The Process is Reward Enough

Lessons from the art gallery

We went to Hastings during October half term and the one non-negotiable thing I wanted to do was go to the art gallery (and stuff my face with sugar-coated fresh donuts, of course!)

There is an exhibition, or three, actually, on at Hastings Contemporary and from the leaflet I picked up in an ice-cream shop one afternoon, I knew I would enjoy it.

I love going to art galleries. It almost doesn’t matter what is on there. I enjoy just being around art and colour and around people that get it. I love the spaces, the buildings, the gift shops… I love it all.

Being a designer or an artist is a lifestyle choice. That is what we were told at University. It is a way of seeing and a way of thinking that never leaves you. It is drawing, sketching, painting, collaging, styling - it is a love of colour, pattern and texture…It is what makes us happy or calm, or both.

I take a sketchbook everywhere. In fact every evening of the holiday I would sit in the caravan whilst my partner put the kids to bed and drew from photos of the day. I find it relaxing and enjoyable and the more I do it the better I get.

I am a big believer that everyone can draw. I think, yes some people can draw to more realistic proportions and have an eye for detail that is beyond comprehension sometimes, but absolutely everyone can use a pen or a pencil to communicate what they are seeing onto paper and that is where the joy is. If we all drew realistically it would be incredibly boring.

My youngest is a scribbler. He is almost 4, so not able to refine his marks yet. Naturally, his creations are abstract but he always uses such gorgeous colours and I always feel quite lightened and happy looking at his drawings.

I also know my eldest son is really into his art in that he loves to draw and will sit with a “project” for hours, sometimes. It is one of a few things that captures his attention for a long period - (the other is digging in mud, which I am less keen on…) He will draw cars, trucks, anything with wheels really. Sometimes an invention or a complex map. I may be biased as their mother but I think they are great artists already!

When we went to Hastings Contemporary it wasn’t the day that the children’s activities were on but they still had lots of things for them to do whilst we looked at the exhibits. Each room had a task to complete - something to spark a little imagination in them related to the exhibit, and once they complete the activities, they would receive a sticker at the end. My eldest son in particular, loves stickers so he was fully on board.

My eldest son embraced most of the activities with great enthusiasm whilst my youngest was clearly too tired and not in the mood. There were scraps of card and pencils to draw a self portrait for Michael Landy’s room. Then a sheet of things to find in amongst Sophie Barber’s sunflowers, which he also loved. Upstairs with Isabel Rock’s work there were sheets to draw and colour in your own monster and ideas for crazy shoes.

As a parent I could not ask for a more involved and interesting set of activities for my children to do whilst we sat and looked at the art work around us. I enjoyed even just being in the room more than 2 minutes whilst he worked away on then floor. My eldest loved it so much I had to bribe him with ice-cream to leave.

I thought the gallery’s efforts - which I should reiterate - were actually the off-peak - not expecting many kids this week version - were great and I wish every art gallery would involve children so much.

At the gift shop, I had intended to ask the lady serving us for the sticker to reward the completion of the tasks - but my son had long forgotten about a sticker. The process - the being involved, the drawing, searching and finding, ideating - that was reward enough.

I think of when I draw something and I put it on instagram and the likes are there as a dopamine hit, but really the real joy was in the creation - the doing and the making. It is also the reason I feel an outright refusal to employ AI in my design processes. This is my job and I want to do it the way I do it. Why would I want to give the sketching - the ideating - for want of a better phrase: the fun bit, why would I want to give that up?

As we walked along from the gallery back down to the ice-cream shop - their favourite even half the week in, I thought how good it must have been that the bribe to do the activities was no longer relevant. He had been fulfilled, and we both left so satisfied by the experience. Either that or he was happy that I said yes to the sketchbook he wanted. After all I will do anything to encourage the artistic lifestyle.

Are your children budding artists?
Do you know of any other great child-friendly days out?

Come join me in the comments, I would love to hear your stories.
Until next time,

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