Your Child, A Budding Picasso? It’s More Likely Than You Think!

Use the summer time to help your child build their creativity!

We’re used to thinking about creativity like we think about style; the conventional wisdom goes “you either have it or you don’t!” But what if we could work at creativity like we worked at long division? Do we all have a Frida Kahlo or Georgia O’Keefe inside of us, waiting to bloom artistic talent? Some psychologists say “Yes we do!” The only thing holding us back is practice!

Swedish psychologist Dr. Anders Ericsson argued in Psychological Review (1993) that any skill can be mastered after 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. This changes the way we think about success in creative careers such as photography, illustration, graphic design, and other visual arts. If practice is really the only factor that makes or breaks our success, why isn’t everyone a Picasso-in-training?

The key word in Dr. Ericsson’s argument is “deliberate.”

Picture two children practicing penalty kicks. Child A spends an hour diligently setting up the soccer balls and kicking each one, watching the results of each kick and improving her stance and her form. Child B has the same hour of practice, but he chats with his friends between kicks and takes more water breaks than he needs. Both children practiced for an hour, but one child’s deliberate practice is going to result in more improvement than the other.

Summer is the perfect time for your child to build their creativity.

Sick of your kids whining “I’m bored!” halfway into the second week of summer vacation? There are plenty of summer camps and summer programs that will help your child get that deliberate practice they need to start mastering their creative skills! Drama camps, band camps, and art camps are just a few of the amazing options out there. Many of these summer camps will employ actual professionals in the field, so your child can learn from the very best.

Once your child has found their passion, it’s best to get them started on the path to mastery as soon as possible. Don’t let the long summers go by without providing them the tools they need to realize their creative dreams!