Experiment with a child

For this step I did an experiment with a 9 year old child and asked her to create an image of something that made her happy. The experiment was meant to probe her to come up with a toy design that was unique to her imagination. From this experiment I hoped to tap into the brain of a child and see their happiness as a visual; to see their creativity take shape, literally. I hoped that the end result would be something that not only was able to make this one child happy but encompass elements of reasoning that would also make other children happy or tap into some kind of emotion.

When asked what her reasoning for creating this “Fire Fairy” was, she said she was reminded of when she was younger and she fell in love with Tinker Bell, which is another fairy. From that experience she found her love for these mythical creatures and decided to create her own. She told me that not only was she happy to be creating something she loves but also just to merely have the opportunity to create.

I find this intriguing because there is magic in a child’s imagination. There is a certain innocence to it that is hard to foster in many adults. Her reasoning was simple but it was so effective! This child may not be that old, but she was able to identify something that makes her happy and turn it into a visual and by creating this visual she found more happiness. That is the the mission of my organization, ART of hearts, “from your heart to your art”. Many times the kids from my workshops in these developing countries don’t really have many happy memories, but It all comes full-circle when they are able to see past whatever it is that they have been through good or bad and find the light or a brighter light in it all.