Getting Boxed In

This year Charlotte's first grade class gets to bring Valentine's Day boxes to school for the V-Day party. Yea! That's more fun than the bags they decorated for kindergarten last year.

I still remember some of the Valentines boxes I made for school. My go-to design was a shoebox covered in tinfoil - instant robot.

Charlotte's idea was to make a shark with a mouth that opened to reveal rows of heart-shaped teeth. That's a lot cooler than my robot.

Both Daphne and I were jazzed to help her bring that shark to reality, but Charlotte came home last night with a changed mind. She claimed someone else had made a shark last year (doubtful), so she couldn't make one now. Instead, she wanted to take a shoe box, wrap it in red paper, and cover it with heart-shaped stickers just like some of the other girls in her class are going to do.

Talk about a disappointment. There's nothing wrong with the red box design, but it's not her design. We don't want Charlotte to suppress her creativity just to appease her peers. I think Char is beautifully unique. It breaks my shark tooth heart to watch her want to gloss that over so she can fit in.

During dinner we pressed her to come up with a design that was more her. We talked about her hobbies and things she likes. Pets, cupcakes, zoo animals, and of course, Squinkies were all discussed. The idea of a Squinkie V-Day box caught her attention.

Charlotte offered one of her Squinkies 'do Drops Mystery Villas for inspiration.

Amazon cardboard was my medium.

So far, it's not looking too bad. The Squinkie house isn't as cool as a shark, but it does represent a true aspect of whom Char is, and that's a good thing.

Here's where I'd normally end this post, but I just watched a YouTube video about Cafe Racer motorcycles that is relevant. The video warns of rookie mistakes that builders make when they construct their first Cafe projects. It ends with this advice:

“There’s a big difference between bikes built to impress and really impressive motorcycles. And most curious is that the path to impressive bikes is usually the opposite. In other words, the search for simplicity and discreetness This can also be applicable in our lives. Don’t make things to impress people that you don’t know and which you don’t even like... The best person to impress is only yourself, and only you will be the judge of that.” - Racer TV

I always tell my students to write stories that they want to read. Art teachers tell their students to create for themselves, not for others. Band directors tell their musicians to do their best, not someone else's best. Coaches tell their athletes the same. It's an universal truth. 

Taking the road less traveled is always harder. The snow is deeper, the trip is slower, and the path is less lit. But Charlotte, I'm worried that if you don't make that shark or Squinkie Villa, then you'll be making red boxes for the rest of your life.

Cafe link