Who Says You Can't Draw?

I was a substitute teacher for years.  I must admit my favourite age group was K-1.  They have such reverence for life and haven't been subdued by society to conform to "normal" opinions.

I love that when I can go into a classroom and ask a room full of kindergartners if they can draw a cow, almost every hand raises in enthusiasm.

http://jackdrawsanything.com

And it makes no difference if I can make out that cow that they draw, for they know its what they have created, and that is all that matters to them.  The number dwindles exponentially when the same question is asked, the higher up in grades you go.  Kids lose self confidence born of fear of rejection, peer pressure and often a misguided art teacher's criticism.

On the flipside, Teachers can also be amazing beings, and if you think back you too I am sure, can attribute much of your own excellence and desire to attain such from at least one amazing teacher.  One English teacher comes to my mind, from my highschool years.  It was from her that I truly found my love of writing.  Of putting my own thoughts to page, and of the joys of releasing them.  A very strict older woman, short on praise, but strong on spirit and quiet encouragement.

I missed my essay writing days when I turned to sciences in university and replaced them with technical papers.  So much so that I misinterpreted a lab assignment in writing a "paper" of our field trip in my first year.  I chose to take a rather animated and poetic licence approach while still providing all technical information.  My professor was not impressed, and I was awarded my first "F' from a man that I was so eager to impress as he was in the forefront of his field.  I was crushed, although I am sure I left an unmeasurable first impression...

My point in all of this, is that everyone sees their world in their own way.  And we each express it in our own way.  It makes sense then, that we all have means for that expression and that the results are individual and unique.  In short everyone can in fact draw, the results just vary.  And that is actually a good thing :)

I guess along the same lines everyone can sing... and in my case of tone deafness, not everyone wants to listen... but it doesn't stop me from belting out tunes in my car with a smile !!!

What have you stopped doing because you felt you couldn't?
Will you give it another chance?