What do you think?
Rate this book
The Artist's Way
The Artist's Way for Parents: Raising Creative Children
The Artist's Way for Parents Includes techniques for creativity that shows you how: exercising creativity, alone and together, strengthens the bond between parent and child; and how your child can learn to understand their emotions, spend time playing away from screens, become more socially able and independent. Full description
288 pages, Hardcover
First published August 15, 2013
About the author
Julia Cameron
100 books1,999 followersJulia Cameron has been an active artist for more than thirty years, with fifteen books (including bestsellers The Artist's Way, Walking In This World and The Right to Write) and countless television, film, and theater scripts to her credit. Writing since the age of 18, Cameron has a long list of screenplay and teleplay credits to her name, including an episode of Miami Vice, and Elvis and the Beauty Queen, which starred Don Johnson. She was a writer on such movies as Taxi Driver, New York, New York, and The Last Waltz. She wrote, produced, and directed the award-winning independent feature film, God's Will, which premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival, and was selected by the London Film Festival, the Munich International Film Festival, and Women in Film Festival, among others. In addition to making film, Cameron has taught film at such diverse places as Chicago Filmmakers, Northwestern University, and Columbia College. Her profound teachings on unlocking creativity and living from the creative center have inspired countless artists to unleash their full potential.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
Read
September 16, 2023Interesting how much of her suggestions overlap with a Charlotte Mason's education. I thought I would feel overwhelmed by her suggestions but I'm finding it an encouraging read.
I do find her weekly artist dates for children a bit much. An artist date is a once a week outing for sheer pleasure. Each child takes a turn picking the week's artist date for all to enjoy. It could be a visit to a museum, petting zoo, library, park etc. We usually go to the park or library once or twice a week but even so the ritual seems overwhelming, especially since you ,the parent, are suppose to refill your creativity well by going on a solo artist date once a week as well. But just knowing the artist date concept has helped me enjoy daily pleasures, get out of the house alone, enjoy the stationary section at the grocery store, notice the florist's window, admire the cardinal at the feeder.
I do find her weekly artist dates for children a bit much. An artist date is a once a week outing for sheer pleasure. Each child takes a turn picking the week's artist date for all to enjoy. It could be a visit to a museum, petting zoo, library, park etc. We usually go to the park or library once or twice a week but even so the ritual seems overwhelming, especially since you ,the parent, are suppose to refill your creativity well by going on a solo artist date once a week as well. But just knowing the artist date concept has helped me enjoy daily pleasures, get out of the house alone, enjoy the stationary section at the grocery store, notice the florist's window, admire the cardinal at the feeder.
May 15, 2014
I never read the international best-seller The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, or participated in any of the book groups and workshops that sprung up world-wide to follow her guide to releasing your creativity. But a lot of my friends did, and they talked about it continuously. Since then, several of them continued their creative pursuits and have launched a successful business or developed creative outlets that give them much personal satisfaction.
So when I saw The Artist’s Way for Parents: Raising Creative Children I was intrigued: what parent doesn’t want to raise creative children? Personally, I am very creative: but not at all artistic. My creative outlets are mainly ideas I share verbally or write down, used for business and with friends. I don’t paint, scrapbook, make music, dance or even knit or crochet. But I want to encourage artistic creativity in my children, in nieces and nephews, and with other kids in my world.
As might be expected, Cameron wrote the book in response to the many parents - I suspect mainly moms - who read her original book, and wanted ideas and tools to share the creative process with their children. What motivated her to finally write a book for parents: becoming a grandparent! As a grandma, she looked at her own daughter’s daughter, and realized she had tools she had developed, and that her mother had used, that could help nurture her granddaughter’s creative spirit.
I liked Raising Creative Children primarily because Cameron released it as a toolkit to help busy families. This book is filled with
checklists
exercises
examples
The book is very simple to use and put into practice: each section gives examples of how Cameron instilled creativity in her daughter, or examples from friend’s experiences, and then has simple easy to follow exercises and to-do lists to help you remember and put these ideas into practice.
For me, a parenting book is something I scan and not sit down and read cover to cover: I want ideas I can use, not just theories. This book is a practical guide where parents are walked hand-in-their-child’s-hand with what to do to encourage your child to be creative.
