Quote of The Day

Friday, July 11, 2014

Paint Party Friday "Labelled"



I have friends with twins.... One girl is creative, dreamy and a bit quirky,  the other is  fastidious and curious. Each beautiful in their own right with unique talents and differences!  One is more athletic, one is more social, one loves clothes, the other doesn't. Either way they are amazing sweet  girls.
Their pre school teacher had concerns  that the fastidious twin was over taking the creative one a bit too much.  I see the fastidious girl as a future scientist or possible CEO of a company with all the qualities of a phenomenal leader! The teacher expected the parents to dissuade what was referred to as  bossy behaviour..
I have such a passion for children. I suggested my friends direct that beautiful leadership energy down the right path instead of viewing and reprimanding it as bossy behaviour.  As a parent  I've always believed  I was here to  correct my child, not crush her spirit!
In grade one, a child  dropped their crayons so I helped  pick them up, like my mom taught me! The teacher was annoyed complaining that I was too helpful. As the years went on other teachers complained I  could do better if I applied myself, labeling me a daydreamer! They were right, I was a daydreamer.... but in a good way!
 Rarely, if ever, was the word "creative" mentioned on a report card.  I played the piano, cooked well at a young age, crocheted at eleven, sewed, sang in several choirs, wrote and preformed a song for a play, was active in neighbourhood sports, yet most teachers, (not all) took   my positive qualities and turned them into a negative.  One can only wonder how things would have been if my many assets had been encouraged.
 The mere mention of  music as a career was poo-pooed by my parents.  Back in the day , the word "Artist" of any kind, seemed to be a dirty word, along with "Hippy!"
It's no wonder it took  fourty seven years for me to start  dabbling in paint! I'm so pleased the twins have parents who will do what they know to be  right for their girls. Directing them in a positive way, making small corrections when need be and celebrating all their differences and triumphs!

Were you  labeled as a child? Was it positive or negative? How did you deal with it? 

34 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

Love you post! You should have been labeled as a little wonder girl! My family always called me a freak because I liked to be creative! Hugs, Valerie

froebelsternchen said...

Wonderful post !

Karla B said...

I was labelled because I was a chubby little girl.Nowadays it is called bullying but it taught me to be strong and fight.Kids/teens can be very cruel but I still think we have to go through some lessons to understand some things.Karma is the right word for that.Love your vibrant art and your posts:they are always food for thought.

My name is Erika. said...

I agree. It is so easy for one or two negative comments to crush a spirit. My mom was an old school elementary teacher and she sort of crushed my arty spirit to be more practical. I will admit the practical side has paid off but it took me years and a personal tragedy to rediscover my arty side. I am glad I discovered it.
By the way, love your paintings this week, The froggy one made me smile for quite awhile.

GlorV1 said...

I agree with Valerie. Your talents are many and they come across very well. Have a wonderful weekend.:)

Faye said...

I don't recall being labeled but I know my son was. It was hurtful. Your post is certainly something to ponder. Even as adults we tend to categorize people, which in many cases is wrong. I'm so glad that you were able to escape the label and freely do your art, even if it took years to do.

Ayala Art said...

You are right. Many teachers just want quiet sheep to go through the day faster. I practically lived at my kids school for that reason! I have tons os stories about that, more than I care :oP
All your creatures here are fantastic hehehe

Analia Cristina said...

A Very nice and creative work!

Linda Kunsman said...

oh wow-I LOVE your colorful and quirky characters! It may have taken you a long time to find and nurture your creative self but I am ever so thankful that you have and that you can now relish in your artistic dreams. I must say that although I grew up in a toxic household - of all us kids (5)I was the one who was supported and praised by whatever I did because I truly was a "good" girl and got excellent grades and was always creative thanks to my grandmothers and a few good friends. It wasn't always so good and I had my own battles being bullied but I kept the faith. Have a great weekend my friend!

Gillena Cox said...

luv the birdie, cute; have a nice weekend


much love...

Unknown said...

Great quirky and fun characters, just the kind I like!

your story is so similar to mine. I was bullied (due to being so shy and quiet) I had first and second grade teachers who were fired for abuse...so that was tough. I was in a fog until third grade and then I just didn't get anything academic. Creative and artistic were bad words, just like for you!! Thanks goodness I persevered and made it out as an artist and happy about that, just like for you!!

Happy Paint Party Friday!
Tam Hess

sheila 77 said...

I don't think creativity was at all valued when I was at school, our primary objective was to learn how to earn a living and maybe that's not such a bad thing. Today it seems to have gone too far the other way. But I agree that positive qualities were often supressed and that was not so good.
I love your fantasy creatures here in all their colours, my favourite is the bird.
Thanks for another thought provoking post.

Sirkka said...

Lovely post! Happy PPF!

Debbie said...

A very thought-provoking post. I think I was very lucky because my parents and teachers always supported my artistic endeavors.

Abigail Davidson said...

Such fun and whimsical characters as always! Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Tracey FK said...

hearing your experiences makes my former art teacher's heart ache... and i am hoping things are different now... over here music, drama and art play a huge role in education, though more so at Private schools like the one Phoebes went to where she had specialist teachers in all of those areas from the age of 8...

creativity always wins out though and your innate nature won through all that negativity and helped you to raise a creative and interesting child who has become such a fabulous adult... I think they made you creatively resilient without knowing it...

