When we hand someone a craft project to create, we are handing them a picture of the successful outcome before they've even started. Which means the entire creative act really becomes a reproduction, not a creation. You already know what it should look like before you even begin, so the only options are to match it, come close to it, or bomb it.
Process and Intuitive Art is the complete opposite. There is no picture of what it should look like, no sample pinned to the wall, so success in the old sense can't really exist, and that's the whole point. When there's no predetermined result, the pressure of getting it right completely disappears, and what's left is a child or adult actually making decisions, expressing something new, taking a risk, and overcoming the fear of what do I do. It's in that exact moment critical thinking happens. It triggers the mind to shift gears, like a 5 speed engine, and get creative, asking how can I create with the elements in front of me. What it does is power kick over the scoreboard that never should have been there, from questioning did I make it right, to shifting to look what I intuitively created, and being proud of that! That of course can be very challenging, and I learned many years ago, working with the Starbucks legal team, that every challenge is an opportunity.
So what does success without a picture actually mean? It means when you define success before someone starts creating, by handing them a picture or a template, you've already limited what they can do. That's not creation, that's reproduction.
We build our Create sessions around Process, Abstract, Intuitive and Mixed Media Art. Because we want our families to grow in creativity. Creativity is the ability to imagine and generate original ideas, thoughts, or artistic expressions. It is the initial "what if" thinking. Creativity is the lighter, and innovation is the campfire. You need both, but you can't skip the lighter and go straight to the campfire.
I love stats and one stat I always found fascinating was how our country was the #1 in innovation globally. How cool is that! That's something I've always been proud of, our country, the great ole USA, leading in innovation. That was back in 2007, when my son was a year old, the USA was ranked #1 in innovation. Well, did you know we went from #1 in 2007 to ranking #3 in 2026? Do you know what year Apple released the first iPhone? 2007. I don't think it's a coincidence that the year the iPhone was first released, we were ranked #1, and eighteen years later, with smartphones in our hands, we are no longer leaders in innovation. To some, it might be a coincidence. I believe it's a result of us scrolling, instead of creating. We didn't lose our imagination, we just handed it to a smartphone and its apps instead.
Let me end with, the first book in the bible is Genesis and it doesn't open with God creating the heavens and earth following a specific template.
What it opens with is God creating the heavens and the earth out of nothing.
Creativity isn't an extra thing to do. It's an echo of God's creation.
The Gift of Creation. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1
You can read the beautiful master piece our God created right here. The Bible Project Genesis 1:1
With so much love and a giant high five,
Coach Michelle
Founder, The Perch Academy
If you're a Baton Rouge, St. George, Prairieville, Denham Springs family searching for something different, you found it. Looking for kids activities that actually bring your family closer? At The Perch, grown-ups don't drop off and wait. They're part of every class. Our faith-filled, screen-free family enrichment studio include toddler classes, mommy and me classes, parent and child classes, and classes for pre-teens and teens, all built around athletic play and creative arts. We serve St. George, Prairieville, Denham Springs and Greater Baton Rouge families.
