Barbara Karmazyn

I have been asked to talk about my favourite topic, Encouraging Creativity in Children, on Vancouver Co-op Radio CFRO 102.7 FM on Thursday, March 20th at 4 pm. Kara Ko, the moderator of the parenting show “It Takes a Village”, heard me speak at a Parent Participation Pre School (PPP) education night a few months ago. I was delighted when Kara called to invite me on to the show and am looking forward to the interview.

This talk was one of several that I have given over the past few month to various groups of PPP parents in Metro Vancouver and Gibsons. I really enjoy talking to parents who care so deeply about their children.

Catching Up

I have had a very full and rewarding 3 months of workshops and classes. In addition to my ongoing sessions at Burnaby Association of Community Inclusion and drumcircles with elders I gave a lot of workshops to many different groups:

The Vancouver Society of Children’s Centers hired me to run a series of expressive arts workshops for parents. This included a storymaking playshop and a rhythm playshop for parents with their children that were really fun. I also gave my workshops Move and Grow 1 and 2 to the caregivers who work in the day care centers. I am very grateful to the society for giving me the opportunity to pass on artsplay skills to so many people.

In January I was the keynote speaker for 2008 Calgary Pre School Teachers Convention. It was extremely gratifying to speak about Encouraging Creativity in Children to such a welcoming group of caregivers. I also presented a two workshops and passed on artsplay skills in rhythm, drama, movement and storymaking to large groups of enthusiastic participants.

In February I gave Tell me a Story/Make me a Story to an energetic group of caregivers for the South Fraser Family Child Care Society. Tri Cities Child Care Resource and Referral Service hired me to give Self Care for Caregivers to a group in Coquitlam. Given the fact that I had been running at full steam myself, facilitating that workshop was a good reminder for me to practice what I preach! I ended the session with the drums and as always those instruments brought the group together and helped everyone tune into themselves.

Speaking of drums, a few weeks ago I facilitated an afternoon of dancing and drumming at the Veracis Wellness Center in Port Moody. I created a new playshop Dancing from Your Heart . We had a wonderful two hours of dancing together to some great music, and finished of the day with a lively drum circle. A good time was had by all.

I am now getting ready for my spring session and look forward to what the next few months will bring my way. I love my work!

The following workshops for parents are sponsored by Vancouver Society for Children’s Centres

Tell Me a Story/Make me a Story
Library Square Children’s Centres
January 12/08
10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Registration: Phone: 604-718-6555
Email: info@vsocc.org
In Person: 250-1166 Alberni Street

Encouraging Creativity in Children
Dorothy Lamb Children’s Centre
January 27/08
10:30 am-12:30 pm
Registration:
Phone: 604-718-6555
Email: info@vsocc.org
In Person: 250-1166 Alberni Street

Recently my 5 year old friend Matthew told me that grown ups are boring because all they do is work. Sadly I had to agree with him. Adults do work, that’s our job. Children play, that’s their job. How unfortunate that we lose this ability as we grow older. How sad that we become so serious, so wound up, so unbalanced.

The truth is that we need to play as much as the children, and fortunately, it is never to late to put it back into our lives. When we give ourselves permission to play,we give ourselves valuable gifts: the gift of relaxation and renewal, the gift of spontaneity, the gift of the imagination, the gift of the moment, the gift of timelessness, the gift of pleasure, and the gift of reclaiming the self.

A vital, life affirming way to re connect to the gifts of childhood play, is to use the tools of the artist that we were all born with…what I call artsplay. Mucking about with paint and play do, singing songs, dancing, playing dress up and bashing pots and pans are as natural to the young child as breathing. In these early stages of artistic development, children delight in the process of exploration, experimentation and discovery. We can go back to these early stages and re discover the pleasures of childhood. All that is required is a desire to play again. Approaching art from this willingness to play, eliminates the pressure of making “ real ” or “great” art, taking art out of the realm of the “professional” and bringing it back home to the self.

Play through artistic expression has the power of bringing balance and harmony into our lives. Drawing, painting, pottery, sculpting, writing, playing an instrument, singing and dancing removes us from the pressures of day to day life by tuning us in to the task at hand. The creative process takes us out of the logical left brain world where we spend so much of our time, and into the intuitive, imaginative right brain. During this process we are deeply connected to our own life force, expressing our feelings, releasing pent up emotions and tensions and making important discoveries about ourselves. Playing with others connects us to people in a profound way, joining and blending together in the moment, in community.

Approaching art through play, and play through art helps us to grow in new directions, and puts us in touch with the creative spirit, the essence of who we are. And it’s fun.

- Barbara Karmazyn 

*artsplay: Exploratory experiences in dance, music, art and stories

Artsplay Model

Many years ago I came up with the word artsplay to describe what I was doing in my work with young children. In my programs we played with art materials, sang, played with percussion instruments, made up stories and acted them out and we danced. I placed the emphasis on the experience itself not the end result. Artsplay is all about the process, the doing, the enjoyment, the exploration and the experimentation.

In my programs I wanted to give the children opportunities to express themselves through all of the art forms, for the simple pleasure of doing so.

I wanted the children, to experience the joy and pleasure of artsplay, and I wanted them to experience that with no pressure placed upon them. I knew from first hand experience that the pressures to produce or perform, or to do it a certain way, or to be criticized, or judged can destroy the creative spirit, and can have a damaging effect on the emotional well being of a child.

I created stimulating environments full of neat stuff to inspire and motivate the children. I used playful games and activities that gave them the freedom to explore and discover their creative spirit.

I placed the emphasis on the process of the doing, rather than the end result. I didn’t teach steps and patterns. I didn’t provide scripts and models. I didn’t tell them how to do something. I let them figure it out for themselves.  I provided the guidance and encouragement that they needed to feel comfortable enough to explore and experiment. The children thrived. As I began working with adults I continued to use the artsplay model. As with the children, the adults have thrived, and so will you.

- Barbara Karmazyn

*Trademark Disclaimer
As indicated in the above article, I have been using the word artsplay for over ten years. Back then I made a conscious decision not to trademark this word as I believed (and still do) that some words should belong to everybody.  I am aware that other people and organizations also use this word in a similar context. It is not my intention to take anything away from them, and I hope that I am not stepping on any “trademark” toes.  Since we are all doing the same work, I hope that I will be regarded as a colleague rather than a competitor.