher. I colored my picture—my way. I liked it. She said I did it wrong! I didn’t color inside the lines!”
Children rarely question their creativity until some well-meaning adult plants a seed of doubt in their fertile little minds. Seemingly innocuous comments like,
“That’s really good, but.”
“What a silly idea!”
Or crumples their art.
Fortunately, that son never stopped creating, thinking his own thoughts, or exploring the world. In our house, coloring within the lines was only one of many options.
This brings me to a children’s book written by Peter H. Reynolds, The Dot. The main character, Vashti, stares at her blank piece of paper at the end of art class. She has nothing, and announces to her teacher, “I can’t draw!”
I’ve spoken those same words, and I bet, at one time or another, we all have proclaimed “I’m not…I can’t…I’ll never.”
However, in The Dot, Vashti’s teacher does not stifle her creativity. She gently and persistently gives Vashti time and space, starting with one dot, and tells her, “Now sign it!” I won’t spoil the ending for you, but Vashti never again says, “ I can’t.”
Reynolds’ “Crea-trilogy” series includes three storybooks that inspire creativity —The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color. He believes we are all creative and encourages children and adults to “make their mark.”
Teachers, their students, and adults from all walks of life and around the world celebrate “International Dot Day” on September 15-ish in their classrooms and workspaces encouraging self-discovery and self-expression.
What exactly is Dot Day?
Dot Day is a celebration of bravery—of vision—seeing the possible—seeing the solution before it even exists. Dot Day is a celebration of impact—a time to think of how we all can make our mark. It is a day to use our energy, talents, and time to make this world a better place.
I don’t know about you, but I believe our world could use a few more creative minds and people willing to say,
“Yes, I can.”
“ Yes, we can.”
And, “Dot Day” can be any day and every day. Let’s make the world a better place!
Creativity and imagination can begin with a simple pencil.
Sir Ken Robinson asks, “Do schools kill creativity?”
Naturally, there is a song: The Dot Song, but you might also enjoy Jackie Evancho’s beautiful rendition of Pure Imagination.
"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."
—Sir Ken Robinson
If you would like to read more from me, visit my website. I’ll be there waiting for you.
With gratitude,
Kathryn
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