One of the more harrowing scenes I’ve seen in my lifetime was in a children’s art center this week. It was filled with adults seated at a giant wooden table surrounded by crafts.
It seemed all of us were about to have a heart attack.
The directive was to decorate a pair of shoes. However we wanted. With the items on the table.
Sharpies in every color imaginable, fabric stickers, gemstones, paint, and pens. It was a playground and the anxiety was palpable.
The focus was resolutely on the outcome.
The woman who owned the studio we were using for our Adult Craft Night was all smiles. She appeared unaffected by our rigidity.
“Process over product,” she said with a smile.
“Just scribble,” she said. “Doesn’t matter, have fun.”
Four-year-olds do this, I reminded myself.
The only way to get rid of “focusing on the product” was to refocus on the process. So, I grabbed 7 different colors of Sharpie and started to draw.
(they came out terribly, but we had fun.)
Margo (of Margo + Kristin from Brainstorm Road 🚙 🚗🎨 )
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