Dear Kids,
One night last year, Livia was working on a story. She asked if she could write downstairs. “Of course!” I replied (because if somebody want to write, then they should be able to write anywhere they want to!). And, because I had been thinking of doing some writing myself, I asked if she wanted to join my Writing Club. She did, and then Marshall asked to join, too.
So the three of us gathered at the dining room table to write. But while Marshall likes joining clubs, he doesn’t like writing that much, so we decided to give ourselves a different name: Creativity Club. In Creativity Club, you can do anything that’s creative, including writing, drawing, coloring, and Legos.
Livia and I worked on our writing while Marshall made some art. Livia is the kind of writer who loves to share her work, not just when it’s done but every step of the way. And Marshall likes to tell stories about his art while he’s working on it. So there was a lot of sharing going on. Then Livia looked at me and said, “What did you write?” “Oh, nothing.” I replied. She didn’t believe me. “Read us some of what you wrote, Mommy!”
So, Livia had shared her work, and Marshall had shared his. If Mommy didn’t share, then Mommy would be a poor sport, and she would risk teaching you to hide your creative work and be shy. And the truth is, I’ve always been terrified of damaging your creativity. I want so badly for you to be creative people, and I’ve been carefully and deliberately encouraging you to lead creative lives. I’ve tried to show you how easy it is. I’ve made a total ass out of myself repeatedly. I’ve danced silly dances, and I’ve sung impromptu songs, and I’ve made countless types of art with you. But still, what if I make a mistake? Sometimes it only takes one, just one stupid word or action, and a kid stops wanting to be creative forever.
So there I was, on the hot seat, having been asked to share my writing. I had only been doing writing exercises, and most of it didn’t even make sense. What to do? Well, I picked the parts that were at least real sentences, and I read them aloud as if they meant something. You told me they were good. That’s how very sweet you are. Whew! Creativity saved.
We have had many meetings of Creativity Club since. We all enjoy the time together, and often we listen to music as we work. I set my computer up for streaming, and you pick your favorite music. Among other things, you like Imagine Dragons, Maroon 5, Taylor Swift, Rachel Platten, and Marshall’s favorite: the soundtrack for Shin Godzilla.
It’s not quite all sunshine and roses. We do have the occasional clash in Creativity Club. For example, one time Marshall claimed that he was the president of our club. I told him that he couldn’t be president but that he could be VP in Charge of Mascots. Everyone was happy . . . for about a minute. The next thing I knew, Livia was crying because our new VP in Charge of Mascots had declared that Ellie the Elephant could not be a Creativity Club mascot! How fortunate that our club does have a president—me. I declared Ellie an official mascot. Peace was restored and creativity saved yet again.
With love and encouragement in all things creative,
Mom