Ken Robinson tells a story about Gillian Lynne, who would grow up to choreograph "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera," and who had a problem sitting still as a child. Fortunately, someone noticed that there wasn't anything wrong with her, she was a dancer. So instead of being medicated and told to sit down and be quiet, she was encouraged to dance.Beethoven apparently derived much of his inspiration from long walks in nature.
Do you think better when you are moving?
Many children do. But we tell them to sit down and be quiet all the time.
When I'm teaching a class, I actually feel more successful when there's a fair amount of noise. Not total chaos, nothing getting broken, but laughter and talking.
I also notice that often kids will stand up at a table when they are working on a project, even when there are chairs all around.
It's important not to forget the kinetics of learning -- everything in our environment is information, it's not all in our heads.
Drawing is really recorded movement, not a product made on paper. It's not still at all.
So next time you're seeking inspiration, maybe try doing that while on your feet. Works for a lot of kids.
