Collaborating with my Daughter and a Girl Ballerina Articulated Paper Doll

Girl Ballerina Articulated Paper Doll

Yesterday was a girly day. Ivy stayed home with me and we hung out, danced, had peanut butter toast, created a painting of a purple, polka dotted squirrel.

I drew the outline of the squirrel in purple crayon and then she painted it and added polka dots. She actually use a pencil eraser to make polka dots, like she's seen me do with my stamps.

She stole my sunglasses and posed, I took pictures.

 I also printed and cut out this Girl Ballerina paper doll I painted quite a few months ago. I'd always intended it for Ivy, since she is the one who asked for it, commissioned it, you might say, but, well, I don't know what I was waiting for. I printed her out on cardstock, but found that too flimsy, so I actually used a fixative to add another layer of cardstock. So this is a two ply doll. I have wondered how it would work to actually laminate her, for real kid play, but I'm not sure that would make her better.

Here she is with plain feet and just her leotard and tights. She comes with pointe shoes (you can just switch the flat feet out for the pointe feet), flowers, a practice ballet skirt and a fluffy tutu. She also has two tiaras, one pink, one white. I did quite a few of these articulated paper dolls, but I didn't finish them all and some I never managed to put together. I think things just got in the way. But I've been going through my back log of art and projects and trying to do something with what I already have.

 She is a pretty girl, I think. Not a grown up like my other paper dolls. Because she's for my daughter to play with. And PINKPINKPINK because that is my daughter's favorite colors and if it isn't pink she isn't satisfied.

Here is my daughter playing with her Girl Ballerina. Instant fun. She was putting on performances in minutes flat. Then she came running back asking for the flowers, because the performance was done.

I wonder if she will enjoy playing with paper dolls as much as my sister and I did when we were little. She's still a bit young for delicate toys, but I guess she's old enough to start learning, and start learning to take care of her toys.

It seems Ivy and I had a very collaborative day. Our squirrel painting, dancing and photo taking, as well as the paper doll, which I executed, but really was inspired by and directed by her.

Inspiration doesn't just come from inside of us. The world around us can inspire us. The people we love can also. Kids, friends, family, students. My kids have asked me to paint them certain things in the past, and that has always taken me in different directions than I usually would have gone in. The paper doll I made before this was a punk rock chick... ballerinas are just not my thing... but even if they are outside of my current comfort zone (I seem to remember drawing ballerinas obsessively when I was 10 or so) they can express something surprising and unexpected once I take them on.  It can be a challenge to try to link your creativity with someone else's ideas, feelings and concepts, but the challenge can be good for you.

Think about how those around you can inspire you. Is there something your child would like you to make for them? Do you want to give a surprise gift to a friend you care about? Do you look up to someone? How about doing a project with someone you enjoy? Or give your kids/students a project and then do the project with them.

How can you collaborate with those around you in a way that feeds your own creativity?