by I have to be honest with you.
I think the word “idea” is a little grand.
And by grand, I mean daunting.
An idea is a huge thing, right?
It requires freshness and originality, it encompasses possibility, it is—not to get all god-like here, but—the beginning of everything!
Meanwhile, we’re always being told, “There are no new ideas!”
Poet Audre Lord said, “There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt.” And there are all those books and lectures that tell us there are only about seven plots available on the whole entire planet. And you guys. There is even a web site called “no new ideas” and it is just a blank page!
So. Phew. That’s out of the way.
No new ideas.
We can’t find what isn’t there.
But, this puts us PiBoIdMo folks in a bit of bind, doesn’t it?
What are we supposed to do for the rest of the month?
Well, personally, I think we should try for something smaller.
Not a whole new idea everyday—just a new perspective.
(And, guess what? The Greek origin of the word idea is idein, which means “to see”! Which means I’ve got support from ancient sages here, so let’s go with it.)
What if all we need is a new way of looking at things?
And what if that way is a child-like way?
A child, said author Olive Schreiner, “sees everything, looks straight at it, examines it, without any preconceived idea.”
Have you ever noticed what kids want to do when they’re riding a down escalator? They want to run up it!
Kids don’t look at things as if they’re static or rule-based or already defined. Surprise and experimentation are everyday affairs. Freshness and originality and possibility—all those things I found so daunting above? Ha. Child’s play.
And children, you’ll remember, are our audience.
So, what if we look straight at life today and examine it?
What if we let our preconceptions slip away and see things as children see things?
What if we imagine that socks are pockets (A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes) or that the whole wide world could fit in a book (All the World) or that a worm and a bird could be best friends (Noodle & Lou)?
What if look around, each of us, at the animals in our houses and yards, the food on our tables, the books on our bedside tables, and we just plain see them in a new way? That’s all I’m going to do today, and you should join me. We’ll leave the grand and daunting to someone else…
(And now for the party favors!)
These really great photos that are all about accessing a child’s perspective.
And then this fine bit of musing by a
I loved your perspective. When I babysit my grand-daughter I often am on my knees looking at the world how she sees it, at a lower level.
Thanks for reminding me.
Lynn
That was excellent. That photo of the bus… that is exactly the kind of photo I get when I give my 4 year old the camera… and I love it. I love seeing the world from his small stature… how tall I appear to him, the random things that catch his attention and he finds worthwhile capturing. This may be another way to experiment with the “new perspective.” Give a kid a camera and see what they see! Thank you for sharing!
As my six year old (going on 13 year old) has grown up, so as my writing. I really needed this reminder to get a new perspective on things. The one year old and I will be toddling around on the ground together this morning and as she discovers the world, I will be rediscovering it. Thanks!
Hi Liz, thank you for such a thought provoking post. I love the quotes and the the picture. Yes, seeing through a child’s eyes is the perfect way to get new ideas. Thanks so much for the reminder.
Hi Liz. “Eureka!” Fabulous post. I love your way of thinking – looking at things from a child’s perspective. Gives everything,such as ‘normal things’, a fresh approach. Love it. Helen
Loved the way you put your thoughts together in this post. I especially liked the quote by Audre Lord. Thank you for this perspective.
Absolutely love All the World! Reading to my students during National Poetry Month is one of my new traditions.
Enjoyed the post, Liz!
Thanks for sharing Austin’s thoughts on how to steal like an artist
Enjoyed this post. I love the fact that Audre Lord’s quote says there are only new ways to make ideas ‘felt’. Isn’t that what we hope our picture books will do, strike a chord and be felt by our audience.
Thank you Liz!
Great post! : )
Great post, Liz. A reminder that sometimes looking at everyday things from a different perspective is all we need…and whaddya know? There’s my PiBo idea for the day! (woohoo!)
Thanks for a very fun and thought-provoking post. I’m going to bend my brain a bit and try to see things as a kid would. I think good times are ahead.
I like your post as it reminds us to look at each day with a fresh perspective. My own “baby” has grown up but I now help take care of my best friend’s 17 month old and I get to “rediscover” the world through her eyes…and THAT means lots of PB ideas!
Thank you for the reminder. I love the picture on the bus -my favourite, too -and the one of the table where the cake looks enormous! I’m going to be doing some crawling around today… Thanks, Clare.
Great post! Thank you for sharing it. And I love your work!
We all need reminders and this is one of them! Thank you for the great post!