Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Visual artist Patrick Guindon hears it all the time: “I used to make art, I used to paint a lot, and it just kind of fell away.”
He has that conversation daily with adults at his Creative Rebel Studio in Montague, P.E.I.
While creative outlets like singing, dancing and drawing come naturally to children, Guindon said perfectionism and fear of judgment from peers or mentors often cause adults to stop entirely.
“We have the adults who we need to help them heal their art scars, whatever art form that is, so that they can experience that joy in that process again,” he told host Nicola MacLeod during a round-table discussion on CBC’s Mainstreet P.E.I.
Guindon said he believes the fear many adults have around taking on artistic endeavours is sparked in childhood, even through interactions that are supposed to be positive.
“When I hear people say to a child, ‘Oh, you’re so talented,’ that immediately shuts down their willingness to take a risk because now they don’t want to disappoint anyone,” he said.
Embracing the “messy middle” is a crucial part of the creative process, he added. “It’s got to be a mess, and it’s got to be beautiful … and that’s scary for a lot of people.”
Artist and entrepreneur Patrick Guindon said it is important to help adults heal their ‘art scars.’ (Submitted by Patrick Guindon)
While arts and creative activities can be fun hobbies, they can also serve as ways to stay healthy, with researchers saying these types of activities can improve quality of life, helping both mental and physical well-being.
Reequal Smith, founder and artistic director of Oshun Dance Studios in Charlottetown, agrees that adults struggle to prioritize their own creativity.
“Teaching adults and teaching kids is very different,” Smith said, noting that adults often invest heavily in their children’s environments while pushing their own needs aside. But making the time pays off. “Even though I’m tired, if I go to this class, I know afterwards that’s my reward to myself.”
LISTEN | Dealing with the trauma of ‘art scars’:
Mainstreet PEI21:33Dealing with the trauma of ‘art scars’
Many of us carry “art scars” from childhood – experiences that left us believing we couldn’t draw, sing or be creative. We bring together Reequal Smith, Nick MacDonald and Patrick Guindon for a conversation about overcoming those messages and rediscovering creativity.
Nick MacDonald, director of choral music at Charlottetown’s Confederation Centre of the Arts, said the key to overcoming the fear of judgment is finding a supportive environment.
“Not every space that we enter is going to be the space for us. So sometimes we have to be able to just manoeuvre around and figure out where we belong.”
Guindon also encourages those looking to get back into art, of any form, to work on being comfortable with fear and failure.
“That might mean that you paint or dance or sing once a week or once a month; but finding that outlet that fits you and finding a time and allowing yourself permission to miss it, or to fail it, or to feel kind of crummy about what you did, but then coming back to it, that’s the real win,” he said.