Miss Crankyfurter almost got him

Two days ago, Miss Crankyfurter was on the prowl.

She was discouraging our little artists in our free live Facebook event.

As we were drawing an action-packed Sonic pose, one of the students kept saying how bad his drawing was, how he was going to give up, how he might just leave.

To be sure, this was Miss Crankyfurter at work.

For those who don’t know, Miss Crankyfurter was the third grade teacher that got me in trouble for doodling in the margins of my finished math homework. (that may or may not have been her real name 😆)

Miss Crankyfurter is also the name I’ve given to all of those discouraging voices—in the world and in our head—that try to get us to leave behind our childlike spirit of creativity and curiosity.

Crankyfurters take many forms!

Sadly, by middle school, I had stopped drawing altogether.

I also stopped being creative and curious about the world in general. It was time to grow up, and start thinking about my grades, and future career, and how to be “cool” in school.

Unfortunately, Miss Crankyfurter got to me. And she beat me.

It took an amazing art teacher 20 years later to help me resurrect that long-lost creative child.

As I watched my two-year-old Elliana play in the bath last night, I couldn’t help but think how crushed I would be as a parent if she ever loses her childlike spirit like I did as a child—her playfulness, her curiosity, her creativity. Her delight.

How can we keep this alive in our kids? So that they don’t become jaded, cynical, and insulated?

Elliana scribbles on paper and then beams with joy as she holds it up for me to see.

She also makes a mess with paint on a paper plate and is delighted at her work. 😀

And she makes a baby dinosaur out of Play-doh and then puts it in a Tupperware container to keep it safe so it can sleep soundly for the night, because she has such a vivid imagination. (This was three nights ago 🤣)

She isn’t worried about her work “looking right”.

How much better would the world be if we all stopped judging ourselves so harshly and took a moment to imagine, and to truly delight in our work?

Elliana stops to watch an ant crawl along the sidewalk for 5 minutes.

How much better would the world be if we took time to be curious again? To watch in awe the wonder of the world that’s right in front of us?

So yes, I teach your child how to draw and be a better artist. They level up in their skills quickly.

But I also teach them how to see, to be curious, to imagine, and to delight in their work.

And this can be transformative.

Here’s how it changed the life of one of my members:

😭

I can’t believe our world is such a place that makes some kids feel worthless.

But together, we can make sure that doesn’t happen to our kids. 😊 💪

Here’s how Kids Cartoon Academy has helped Tawny's child:

I teach them to “accept their exceptionalities & the challenges of creating.” Beautifully said. It’s a great joy of mine to do so.

So what happened to our young artist yesterday in class? The one that was thinking about giving up on his Sonic drawing?

Before I even had time to encourage him, other students had beat me to it! :)

Someone said, “That’s Miss Crankfurter telling you to give up!”

Soon others were encouraging him.

And by the end of the session, the student said “I DID IT!” 😊

This is the power of community.

This is the power of young artists who create together, encourage each other, and delight in our work together.

Together we make great art, great smiles, and a greater world.

So don't let others "extinguish that creative fire" in your child. You have just one more day to join Saturday Cartoon Club.

Enrollment closes tonight.

CLICK HERE to enroll and defeat Miss Crankyfurter for good.

Stay creative,

Daniel