are you a killer too?

I remember when I was a child I played with figures and toys as if they were real characters with souls. I am not talking about when I was only three or five; I did that until I was 15 or older. I always had this world in my head giving them voices and life; a world where people moved and spoke as I desired. Unfortunately, I was always targeted by people for being abnormal. Many suggested having me checked. (I still hear things talking to me. I am an animist.)

All children are born creative and imaginative BUT all their creativity is slaughtered by the time they are eight years old. Parents, teachers and elders are all to blame.

Children need open-ended time to explore and savour a particular activity. It is ironic that you insist to place value on creativity and then brutally steal it away from children in context of their educational experiences and upbringing. I do agree that children need to be taught to regulate their behavior according to situations and social needs but there has to be a balance. There has to be plenty of time for exploration, innovation and experimentation and then there has to be time when their choices are restricted. The ‘killers’ mainly exist in schools where children are forced on standardized tests, and are loaded with homework and assignments. Children spend more time on test prep and little or no time on reading books that fire up their imagination. Children are detached from the freedom to practice their own creativity and given tasks by you to fulfill your expectations. They are snapped out of the world where impossible things are possible.

The greatest gift you can give to a child is TIME not a gadget with installed apps of programmed creativity of others. What I see these days is that young children are not even given a chance to explore their imagination to lay out a unique liberated creativity. Mothers hand over a tablet or smartphone to a one year old to play games and get riddance of their responsibility to provide quality time. When on occasions, I asked parents to interfere the technology time with children; they retorted that the apps are educational as they teach children colours, alphabets and poems. I agree. What I do not agree is that children should not be allowed more than an hour with gadget technology. They should be given environment with tools to operate their own innovations.

I get surprised when parents complain that their children do not like reading books. I get infuriated when parents ask me why their child is not good at creative writing.

Consider yourself lucky that you have all this modern technology. This was made possible because of some creative rebels thirty years ago who IMAGINED. Those were the creators who were given the gift of time . New inventions are not coming in the market with same speed anymore. Have you ever wondered why? Have you ever wondered why the same existing things are having their modified versions only? We need today’s children for more advanced tomorrow. If you still think that grades are more important at schools then be prepared to fall into the past very soon.

Starting back from where I started this post…as a child I was forced into text books and was severely reprimanded when I did not produce above average results. This approach extinguished my desire to love people. BUT I was strong (although I was called stubborn) that I still stood on my grounds and did or create as I pleased but that was not the liberty; that was the rebellion in me. I read books whenever I wanted. I refused to let my world disappear. It was me who built me without guidance of my elders or teachers. Surprisingly even my art teacher was not supportive to my creativity. IRONIC.

I am successful because of me.

As I grew up, I wished to have a child of my own. I wished to provide her the world of her mind. AND I DID. I gave birth to a beautiful daughter after I got married. Instead of putting her in pre school or primary school, I allowed her in my studio, I gave her paints, I gave her canvas, brushes, blocks, legos and books and let her explore her inner world. She was only months old. I saw her transform her confidence. I watched her paint a large size card board presenting a city when she was only two years old. She did not go to school until she was eleven plus. She was home-schooled by me.

And what’s the result? Is she a wall flower as people predicted OR she is a leader?

She is unique.

So,  was I abnormal when I was young…how about you decide it.

Just let the impossible become possible again.