marshall's child labor

Marshall is not usually self-prompted. He has a lot of things that he likes, but usually only does them if they can be done with someone else. He also doesn't respond well to commands, so the power of suggestion is valuable. His beginning in art was mostly because he could spend time with me, observing what I was working on and then later, when left to make up his own mind about it, would start doodling.
Many times, I have witnessed transformations in his demeanor because of his practice of art. Telling stories is central to who he is, and through the labor of art, his stories are released. I would always ask him to describe his art to me, which he quickly got tired of. So, I backed off, letting him decide when he wanted to tell me the story. I realized that his practice of art was enough of a release for him, and that he didn't need to then relay the story verbally.
Lately, Marshall has begun to draw "design-heavy" things, things that don't have stories. With that, he began telling me that he wanted to build things, "like you do, mom". I have heard him express the "how-to's" of putting something together, or how this vehicle works, or how this other weapon fires a million times. (This makes him a great teacher.) The mechanics of things are what he has gotten interested in and the building of things is what he desires.
If you're wanting something to do tonight, come to the three-kid art show, "Child Labor" on the lower level of the Harrison Center for the Arts. The show goes from 6-9. There are many other things to see tonight too including new work by Tyler Munenick and The Indieana Art Exchange.