It takes me back.
The waxy paper smell of a new pack of crayons hits me and I’m 4 years old. Every time.
In my case, there was a metallic top note in that scent, because I (okay, my mother) used to carry my crayons to baseball diamonds in a round cookie tin, so I could keep myself entertained on a blanket nearby while my brother played on the field. I was never without friends at baseball diamonds.
We All Remember the Smell of Crayons
I’m not the only one with spontaneous memories from the smell of crayons. I love to bring the crayons out when I am leading a creativity workshop, especially when I am with a new group for the first time. Their eyes light up and without fail, someone will bring the crayons under their nose and inhale.
Kindergarten.
I’m no fool, this is all a part of my plan.
The Magic of Kindergarten
There was magic in kindergarten. When we arrived in the classroom, either as tiny adventurers or mini crying koala bears that had been finally pried off of our parent’s calves, we were creatively free. In fact, all that crying and clinging and adventuring are in themselves signs of creative freedom. How do you express yourself when you feel crabby and just don’t want to go into work? A strong coffee and a rant over how busy we are is far more acceptable than throwing a tantrum and letting our emotions mess up the atrium.
That is, if you are a grown-up.
One thing for certain is that no one in kindergarten shooed away their piece of paper and said, “Oh no, not me, I can’t even draw a stick person.” In kindergarten we chose our colors passionately, we took up space, we made marks on paper, and anything was possible. We had all the time in the world.
That is the memory I’m after to kick off my workshop. Even if it’s subtle, a dash of that memory is all I need to seduce that creative freedom that resides in all of us. Just enough to be willing to begin. The rest takes care of itself.
From Crayons to Creative Freedom
Crayons came before we learned that some of us were artists and some of us, apparently, were not. If I’m looking for a safe bet to trigger that space in time when everyone was an artist, crayons are the best choice.
Without the pressure of making what I call, “Art with a capital A”, my workshop participants giggle a little, and then begin to play. It’s not true that great works of art cannot be created with crayons, but most people associate crayons with scribbling and coloring books. Actually, I also often ask my participants to scribble as well.
We are all Capable of Creative Self Expression, Just as We Were as Children
For many of us, that first step that is the hardest part. Making that first mark on a blank page is the floodgate to pent up creative energy.
And the smell of crayons? Just one of the many keys to open those floodgates. It has all the power of the smell of your morning coffee, waking you up to a new day. What wakes up your creative energy?
Resources
For those who want to take the smell of crayons to an intimate level, try Crayon Cologne and be the smell of inspiration all day.
Read about Aromatherapy for Creativity on Geekpreneur.
[Photo by lilivanili]
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