Funky Diagram - The Last Part

Alright, we're to the last part of the funky diagram. Here's the last post I did on it, in case you didn't memorize it....

Anyway, the last part is How To Communicate To Others. This might be the touchiest part of being a young person making pictures, because it seems like so often people don't see your work exactly as you would like them to.

When kids are Kindergarten age, they are storytellers. They love to draw and talk at the same time, and they don't mind if you ask what things are.

But later, this isn't so easy. Because if you ask what something is, then it means that you can't tell by looking at it. And if you can't tell by looking at it, there must be something wrong with the drawing.

Hm.

This is such an important point. Because when we read a book, we create that book's story inside our own heads. And no two people create the exact same story. Even when we see a movie, we all take different things away from it.

And, so much of what we see every day is designed to get us to think a certain way - billboards, advertisements, television shows - they are all meant to communicate something.

When we draw, it's very personal. So, having someone misinterpret or make fun of your drawing is the same as making you invisible or picking on you.

So the key is, when you see someone drawing, to simply look and react and encourage. Because this can mean the difference between a child continuing to draw and develop those brain cells and putting down the pencil for good.

Here are good things to say to a kid, whether it's your kid or your friend or your friend's kid, about his or her drawings:

"It looks like you put a lot of thought and work into that."

"I like this part. Can you tell me more about it?"

"What is going on here?"

"How did you decide to draw it that way?"

Things that are not so good to say include sentences that start with "That reminds me of..." or "I like your horse!" (When it's really a dog). So don't talk yourself into a corner by trying to tell what the drawing is. Let the artist take care of that.