For example,
an exercise Something From Nothing
an exercise To Cultivate Self-Expression
I know many parents who would welcome and use a step-by-step list of exercises/activities to do with their children. It’s not necessarily that these parent’s can’t think of ideas to nurture creativity in their kids, they just don’t - maybe because they’re busy, stressed or juggling. And then I also know parents who can’t think of these types of activities on their own: they just aren’t built that way.
The Artists Way for Parents is a handy-dandy guide to direct parents with specific activities they can do with their kids to develop creativity: which seems to be exactly what Cameron intended.It would make a great gift for parents, imagine if it was another snowday and you don’t know what to do to occupy the kids: just grab an exercise, and get started!
Another thing I liked about The Artists Way for Parents: it has a great index at the back, something I think is missing too frequently from books. The index has a very exhaustive list of topics, and also lists the exercises so the reader can get straight to the meat!
So when I saw The Artist’s Way for Parents: Raising Creative Children I was intrigued: what parent doesn’t want to raise creative children? Personally, I am very creative: but not at all artistic. My creative outlets are mainly ideas I share verbally or write down, used for business and with friends. I don’t paint, scrapbook, make music, dance or even knit or crochet. But I want to encourage artistic creativity in my children, in nieces and nephews, and with other kids in my world.
As might be expected, Cameron wrote the book in response to the many parents - I suspect mainly moms - who read her original book, and wanted ideas and tools to share the creative process with their children. What motivated her to finally write a book for parents: becoming a grandparent! As a grandma, she looked at her own daughter’s daughter, and realized she had tools she had developed, and that her mother had used, that could help nurture her granddaughter’s creative spirit.
I liked Raising Creative Children primarily because Cameron released it as a toolkit to help busy families. This book is filled with
checklists
exercises
examples
The book is very simple to use and put into practice: each section gives examples of how Cameron instilled creativity in her daughter, or examples from friend’s experiences, and then has simple easy to follow exercises and to-do lists to help you remember and put these ideas into practice.
For me, a parenting book is something I scan and not sit down and read cover to cover: I want ideas I can use, not just theories. This book is a practical guide where parents are walked hand-in-their-child’s-hand with what to do to encourage your child to be creative.
For example,
an exercise Something From Nothing
an exercise To Cultivate Self-Expression
I know many parents who would welcome and use a step-by-step list of exercises/activities to do with their children. It’s not necessarily that these parent’s can’t think of ideas to nurture creativity in their kids, they just don’t - maybe because they’re busy, stressed or juggling. And then I also know parents who can’t think of these types of activities on their own: they just aren’t built that way.
The Artists Way for Parents is a handy-dandy guide to direct parents with specific activities they can do with their kids to develop creativity: which seems to be exactly what Cameron intended.It would make a great gift for parents, imagine if it was another snowday and you don’t know what to do to occupy the kids: just grab an exercise, and get started!
Another thing I liked about The Artists Way for Parents: it has a great index at the back, something I think is missing too frequently from books. The index has a very exhaustive list of topics, and also lists the exercises so the reader can get straight to the meat!
September 9, 2024
El libro es muy bueno, aunque debo mencionar que no todos los niños están siempre dispuestos a seguir todas las sugerencias e ideas artísticas de Cameron. Sin embargo, con habilidad, es posible guiarlos y despertar su interés... aunque no siempre se logre. Lo mejor del libro es la idea de que el apoyo a los hijos se basa en el crecimiento de la sensibilidad artística de los padres.
May 14, 2014
I haven't read The Artist's Way yet, so I won't make any comparisons. How much you get out of this book really depends on how much you're already doing with your children already. If you're encouraging your children's self-expression, curiosity, creative process and independence, this book probably won't help you much, but it may give you a few good ideas to implement. If you're not doing any of it, then this book will be very helpful and guide you through the various areas of your children's lives you can encourage these character traits. It's worth reading, even if you scheme through some parts you already know about.
