{"id":866669,"date":"2026-10-01T04:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T04:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/866669\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T04:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T04:30:15","slug":"a-6-yr-olds-art-teacher-said-she-did-her-painting-wrong-professional-artists-disagreed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/866669\/","title":{"rendered":"A 6-yr-old’s art teacher said she did her painting ‘wrong’. Professional artists disagreed."},"content":{"rendered":"

The impulse and ability to create art<\/a> is one of the highlights of being human. It\u2019s a key quality that sets us apart from the animal world, one that makes life more meaningful and enjoyable. While there are artistic skills that make it easier for people to bring their imaginations<\/a> into the visible, tangible world, art doesn\u2019t abide by any hard and fast rules. Especially kids\u2019 art. Especially young kids\u2019 art.<\/p>\n

There is no right or wrong in art, only expression and interpretation. That\u2019s the beauty of it. Unlike working with numbers and spreadsheets and data, there is no correct answer and no one way to arrive at the proper destination. As the famous quote from Dead Poet\u2019s Society<\/a> goes, \u201cMedicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why one mom was furious when her 6-year-old\u2019s art teacher told the girl her painting was \u201cwrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teacher gives the wrong answer<\/p>\n

Gemma Leighton, mother<\/a> of 6-year-old Edie, shared her daughter\u2019s painting on Twitter with a request for support. Edie created the painting in an after school art club, and her art teacher told her she did it wrong. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t do art wrong!\u201d wrote Leighton. \u201cShe was so upset as art is her favourite thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

My 6 year old daughter painted this amazing scene at an after school art club.<\/p>\n

Her art teacher told her she had done it wrong?!<\/p>\n

You can’t do art wrong! <\/p>\n

She was so upset as art is her favourite thing to do.
Can you please show Edie some support and like her painting? pic.twitter.com\/LV8rOgPwjc<\/a>\u2014 Gemma Leighton (@GemLeighton) April 21, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Now, we don\u2019t know exactly what the teacher said to Edie, or why, but if a 6-year-old comes home upset and feeling like there\u2019s something wrong with their art, the teacher did something wrong. Full stop. Six-year-olds are just beginning to learn about technique, and encouragement is the most vital thing a teacher can offer a budding artist.<\/p>\n

Everyone had Edie\u2019s back<\/p>\n

The internet rightfully pounced to Edie\u2019s defense, and the responses are incredibly heartwarming.<\/p>\n

Many people shared how hurt they were as children when a teacher told them something was wrong with their art, and that they were wrong. Knowing that grown-ups had experienced the same kinds of unnecessary criticism as kids and realized that it was wrong can help Edie feel confident that her painting is not \u201cwrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others pointed out the famous artists that her painting reminded them of. Seeing how her own painting reflects some of the style and color choices of professional artists can help Edie see the spark of genius in her own artwork.<\/p>\n

Songwriter Kimya Dawson, most famous for her songs in the movie Juno, shared that a middle school English teacher had told her to stop writing poems because they were \u201ctoo juvenile.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never stopped though and making rhyming poems has been my career for over 20 years!\u201d Dawson wrote in a Reply. \u201cYour painting is perfect! Keep it up! Don\u2019t worry what anyone else thinks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professional artists chimed in with words of encouragement, pointing out that Edie\u2019s use of perspective and expressionism were quite impressive for her age.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only \u2018wrong\u2019 is not making art that speaks from your heart,\u201d wrote an artist who goes by @Artsy on Twitter. \u201cWhen she expresses her passion, her vision of her world, her personal reactions to what she sees and feels, she\u2019ll never be \u2018wrong.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that\u2019s how it\u2019s done! Experts say<\/a> that not just general encouragement, but pointing out specific things in a child\u2019s work that are the building blocks of art and literacy are key to building their self-esteem. In fact, the creative process in and of itself is great at building a child\u2019s self-esteem! It allows them to practice independence and feel immense pride at their finished product, no matter what anyone thinks it looks like. Really the only way to turn art into a negative thing for a child is to criticize it.<\/p>\n

Even a rock star chimed in<\/p>\n

Even KISS guitarist Paul Stanley offered Edie words of encouragement.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour art is AWESOME!!!\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no such thing as doing art \u2018wrong.\u2019 There are only teachers who are wrong!!! Your art shows amazing freedom and spirit. How can that be \u2018wrong\u2019?!?! Keep doing EXACTLY what you are doing. I LOVE it!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

Edie\u2026 Your art is AWESOME!!! There is no such thing as doing art \u201cwrong\u201d. There are only teachers who are wrong\u201d!!! Your art shows amazing freedom and spirit. How can that be \u201cwrong\u201d?!?! Keep doing EXACTLY what you are doing. I LOVE it!!! https:\/\/t.co\/PRwkYfN3ru<\/a>\u2014 Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) April 22, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Imagine being a heartbroken 6-year-old who has been told by a teacher that her art was wrong, and then seeing a flood of thousands of supportive comments from people who looked at the same piece of art and told you what they loved about it. This is how social media should be used. To lift people up, to encourage and inspire, to share beauty and creativity.<\/p>\n

After the outpouring, Leighton created a new Twitter account<\/a> called Edie\u2019s Art for people to share kids\u2019 artwork, and gracious, it\u2019s a delight to peruse.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing more pure, more colorful, more full of life than art that came from a child\u2019s imagination. They may not have the technical skills to perfectly create what they envision in their minds or what they\u2019re looking at for inspiration, but that\u2019s part of what makes it so beautiful. They aren\u2019t self-conscious enough yet to hold back, and their art comes from a place of confidence and acceptance of their own abilities, that is, until some adult comes along and squashes their artistic spirit.<\/p>\n

One of my favorite things as a parent has been watching my kids\u2019 artistic expressions evolve as they\u2019ve grown, and I\u2019ve loved their artwork at every stage. And not just because I\u2019m their mom, but because kid creations are the best reminder of how natural the human impulse to create really is, and how beautiful it is when we share that impulse without fear or doubt.<\/p>\n

What Edie\u2019s up to now<\/p>\n

As for Edie, she didn\u2019t let that early criticism keep her down. The original story happened about five years ago, and today Evie continues to pursue art. Her mom still occasionally shares the odd piece or two on Twitter\/X, and even posted a fun stop-motion video Evie created using one of her stuffed animals. Clearly, her creative spirit could not be suppressed so easily.<\/p>\n

\u201cEdie is now immersed in the digital art world and still creates wonderful things every day. Keep creating, little artists,\u201d her mom shared in a recent update on X.<\/p>\n

Keep painting, Edie, and all you kiddos out there. Don\u2019t let one person\u2019s opinion, even a teacher\u2019s, hold you back.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared five years ago. It has been updated.\n<\/p>\n