Learning the Trick

The mouth, typically in motion, was still. His eyes, focused on the paper in front of him, shifted to my face as I stood next to the table.
"I never knew I could draw."
The warm beginning of a smile, started moments ago in my heart while watching this boy work, spread to my eyes, as I said, " See how easy it becomes once you know the tricks?"

So many people believe they have no talent. They will say to me,"I'm not an artist."
To which I respond. "You don't have to be an artist to draw. You just have to learn the tricks"
Once my students think there's a trick to it, they aren't afraid to try. What I'm really teaching is technique, but if I call it a trick, they think I'm teaching them a special, easy way to do something...Like I'm making them privy to the artists "cheat sheet"...Now, suddenly, they're game.

You see that's my trick.

I know that once I can get them past the fear, the fear that they have no talent, and get them to participate, it won't be long until they discover their creativity. Tap into those creative spirits and all of the sudden ...BAM...I've tricked them into becoming artists.

Yep, there are lot's of tricks to teaching, and one of them is discovering the right spin.