August 9, 2021
Labai gera, aiški, sisteminga knyga su paprastais pavyzdžiais, patarimais, netgi pratimais ir užrašais. Labai lengva skaityti ir norisi vis pasibraukti, žymėtis mintis, kad bet kada galėtum matyti ir naudotis. Labai šauniai sudarytas turinys - kiekvienai svarbiausiai vertybei skiriamas dėmesys. Patinka, kad tekstas be jokių aukštų, mokslinių frazių, labai paprastai, kiekvienam aiškiai parašytas, net nekyla klausimų perskaičius. Viskas konkrečiai, būtent apie tai, ko reikia. Šią knygą tėvams būtinai reikėtų perskaityti. Visiems, kuriems rūpi jų vaikai. Ir ne kartą, nes vis norisi prisiminti, taikyti gyvenime. Nors šią knygą radau darbe, pasiimiau skaityti kaip pedagogė, bet ji grynai skirta tėvams. Ir labai daug čia radau.
Apie tai, kas svarbiausia dedant pamatus asmenybei: saugumo jausmą, smalsumą, ryšio kūrimą, ribų nustatymą, saviraišką, išradingumą, pasaulio suvokimą, gebėjimą susikaupti, atradimo džiaugsmą, nuolankumą, savarankiškumą, tikėjimą.
Knygoje yra pabrėžiami trys pagrindiniai metodai:
1. Ryto puslapiai - trys puslapiai, kuriuos mama ar tėtis pasirašo ranka.
2. Kūrybinė ekspedicija - kas savaitinis nuotykis, kuriam vaikas ir mama/tėtis ruošiasi, kurio laukia ir kuriame kartu dalyvauja.
3. Įsimintiniausiai akimirka - kasdienis ritualas prieš užmiegant, kai vaikas su mama ar tėveliu aptaria vienam ir kitam labiausiai įstrigusį dienos įvykį.
Tikrai superinė knyga, kurios nesinori paleisti. Vis skaityti ir skaityti. Žymėtis bei taikyti auginant, ugdant naująją kartą - savo vaikučius.
Apie tai, kas svarbiausia dedant pamatus asmenybei: saugumo jausmą, smalsumą, ryšio kūrimą, ribų nustatymą, saviraišką, išradingumą, pasaulio suvokimą, gebėjimą susikaupti, atradimo džiaugsmą, nuolankumą, savarankiškumą, tikėjimą.
Knygoje yra pabrėžiami trys pagrindiniai metodai:
1. Ryto puslapiai - trys puslapiai, kuriuos mama ar tėtis pasirašo ranka.
2. Kūrybinė ekspedicija - kas savaitinis nuotykis, kuriam vaikas ir mama/tėtis ruošiasi, kurio laukia ir kuriame kartu dalyvauja.
3. Įsimintiniausiai akimirka - kasdienis ritualas prieš užmiegant, kai vaikas su mama ar tėveliu aptaria vienam ir kitam labiausiai įstrigusį dienos įvykį.
Tikrai superinė knyga, kurios nesinori paleisti. Vis skaityti ir skaityti. Žymėtis bei taikyti auginant, ugdant naująją kartą - savo vaikučius.
April 1, 2015
Helpful book for those of us coming from a more classical model of education where art and culture are most certainly valued but where the messy, explorative, creative process is not so much.
I picked it up to read about ways to encourage my son to experiment more, create more, not just to line his cars up over and over (turns out, there is plenty of creativity in that activity). The book turned out to be more of a self-exploration for the parent, who models his/her own creativity within the home. Makes perfect sense. It got me into the magical habit of writing daily "morning pages" at the crack of dawn, helped me identify creative activities that I undervalue (and pass on judgment through my comments and actions) and unleashed the desire to participate in creative activities where perfection has reared its ugly head and told me "you'll never be good enough, so what's the point anyway?".
Sure, there is a lot of common sense, some repetition and a few too many illustrations, but I found the exercises to be both practical and insightful, and the premise of our spiritual freedom having a direct impact on our ability to create, pretty ground-breaking. Just loved the idea of creating as an act of faith, stemming from generosity, acceptance, safety, boredom etc.
This was a book I intentionally read over a few months so I could take in all the different concepts and even take action where relevant. After reading one chapter in particular, I realized we had asked our children to share everything in the house to the point where there was no space to create and be artists. Soon after, we created a small area for each child to call their own. They have loved it ever since and we are eager to see what comes out of those creative corners. The book has also fostered discussions between myself and my husband of our creative prejudices and which ones we want to learn to embrace.
