Tell Me About It

A magical way to support creativity in others.

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

My granddaughter almost brought me to tears the other day.

My grandson likes to draw. When he was 4 (he's seven now), I bought him a blank notebook and asked him to draw a picture whenever he came over. 

I gave him the freedom to draw whatever he wanted. I never critique the drawing. I ask him to 'tell' me about it and then congratulate him on a beautiful picture.

If I were to ask 'what is it?', there is an implication in the question; the subject in his excellent drawing isn't apparent. I mean if you drew your dog and someone didn't clearly see it was a dog, what would that say to you about your skills as an artist?

"Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them."

Buckminster Fuller

I'm working hard to encourage him and not to de-genius him. I've been doing the same thing with his younger sister, who is now 4.

She had received an Etch A Sketch, a mechanical drawing toy, as a gift. On the next visit, she drew something on it and came over to show it to me.

"Look what I drew, Grandpa; let me tell you about it." She then explained this rather interesting abstraction of her house, yard, and family, all with tiny right-angled squares.

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Here's what got to me.

I didn't have to ask my granddaughter to tell me about her drawing; she did it all independently. She shared her vision for her picture without a moment's hesitation or concern for judgment.  

I'm working just as hard not to let the world de-genius her as I have her brother.

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Inspiring Ikigai

We can do the same thing to inspire Ikigai in all the people in our lives.

The world is out there trying to de-genius us at every turn. To put down our ideas or to frame who and what we are or create.

When listening to someone give them the equivalent of a blank notebook, ask them to tell you about what they drew.

You might be surprised by what they come up with and the true genius they bring.

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