Telling a child, "Artists are stupid"

1*mom · July 5th, 2011, 04:42 PM

The last week of school, my 8 year old daughter was in class. The discussion was "when I grow up I want to be a ______".

When it came her turn, she spoke up, said "I want to be an artist."

then something went very, very wrong......

She was left with a deep impression that "artists are stupid". She came home, and has pouted in some form or another for 3 weeks every single day.

Did this happen to anyone else during their childhood? Was anyone ever discouraged by a teacher or anyone?

What should I do to help her?

I have some ideas I'm working on, but would love to hear from anyone who has thoughts on this.

Thanks a lot for any and all comments.

John · July 5th, 2011, 05:48 PM

Usually teachers are quite open to artistic expression and it's surprising to hear this. If it did come from a teacher rather than from fellow students, it must be someone with personal issues.

Maybe they were once snubbed by an "artist". Maybe they are ticked off about the success of artists like Damian Hirst and Banksy, who have become rich and famous despite having little obvious talent except for self-promotion. Who knows?

July 5th, 2011, 04:42 PM	#1
1*mom Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 1	Telling a child, "Artists are stupid" The last week of school, my 8 year old daughter was in class. The discussion was "when I grow up I want to be a ______". When it came her turn, she spoke up, said "I want to be an artist." then something went very, very wrong...... She was left with a deep impression that "artists are stupid". She came home, and has pouted in some form or another for 3 weeks every single day. Did this happen to anyone else during their childhood? Was anyone ever discouraged by a teacher or anyone? What should I do to help her? I have some ideas I'm working on, but would love to hear from anyone who has thoughts on this. Thanks a lot for any and all comments.

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July 5th, 2011, 05:48 PM	#2
John John Malyon, host Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 2,400	Usually teachers are quite open to artistic expression and it's surprising to hear this. If it did come from a teacher rather than from fellow students, it must be someone with personal issues. Maybe they were once snubbed by an "artist". Maybe they are ticked off about the success of artists like Damian Hirst and Banksy, who have become rich and famous despite having little obvious talent except for self-promotion. Who knows?