I do have to add that the author makes some assumptions as a mother of one of how to become creative adults and just file the kids away so we too can create. In my experience, it isn't quite so easy with several, very young children. :-) Also, I think the book is missing the "whole family" dynamic in the creative process (parents interacting, creating, the father's empowerment in the creative process..). We can't fault her too much as she is a single parent of one girl. All in all a good book that I would recommend to other families looking to unleash more creativity into their home.
I picked it up to read about ways to encourage my son to experiment more, create more, not just to line his cars up over and over (turns out, there is plenty of creativity in that activity). The book turned out to be more of a self-exploration for the parent, who models his/her own creativity within the home. Makes perfect sense. It got me into the magical habit of writing daily "morning pages" at the crack of dawn, helped me identify creative activities that I undervalue (and pass on judgment through my comments and actions) and unleashed the desire to participate in creative activities where perfection has reared its ugly head and told me "you'll never be good enough, so what's the point anyway?".
Sure, there is a lot of common sense, some repetition and a few too many illustrations, but I found the exercises to be both practical and insightful, and the premise of our spiritual freedom having a direct impact on our ability to create, pretty ground-breaking. Just loved the idea of creating as an act of faith, stemming from generosity, acceptance, safety, boredom etc.
This was a book I intentionally read over a few months so I could take in all the different concepts and even take action where relevant. After reading one chapter in particular, I realized we had asked our children to share everything in the house to the point where there was no space to create and be artists. Soon after, we created a small area for each child to call their own. They have loved it ever since and we are eager to see what comes out of those creative corners. The book has also fostered discussions between myself and my husband of our creative prejudices and which ones we want to learn to embrace.
I do have to add that the author makes some assumptions as a mother of one of how to become creative adults and just file the kids away so we too can create. In my experience, it isn't quite so easy with several, very young children. :-) Also, I think the book is missing the "whole family" dynamic in the creative process (parents interacting, creating, the father's empowerment in the creative process..). We can't fault her too much as she is a single parent of one girl. All in all a good book that I would recommend to other families looking to unleash more creativity into their home.
October 14, 2013
For years millions of readers have discovered how to be more creative by reading Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. But many readers who are also parents pushed Cameron for more, asking how they could apply her thoughts on creativity to raising their children. Cameron proves she is equally at home with parental as well as personal advice in The Artist’s Way for Parents: Raising Creative Children.
Straightforward and easy to read, The Artist’s Way for Parents is not a primer on teaching your children how to create art. Rather, it talks about all the ways to bring creativity into their lives. That includes things like making music, dancing, writing, singing, painting and more. Cameron makes the point that too much activity is the enemy of creativity, because to a certain extent creativity blossoms with less structure.
Each chapter focuses on a particular quality to cultivate that creativity: safety, curiosity, connection, self-expression and inventiveness are just some areas of focus. Little boxes provide exercises designed to help get the message across. For instance, the chapter on cultivating safety suggests an exercise to heighten downtime. In it, readers are encouraged to write down ten “Frivolous” things that make them happy but that they don’t believe they have time to do.
Cameron says, “The act of spending time doing something we want to do as opposed to something we have to do takes courage.” She also believes dedicating 15 minutes a day to something we want to do can make a big difference in how we feel about ourselves.
Reading Cameron’s advice is like having a trusted friend share with you ideas on how to improve many areas of your life so you can guide your children. She uses many examples, including some from her own parents, some from the way she parented her daughter, and others from her students. She also covers some surprising territory, like the way that dreaming of fame and encouraging perfection can stifle our creative energy.
The Artist’s Way for Parents is one you’ll want to read and keep on your shelf for reference over and over again. I highly recommend it.
The publisher gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Straightforward and easy to read, The Artist’s Way for Parents is not a primer on teaching your children how to create art. Rather, it talks about all the ways to bring creativity into their lives. That includes things like making music, dancing, writing, singing, painting and more. Cameron makes the point that too much activity is the enemy of creativity, because to a certain extent creativity blossoms with less structure.
