Inspiring imagination?

~~Sierra, using her imagination to create interesting photos, with Flapjack as her background~~


There is a discussion happening at Unschooling Basics right now, about parents limiting video games/graphic novels...whatever they deem "lacking". It was sparked by someone saying they "hate" graphic novels and how certain media limit the imagination.

I heard that my whole life. TV or movies would turn my brain to a "vegetable", it would limit my imagination. Books would inspire my imagination, would help me learn, but television? No way. Bad stuff that.

I've discovered that anything can inspire the imagination. ANYthing. Gory, disgusting, horror films can be some of the most inspirational fodder if that's what ignites your interest. Graphic novels, comics, anything that makes a person pause and think "hey, that might be cool" is going to inspire THEIR imagination.

I've watched my children take a video game and parlay it into role playing games, costumes and wild discussions. I've personally taken my fascination with color and faces and fashion into an amazing career, in spite of the adults who thought it was a waste of my time. Adults are usually wrong about that kind of stuff you know.;)

Last weekend I got to be around the most inspirational makeup artists, sound editors/mixers, actors and other creative minds. I felt firsthand the passion and creative energy that surrounds the movie industry. There are no limits in that world...there is always something new to try, some new story to tell or craft to learn. Being around great minds helps you realize the potential in every single interest, the open horizons of passions explored to their fullest.

For James Coburn, an interest in sounds came at an early age. It translated into a career for him. How many children would get ignored for that kind of interest? How many parents can truly honor a fascination with sound and the recording of it? What if your child is fascinated with graphic novels or trains or color or eyes or clouds? What if.....

Sparking an imagination is not some black and white formula. Every new baby you look at is a puzzle waiting to unfold, the clues will come but you must read them. When the eyes light up, when a child babbles excitedly about something, when they want to pause and look longer...those are your clues. Ignore or rush them and you run the risk of invalidating the interest.

Some of us went on to persue the things that tickled our imagination in spite of that treatment...but it gets really old to hear about what develops imagination and what doesn't, as if ANY human can decide that for another human.

I don't think any of us know what develops imagination in any other person, other than trusting and nurturing whatever is inside of them. As the inner child reaches for and grasps at these interests-taking them from stirrings of the soul and manifesting them in the living world-we must take them seriously. Take them seriously in our children, take them seriously in ourselves.

If we hear ourselves saying "I hate _____" (fill in the blank) it is worth examining that road block to see if we are turning our children away from some seemingly minor fascination. When an interest is seen as unworthy or dangerous, we don't change that person or their interest, we alter our relationship with them. We become unworthy of their trust. Dreams and interests need to be held up by loved ones, not turned into something negative.

I could write about this for days. In closing, I will just say that all my time spent pursuing fashion magazines and mixing playdough and drawing eyes was time well spent. I could not have imagined at the time, that all of those interests would converge in a career as a makeup artist. They were worthy interests even if that never happened. But they did. So take every interest seriously and trust that interest is fodder for great imagination.