in praise of crayons

Here is a gallery of works created by both children and adults, using the same Fotoplay page. The first five, including the one above, were made by adults in my Shake Up Your Art workshop.

Watching adults coloring so intently, and listening to them say (with a real sense of bewilderment) that they have not used a crayon for decades,

I can’t help but wonder why crayons disappear from most people’s lives.

In fact, I think the world would be a kinder, more joyful place if adults were given back the crayons that so sadly floated out of their lives.

For kids, drawing is just another normal part of the day. And crayons are a present, visible part of their world.

On the table, in a backpack, in mom’s purse, at a restaurant… Like brushing teeth, running around, and playing with blocks, drawing with crayons is a given.

What happens? Why do crayons get relegated to a shelf, then deeper inside of a closet, and then… Where do they go? Is there a movement, somewhere in world, to reintroduce crayons into the lives of every living adult? Please sign me up. I’ve seen the results. I’ve seen the softening/transformation of a rigid 60 year old. I think crayons could facilitate world peace. Really. Here’s to the power in a pile of crayons.