Each chapter focuses on a particular quality to cultivate that creativity: safety, curiosity, connection, self-expression and inventiveness are just some areas of focus. Little boxes provide exercises designed to help get the message across. For instance, the chapter on cultivating safety suggests an exercise to heighten downtime. In it, readers are encouraged to write down ten “Frivolous” things that make them happy but that they don’t believe they have time to do.
Cameron says, “The act of spending time doing something we want to do as opposed to something we have to do takes courage.” She also believes dedicating 15 minutes a day to something we want to do can make a big difference in how we feel about ourselves.
Reading Cameron’s advice is like having a trusted friend share with you ideas on how to improve many areas of your life so you can guide your children. She uses many examples, including some from her own parents, some from the way she parented her daughter, and others from her students. She also covers some surprising territory, like the way that dreaming of fame and encouraging perfection can stifle our creative energy.
The Artist’s Way for Parents is one you’ll want to read and keep on your shelf for reference over and over again. I highly recommend it.
The publisher gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 24, 2020
I have not yet read The Artist’s Way so I will give my opinion from that view. This book is wonderful. I don’t think I made it through one chapter without underlining, taking notes, adding my own thoughts and annotations. I found so many pieces to be insightful, important views about children’s personal creative journeys and how to be a supportive parent who encourages their individuality. I realize that this book doesn’t dive as deep as The Artist’s Way but for a start and for a mom who doesn’t have long chunks of time to sit and work through a book it is great. It’s an easy read but so thought provoking I looked forward to every time I sat down to read.
If you’ve already read The Artists Way then you may not get as much from this. If you haven’t, and you have kids that keep you on your toes, this is a great place to start! Practical applications and activities as well as mental exercises for your own creative journey. Definitely worth a read.
If you’ve already read The Artists Way then you may not get as much from this. If you haven’t, and you have kids that keep you on your toes, this is a great place to start! Practical applications and activities as well as mental exercises for your own creative journey. Definitely worth a read.
March 26, 2014
First off, I have to say I am a huge fan of Julia Cameron, and of her Artist's Way movement. Truly, the Artist's Way changed my life. This is an important book, which for me came about 10 years late. I could really have used this concept when my kids were a lot younger. Since I now have teenagers, I read this book thinking, well, there was something I did wrong...and there's one, too. There were still some ideas I hope to integrate into raising them into the healthy and strong and creative adults I hope they will be, but this book is really more for parents of kids under the age of 10, I think. It's definitely worthwhile for that audience, and perhaps for grandparents of kids that age. Bravo to Julia Cameron for writing it.
February 24, 2016
Be gentle with your child, encourage his creative pursuits, appreciate, show what's possible, enable trying out different kids of creative activities. Stand back and let him be who he is. Give praise, and distance him from negative criticism. Help him connect with life in all kinds of ways — pay attention to nature, animals, people, meaningful conversations, physical health, music, art. Allow time for free play.
Watch him be himself and be amazed.
Watch him be himself and be amazed.
Read
May 21, 2016Cameron's tone is preachy, and her anecdotes paint her as an annoying Yoda-like figure who always knows better than everyone else. Additionally, I was disappointed that the book didn't give me any new ideas on how to encourage creativity in my son, but I guess the good news is that I'm already doing what Cameron suggests. Perhaps this book would be more helpful for the kind of parents who overschedule their kids and always have a clean house because they're afraid of messes.
March 5, 2018
This is a phenomenal parenting book that has not only taught me how to support my children in creativity but bring out my own creative self.
Only downside is it doesn't take into consideration lower income families who constantly work and don't have resources or time for many of this.
I'm blessed to be a work from home mom that can do all this but think of lower income families I used to teach who see creativity as a luxury.
Still amazing book!
Only downside is it doesn't take into consideration lower income families who constantly work and don't have resources or time for many of this.
I'm blessed to be a work from home mom that can do all this but think of lower income families I used to teach who see creativity as a luxury.
Still amazing book!
October 25, 2020
I found this quite shallow, containing obvious and biased tips and a train of examples from her friends who she all apparently helped amazingly. It reads like a diary.
Also no sources or shred of scientific substantiation. No tbh - and this is just my personal opinion: very unimpressed and would not recommend
Also no sources or shred of scientific substantiation. No tbh - and this is just my personal opinion: very unimpressed and would not recommend
December 6, 2016
Meh... wasn't exciting as I thought, neither helpful!
