Thanks, Mom!

Here's how my mom jump-started my creativity...

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there!

I’ve been thinking of one particular creative moment sparked by my mom that was a real turning point for me as a kid.

As often happens with kids, that spark was preceded by the enemy of children everywhere: boredom.

Now, decades later, this is what I remember…

For some reason, I was the only kid home (I’m the youngest of 6, which generally prevents boredom) and was climbing the walls, whining about being bored.

My mom found a little figurine of a bee that we had in the house, it was about two inches tall, kind of like those old Smurf characters.

She handed it to me and said something to the effect of, “draw it and write a story about him.”

So I did.

The boredom went away and I wrote a story about this little bee and his magical antennae or something like that. (I sure wish I still had that drawing and story.)

Thinking back, it was one of the first times I consciously made something out of nothing.

That is what so much of creativity is, turning a blank piece of paper into something that tells a story or elicits an emotion. (Works for clay, wood, two sticks banged together and so many other mediums, too!)

And on the opposite side of boredom, I also remember escaping the chaos of a big family by sitting in my bedroom for hours, drawing, creating cartoons and reveling in a world of stories and cartoons.

I can still picture the clothes hamper that I set up as a desk in front of the bedroom window. (I think that was before I really needed an official “desk” since I was so little.)

So thank you, Mom, from the bottom of my heart, for turning that bee into something so special.

And even though you’re not online reading this, I’m lucky enough to still have you in my life and will see you in a couple of days.

Love,

-Mark

It’s remarkable what tiny little decisions, encouragement or suggestions can have on little kids as they grow up.

Here’s hoping I’m doing it right with my own. 😬

Have a great Mother’s Day, whether you’re a mother or not!