Christine said...

nice art to go with your thoughtful post. I was lucky I had a strong mom and she never tried to tell me what to do, I was free to make my own decisions.

Christine said...

I was lucky my mom was strong, but she never tried to tell me what to do. I was able to make my own decisious. Nice art to go with your post. Google seems to be eating my comments so sorry if this is a repeat!

Jo said...

Great post! I too, had a teacher that put me in the "dummy row," because I had trouble in math. I grew up in a very creative household with music and dance but it was never encouraged in terms of trying to make a living at it. I had twins. I have never steered them in any direction other than to do or be something that made/makes them happy. Love your creatures. I love that they are unique and weird and have something to say. :)

Paper rainbow said...

How wrong can teachers be! Their role is to develop a child's qualities and therefore make them confident individuals. I am so saddened that your creativity was not recognised as you have it in bundles! I think I was lucky My parents encouraged me to art college and spent money keeping me there when my peers all went to get full time jobs. Back then university was only for the wealthy and non of my family before me had done anything like that. I took it for
granted and wish at the time I had appreciated the sacrifices made for me.

Teresa Arsenault said...

What cute paintings and a lovely post.

I'm sorry your creativity was not nurtured as a child. I remember my mother telling me, "Authors never make any money until after they are dead." She was just trying to protect me from what she saw as a dead-end career.

When other girls in the school yard were sharing their career aspirations (nurse, teacher, etc.) and I said I wanted to be a writer, someone replied, "That's stupid."

When I had my first story published my dad said, "Why don't you get a real job?"

Then, just when I seemed on the verge of publishing my first novel, the hard blows of life blew everything away.

It's hard to overcome obstacles, but when creativity is in your DNA, it will pop to the surface in every way possible. You can't keep it down.

The obstacles that shriveled my writing caused me to discover fresh expressions of creativity. When I couldn't write I could make cards. When I had no time for that I drew on scraps while I took phone calls at work. An artist admired my sketches and put a paint brush in my hand; something I would never have thought about doing. I can write again now, plus I have much more than when I could only write.

I am glad you are painting and that you too have discovered so many diverse expressions of your creative DNA.

denthe said...

love your creatures this week! So glad you managed to overcome the labels that were put on you, and that you kept going your own unique way. I don't really remember being labeled as a child, but I know people have been regarding me as the "strange" one, because I never did/do things the "normal" way. But it never stopped me from doing what I wanted. I think it's sad how little attention is given in schools to characteristics like creativity and compassion. I think it's better nowadays than when I was a kid, but still not enough. And very much dependant on the teacher ....

kat said...

Oh lovely post here again! Children just need encouragement in all they do, I had great parents always backing me up, though they weren't into art or creative pursuits, so that really took off on my own in my university years and has grown from there!

alarmcat said...

your post brought back memories for me. i was always told that i daydreamed too much. at the time, all I could think was "what's wrong with that?"

Carolyn Dube said...

There should be categories for all the talents such as creativity and leadership on report cards! Love the bright colors and especially the expression of the frogs face!

DVArtist said...

I was also a chubby kid and was really treated badly. No teacher ever came to my rescue and the kids were never taught not to "bully" me or the other kids. I wonder what became of those mean kids. Some of them I am sure are in prison. LOL They were really bad!!!!
I do like all the creatures of yours.
Nicole/Beadwright

Ariel said...

Another one of your lovely posts that took me back to my childhood. I wanted to pursue art or psychology but my parents were not very encouraging. Art was something that was not related to academics and psychology was related to crazy people. Anyways I'm thankful that I never let go of art though I couldn't learn it professionally.
Thank you so much for your birthday wishes Sherrie.
Wishing you a wonderful and creative week
Hugs
Susan

Cindy D. said...

Oh my gosh that first image is just hilarious and adorable! What wonderful teeny bird houses and that funny creature! I prefer the top color scheme. :)

Lisabella Russo said...

Your posts are so thought provoking! Your paintings are a lot of fun, they have such energy!

Laura said...

It is always interesting popping over here to see how you intertwine your quirky fabulous art into your thought provoking stories. Enjoy your week. :-)

Janet said...

Labels are like boxes...they keep us contained. I don't like them! I don't recall hearing labels put on me but I wasn't encouraged either. I loved art but no one ever encouraged me to pursue it. Like you, I was much older when I finally got into art. I guess better late than never.

Annabelle said...

As always, your posts are wonderful Sherri.
I wasn't encouraged in art, wish I had been. I think it's important to listen and see what your kids are drawn to and encourage them to follow their heart and dreams and to choose wisely.
Love the art.
Annabelle

Katie Jeanne said...

I cringe when I think about my childhood years. I had an art teacher who would take the pencil out of my hand, and draw for me..because she could do it better than me, of course. Ow. I'm a late bloomer, also, because I never had confidence in myself. But now..NOW is completely different, huh? We've come a long way, baby. There's no stopping us now. :)

Anonymous said...

what alucky family to have to such unique children and very fortunate to have a clear positive thinking friend such as YOU! I always love your work it has such a great message to each piece, that goes far beyond the pigment of paint!

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