Read
April 26, 2020Meh. I haven't read the original Artist's Way, so I don't know how this compares. But I found the reasonable points in this book obvious (don't mock a child's creative efforts, do fun stuff together, labeling as "genius" is just about as unhelpful as labeling as "unmusical" or whatever). The schmaltzy 12-step-y Higher Power tone really rubbed me the wrong way--it comes off as terribly patronizing--and serious class privilege makes a lot of assumptions seem bizarre. I personally know zero parents who feel their child should always be practicing the violin rather than playing or reading, for example. I guess an extraordinarily tightly-wound person might find some of the "chill out" reminders/permission useful? But, like, who ARE these parents?
June 13, 2022
I loved the simple path the author lays out showing parents how to develop their children’s creativity. I feel like this book showed me I was on the right path already, as I’m already doing some of the things she recommends. And then it showed me where to go next. The almost outline like format made the information very clear and easy to understand. I thought the overall tone of the book was positive and encouraging which I appreciate. I feel like the author, Julia Cameron, must be a very nurturing person because reading her writing felt like hanging out with a very wise and sweet mentor.
Read
September 28, 2023I started The Artist's Way and liked the concept of it but I don't feel like I have the time to actually do the twelve weeks worth of activities right now. I picked this one up worried it would be a similar format but it's not. It's a variety of aspects of creativity, one per chapter, with some anecdotal stories and some ideas for things to try spread throughout the chapters. I skimmed most of the book and enjoyed it. Nothing earth shattering but it's a good reminder of some guideposts I think are important to parenting.
January 15, 2019
I read a library copy but if I owned this book, I would have underlined and scribbled all over it. Great reminders about encouraging kids, not comparing, not criticising, creating to learn, and lots more. A great book to read again as my kids greet older. There were some confusing statements about God, not sure exactly where she's coming from but I agree that God is the creator and he had made us creative for his glory. Recommend.
July 26, 2020
Considering it took me several tries of stopping and starting this book. I wanted to love it. I
Want to put art and creativity into my daughters life. Some good ideas but it also felt very individual for the author and her daughter.
Finally finished during Covid quarantine. Pg 177 that talks about limiting screens in the time of virtual school makes me laugh nervously. It’s also irritating me.
The chapter on focus and clutter was very hard hitting in my life.
Want to put art and creativity into my daughters life. Some good ideas but it also felt very individual for the author and her daughter.
Finally finished during Covid quarantine. Pg 177 that talks about limiting screens in the time of virtual school makes me laugh nervously. It’s also irritating me.
The chapter on focus and clutter was very hard hitting in my life.
February 19, 2021
It took me two tries to get through this book. The first time, I was cursing Cameron for telling me to find time alone. Do I look like I have a babysitter? Fast forward a few months, and I'm in a better place mentally to receive the information. Much of it is "duh" insight, but there were tidbits that made me realize that I was separating my creative life from my role as a parent, meanwhile the best inspiration was coming from my children and the things we do together.
July 3, 2024
Es maravilloso para sanar tu niña interior.
No necesitas tener un hijo para leerlo 🤭
Ligero, lleno de ejemplos claros y una buena división de capítulos.
Está súper bueno para leerlo y hacerte un viaje al pasado de cómo fue tu infancia y cómo ahora de adulto, puedes reparar. Da buenos tips como las hojas matutinas, salidas con el artista y los rituales de gratitud al final del día.
Next libro: el camino del artista 👀
No necesitas tener un hijo para leerlo 🤭
Ligero, lleno de ejemplos claros y una buena división de capítulos.
Está súper bueno para leerlo y hacerte un viaje al pasado de cómo fue tu infancia y cómo ahora de adulto, puedes reparar. Da buenos tips como las hojas matutinas, salidas con el artista y los rituales de gratitud al final del día.
Next libro: el camino del artista 👀
February 1, 2021
The book had great nuggets for me.
"Amateurism -- which translates to "for love" -- is a wonderful goal as we urge our children not to be perfect, but to explore creative outlets for pleasure and for pleasure alone, without the pressure of someone else's 'perfect' performance as the only worthy goal."
"Perfectionism is egotism parading as virtue."
