uncontainable creativity

May was a hell of a month for blog comments.

I mean that in a good way.

Early in the month, my blog received many new visitors via the post that was Freshly Pressed in April. Still riding high on that success, I was astounded to get the notification that my post “Please don’t cheer for my son” was selected as a BlogHer Voice of the Year. When that piece was also Freshly Pressed, my stats boomed. Thank you to everyone for your congratulatory words and kind remarks. A special note of thanks to those of you who decided to follow this little blog. Welcome!

I’ve said it before, but I love the yeah write community. After the Freshly Pressed hype dies down, many of my visitors will be sent to my blog via the yeah write challenges. On the weekends, the editors open up a laid-back, no rules, no voting spot called the Moonshine Grid. I like to link up posts from my archives there. I encourage my fellow bloggers to submit a post to the Moonshine Grid that you are espcecially proud of but that might have been overlooked by your readers. It opens up on Fridays at 6 pm Eastern.

Two weeks ago I shared a post from February called “Sunday Slideshow: Left to his own devices – with markers.” Parents commiserated. Readers without children were amused. Many people offered advice on how to remove Philip’s handiwork. Others admired his talent. Among the words of support and celebration, this comment left by Kathy Berney stood out:

May 24, 2014 at 4:25 pm

“I thought YOU were watching him”

His work is wonderful. I’ve taught kids art and one of my favorite lessons is letters and numbers as art forms. I would bid on his “numbers table” if I saw it for sale online. Great composition, which is hard to teach. If there are any of his wall drawings you or he particularly like, you can purchase simple, appropriately sized ready-made frames and attach them to the wall to enhance the “mural” imagery. Then just paint over the remaining imagery for which a photo is an adequate archive. I love how your son circled the wall outlet. Very Dada. A little frame would look awesome around that.
I love your essay, and though I don’t know your son, I know some of by best, most original art students have had autism. Your piece is funny, wry, and feels like a celebration of your son’s uncontainable creativity.

 

What a fabulous turn of phrase: “uncontainable creativity.” For finding the positive is an exasperating situation, I have chosen Kathy’s response as my Comment of the Month. Her words will live on at my “Couldn’t have said it better” page.