Creative Growth

Papier Mache @ School.

I have had the fun of taking "Tomasito's Creative Workshop" on the road this week with a three or four day papier mache mask-making session at a local private intermediate school.

(I have had too much experience of the "train wreck" which is the public schools in California to want to experience more of THAT!)

The kids enjoyed working in what was to most of them a new creative medium and I enjoyed seeing first hand what the new crop of kids are like and demonstrating for them some of the arcane skills of making papier mache masks.

About the new crop of kids: nothing has changed very much it seems from when I was that age except now I am the older generation.

I suppose the older generation of my youth who taught me what little I know of "art" had higher hopes about US--but it seems we have turned out to be pretty much the same as THEY were--though some of us--including me--have tried to grow in creative ways to the best of our ability.

But if we as a species are going to overcome the extreme ecological problems we have caused for ourselves and the earth by our careless lifeways, we are going to have to learn to change somewhat faster and in more creative ways it seems to me.

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