"Amateurism -- which translates to "for love" -- is a wonderful goal as we urge our children not to be perfect, but to explore creative outlets for pleasure and for pleasure alone, without the pressure of someone else's 'perfect' performance as the only worthy goal."
"Perfectionism is egotism parading as virtue."
October 7, 2021
Great book, sometimes we need help on this long road to parenting. Many things may be obvious, but our daily routine blinds us and takes us away from this beautiful gift of parenting.
The exercises allow us to think of all the ways we have in our hands to encourage our children to be creative souls.
The exercises allow us to think of all the ways we have in our hands to encourage our children to be creative souls.
December 5, 2016
I actually read this chapter for chapter with the Artist Way, but honestly it didn't offer much more insight then the original book.
November 21, 2018
Very interesting, lots of good ideas to try
August 11, 2019
Excepcional
November 14, 2023
Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunt, or Uncle; can use this book to create memories and ideas that encompass creativity. Easy ideas to recreate and enjoy.
February 28, 2024
✅ suggests activities to do with children
✅ positive book about making time for our kids and their wants and needs
✅ Validating for my personal style of parenting
✅ positive book about making time for our kids and their wants and needs
✅ Validating for my personal style of parenting
May 8, 2014
I received this book for free from the publisher. All content and opinions are my own.
This book is exactly what it says it is - a book for parents. Each of its twelve chapters explore ways that parents can cultivate creativity in themselves and then in their children.
While I was initially disappointed that this book did not include hundreds of artistic things to do with my child, the disappointment did not last long. This book seeks to provide tools for infusing creativity rather than specific creative activities. There is so much to mine from here. From the very first exercise, I was inspired:
Do you see the potential here? I ended up with three pages full of lists of things I want to do or try or be better about. Here's a sampling:
Taking my daughter on artist "dates"
Allowing (some) chaos
Making sure my comments on creativity are encouraging
Expressing gratitude
Creating and continuing rituals
Providing more "raw" materials for creativity
Documenting my daughter's creativity
Serving others
Rewarding effort and process rather than just the end result
I could go on and on. Needless to say, this book will be a resource I turn to again and again as I seek to cultivate creativity in myself and my daughter. I highly recommend it.
This book is exactly what it says it is - a book for parents. Each of its twelve chapters explore ways that parents can cultivate creativity in themselves and then in their children.
[W]e must be willing to take steps toward our own creative and spiritual health . . . . Like the advice we receive on an airplane to administer our own air masks before helping the children beside us, we must nuture ourselves to set the example for our children.
While I was initially disappointed that this book did not include hundreds of artistic things to do with my child, the disappointment did not last long. This book seeks to provide tools for infusing creativity rather than specific creative activities. There is so much to mine from here. From the very first exercise, I was inspired:
List five things you love, such as snow, cherry pie, parrots, gerbera daisies, and drumming.
How could you share each of these things with your child? For example:
Snow - Cut out snowflakes.
Cherry pie - Bake Grandma's recipe.
Parrots - Visit a bird store.
Gerbera daisies - Go to the plant store together and buy one gerbera daisy, then come home and draw the flower together.
Drumming - Make a drum from an oatmeal container.
Now choose one item from your list, and embark on exploring it with your child.
Do you see the potential here? I ended up with three pages full of lists of things I want to do or try or be better about. Here's a sampling:
Taking my daughter on artist "dates"
Allowing (some) chaos
Making sure my comments on creativity are encouraging
Expressing gratitude
Creating and continuing rituals
Providing more "raw" materials for creativity
Documenting my daughter's creativity
Serving others
Rewarding effort and process rather than just the end result
I could go on and on. Needless to say, this book will be a resource I turn to again and again as I seek to cultivate creativity in myself and my daughter. I highly recommend it.
December 30, 2020
Knížku jsem si vybrala, jelikož moje starší, teď šestiletá, dcera má velké sklony k malířství. Chtěla jsem načerpat inspiraci, jak s talentem a zájmem dcerky pracovat. Tyto rady jsem v knize opravdu našla. Avšak zjistila jsem záhy, že naprostou většinu oněch rad už dávno ve své výchově aplikujeme. Jsou to jednoduché věci - chválit i za nedokonalé výtvory, chodit na procházky a pozorovat okolí, vytvářet příležitosti, nechat děti vyprávět jejich vlastní příběhy, dát jim k dispozici jejich malý koutek, kde si můžou dělat, co chtějí podle svého zájmu, nekorigovat jejich hry, ale nechat je, aby si je aspoň trochu vymýšlely samy.
