Color in the lines???

My favorite little artist told me today that her art teacher at school tells her she needs to color in the lines, she is not to do scribble scrabble.

I was heart-broken...what a way to destroy a child's creativity. Who says you have to color in the lines??? So what if what she draws is not your typical picture, that does not make it scribble scrabble. All these thoughts ran through my head as I was working on "Mine" and my little artist was creating her own work. We spend lots of time in my studio together and she is an integral part of my creative process, how do I combat this stifling attitude?

I took a deep breath and in a calm voice said "At school the teacher is the boss so if she wants you to color in the lines and not do scribble scrabble then you have to listen. However, when you and mommy are working in the art room at home you can color anyway you want."

It is art, there are no rules and if by chance you are told there are rules then BREAK THEM! Creativity comes from within, not from rules.

Thanks for listening to me vent. I feel much better. :-)