🖍 🖼 Coloring books and community building

And 7 open community roles care of Carrie Melissa Jones

If you didn’t know, I’ve done a BIT of a pivot and I’m now in my first year as a Master of Science graduate student studying art and psychology (aka Art Therapy). This semester we’re diving into child and adolescence development. I keep tying some of things I’m learning to the community world, so I thought I’d start sharing here and on LinkedIn.

This week, I learned more about why coloring books cramp children's creative and developmental growth. (And yep, there's a tie-in to community work here.)

Photo by Vlada Karpovich

Here's the idea: Children are bursting with creativity and intuition and when we hand them something as structured as a coloring book, we're putting boundaries around their imagination. Coloring within those lines can keep them from developing their own unique style and dull their inner creative voice. Also, creating art from scratch helps a child learn how to problem-solve on their own. Children can take much more pride in coloring in shapes they’ve created themselves!

If you interested in learning more about this you can read The Effect of Stereotyped Workbooks and Coloring Books on Children chapter in Lowenfeld’s book. Also keep in mind many, including myself, think there is a time and place and development stage for coloring books for emotional regulation.)

Some collected art making from Rhonda Kellogg’s collection of 1 million children’s drawings.

Now, comparing this to community work, there's a parallel. The best leaders give their teams and community members the freedom to explore and use their imaginations. They avoid highly defined processes and checklists, and instead encourage folks to find innovative solutions or dream up the next steps toward shared goals. This takes trust, in yourself for being a great motivator and having a vision that keeps your teams and communities united, and trust in other people.

Autonomy plays a critical role in fostering creativity and innovation, both in children's art-making and in community work. When children are given the autonomy to make their own artistic decisions, they develop a stronger sense of self and are more likely to engage deeply with their work. Similarly, when community members and team leaders are given autonomy and are not micromanaged, they feel more invested in their projects and are more likely to come up with creative solutions that reflect their unique perspectives and skills.

Great leaders, instead of sticking to a strict "color within the lines" approach (which might seem easier but actually limits potential), create a space for creative thinking that allows everyone to stretch, grow, and tap into their unique insights. They trust that, given the space, people are creative problem-solvers who can use their intuition, experiences, and style to dream up incredible solutions.

Why have diversity in our teams and communities if we're not unlocking all that intuition and creativity that lives within these groups? This is what diversity of thought is all about!

🧑🏿‍💻👷‍♀️🧑🏽‍🏫 P.S. If you didn’t know, every week, the one and only CMJ posts a round-up of open community positions. Don’t miss this week’s 7 roles!