Tahle knížka mi pomohla si tyto rady utřídit a ujistila mě, že to asi dělámen celkem dobře.
Tak proč jenom 2 hvězdy?
1. Nic moc nového jsem se nedozvěděla. Jenom jsem si utřídila to, co už jsem věděla.
2. Straaaašně špatně se to čte. Je to napsané příšerným jazykem a překlad je tak otřesný, že tomu taky moc nepomohl.
3. Paní autorka navíc v každé kapitole několikrát zmiňuje důležitost víry v Boha Stvořitele. Bez víry není kreativita. Mně osobně otázky víry nejsou proti srsti, ale kniha dávající obecné rady o výchově by asi neměla všechny svoje postoje podmiňovat vírou v Boha. To sem prostě nepatří a časté připomínání božskosti je v knize otravné.
4. Zejména poslední 4 kapitoly popisují americkou společnost a její problémy. Některé popisované problémy mi přijde, že nejsou skutečnými problémy v naší evropské společnosti. Autorka popisuje přílišné ambice rodičů, kdy dávají na své děti velké nároky už od mateřské školy, protože jinak nebudou mít možnost si vybrat střední nebo vysokou školu. Popisuje třídní rozdíly ve společnosti, kdy si lidé navzájem závidí vyšší platy, soukromé učitele, anebo že některé děti můžou chodit do soukromé lepší školy, ale jiné jenom na státní školu, která kreativitu většinou potlačuje. To jsou věci, které určitě problémem jsou, ale ne u nás v Evropě. Některé zmiňované příběhy mi tak přišly dosti absurdní.
5. Názor, že "akademické prostředí ničí kreativitu", jelikož student se prostě musí učit jen fakta, je mi silně proti srsti. Sama jsem vědec - fyzik a plánování a provádění výzkumu je neskutečně kreativní činnost. A ta vysoká škola mě naučila hodně věcí a jen holé biflování to určitě nebylo.
Tahle knížka mi pomohla si tyto rady utřídit a ujistila mě, že to asi dělámen celkem dobře.
Tak proč jenom 2 hvězdy?
1. Nic moc nového jsem se nedozvěděla. Jenom jsem si utřídila to, co už jsem věděla.
2. Straaaašně špatně se to čte. Je to napsané příšerným jazykem a překlad je tak otřesný, že tomu taky moc nepomohl.
3. Paní autorka navíc v každé kapitole několikrát zmiňuje důležitost víry v Boha Stvořitele. Bez víry není kreativita. Mně osobně otázky víry nejsou proti srsti, ale kniha dávající obecné rady o výchově by asi neměla všechny svoje postoje podmiňovat vírou v Boha. To sem prostě nepatří a časté připomínání božskosti je v knize otravné.
4. Zejména poslední 4 kapitoly popisují americkou společnost a její problémy. Některé popisované problémy mi přijde, že nejsou skutečnými problémy v naší evropské společnosti. Autorka popisuje přílišné ambice rodičů, kdy dávají na své děti velké nároky už od mateřské školy, protože jinak nebudou mít možnost si vybrat střední nebo vysokou školu. Popisuje třídní rozdíly ve společnosti, kdy si lidé navzájem závidí vyšší platy, soukromé učitele, anebo že některé děti můžou chodit do soukromé lepší školy, ale jiné jenom na státní školu, která kreativitu většinou potlačuje. To jsou věci, které určitě problémem jsou, ale ne u nás v Evropě. Některé zmiňované příběhy mi tak přišly dosti absurdní.
5. Názor, že "akademické prostředí ničí kreativitu", jelikož student se prostě musí učit jen fakta, je mi silně proti srsti. Sama jsem vědec - fyzik a plánování a provádění výzkumu je neskutečně kreativní činnost. A ta vysoká škola mě naučila hodně věcí a jen holé biflování to určitě nebylo.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews