Smalley has really taken to drawing recently. From sketching signs on the train to asking to copy images and drawing his own Ancient Greek army, we’ve seen a marked change in his confidence when it comes to art creativity.
Today this came through with a request to sketch and then paint Salisbury Cathedral (why not?)!
For a boy who used to be so quick to give up in this area because
1. he couldn’t keep in the lines
2. he never felt his images were of value compared to his big brothers
3. he struggled to get his ideas onto the page
4. his perfectionism eroded all confidence and compassion for himself
Seeing him choose to get creative and be pleased with what he’s achieved really warms my soul. My thanks to his art teacher at school who I’m sure has helped nurture this area. And my thanks to Smalley, for believing in himself that little bit more. He places huge standards on himself, and us telling him not to doesn’t really get us anywhere. As he told me today “I am who I am.” He’s got to work things out at his pace and in his way and I have huge confidence in him.
