Children’s honesty and art are probably not the first things that come to mind when I sit down with my morning coffee. But after yesterday’s conversation with a nine-year-old neighbour, that is exactly what this post is about.
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Sometimes you don’t really know what to write about when you sit down at the computer in the morning.
You take a sip of coffee, yawn a little and look out the window. Then memories from the day before quietly make their way back.
Today was one of those mornings.
A memory about a young boy, a painting, and the kind of honesty that only children seem able to deliver without filters or unnecessary decorations.
When the Truth Comes from a Nine-Year-Old
Children’s Honesty and Art in Practice
So here it is, morning again, and I have been given another day in this life.
Even though I’m still yawning and my coffee has barely become more than a sip, it is morning. The laptop is resting on my lap and I am writing.
Today I really had no idea what to write about, except for the little boy who was here yesterday.
Is there anything more wonderful than children’s honesty?
Yesterday, while playing cards with the neighbour’s boy, he sat looking at my paintings.
”Did you paint that one?”
When I answered:
”Yes, I painted that.”
I could see him thinking. I could almost watch the thoughts moving through his mind.
I imagine they went something like this:
Hmm… Carina is nice. Dare I say what I really think?
Once he had decided that I probably needed his opinion, he looked at me thoughtfully and said:
”Well, Carina… it looks like a child painted that painting.”
I laughed and replied:
”You’re absolutely right. Do you know what? Abstract art often looks as if it has been painted by a child.”
He didn’t seem completely convinced.
As if he was worried I hadn’t really understood what he meant.
So he said it again:
”It looks like a child painted it.”
And once again I answered:
”You’re right. I agree with you. It does look like a child painted it. When it comes to abstract art, it often looks like someone simply explored colours and painted without rules.”
I’m Not an Artist – I’m Someone Who Paints
Maybe that’s exactly why I liked his comment so much.
I’ve never called myself an artist.
When people ask, I usually shrug my shoulders and say that I’m not an artist, I’m simply someone who paints.
I paint because I enjoy colours, because I enjoy creating, and because it gives me something.
So when the neighbour’s boy said that it looked like a child had painted the picture, I wasn’t offended in the slightest.
Quite the opposite.
I think he saw exactly what I see myself.
Someone playing with colours, experimenting, and not always knowing where the brush will end up.
And perhaps that’s exactly how I want it to be.
Children’s Honesty and Art – The Best Interpretation
I truly loved his comment.
I took it straight into my heart.
I’ve almost made it my own.
Because the next time someone stands in front of the painting that looks as if a child painted it, trying to understand it through big words, deep thoughts and complex interpretations, I’ll quietly think to myself:
Go ahead and give me your adult theories about colour symbolism and the mysteries of life.
And of course, all interpretations are welcome.
But I already received the best interpretation.
It came from a nine-year-old boy who looked at the painting, thought about it for a moment and then simply said what he saw:
”It looks like a child painted it.”
And you know what?
He was absolutely right.
Because maybe that’s what’s so beautiful about creating.
Sometimes we need to stop trying so hard to be capable, clever adults.
Sometimes it’s enough to explore colours like a child.
Maybe adults stand in front of the painting and think exactly the same thing. But because we have learned to interpret, analyse and search for deeper meaning, we say things like:
”It feels like someone is trying to find their way.”
”I see a person hiding behind the colours.”
Or:
”There is something sad and searching within this painting.”
And maybe they’re right.
But perhaps they’re also thinking:
Good grief, it really does look like a child painted it.
The only person who actually said it out loud was the neighbour’s nine-year-old boy.
And that’s probably why I love his interpretation so much.
It was completely free from any need to be anything other than honest.
He skipped the entire process and went straight to what he saw.
It’s almost as if he undressed the entire art world in three seconds. 😄
Children’s honesty and art may be more closely connected than we think. While adults analyse and interpret, children often simply say what they see.
Reflection – Children’s Honesty and Art
Sometimes we search for deeper meanings in everything.
We analyse, interpret and try to understand.
Children often do something different.
They look.
And then they say what they see.
Perhaps there is something wonderfully freeing about that.
Maybe not everything has to be more complicated than it already is.
Maybe a painting that looks as if a child painted it is allowed to be exactly that.
And maybe that’s precisely why it makes me smile.
AHA – Between the Lines
Children’s Honesty and Art
Between the lines is someone who has never really felt the need to call herself an artist.
She doesn’t paint to impress.
She paints because she enjoys colours.
When the young boy looks at the painting, he doesn’t see technique, theory or art history.
He sees someone who played.
Someone who explored.
Someone who dared to put colour on a canvas without knowing exactly how it would turn out.
And maybe that’s why his words felt so true.
Because sometimes we are not longing for perfection.
Sometimes we are longing for the freedom to simply put colours on a canvas.
A Question for You
Has a child ever said something that made you stop and think?
Or have you ever received a comment that sounded simple at first, but later turned out to contain more truth than many long adult explanations?
Feel free to share in the comments.
I read everything, even if I don’t always have time to reply immediately.
Also Read
If you enjoy everyday reflections, you might also like:
👉 Wednesday Library – Finding the Red Thread in Your Own Archive
👉 The INFJ Florence Nightingale Type
👉 The Person Behind the Behaviour
👉 CFT and Attachment – Walking Between the Circles
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Final Thoughts
Sometimes the wisest words of the day come from the youngest person in the room.
And sometimes the truth is so simple that adults almost miss it.
This time it came from a nine-year-old boy who looked at a painting and said:
”It looks like a child painted it.”
And you know what?
It really does.
Yesterday has already come to rest in history, and tomorrow is waiting somewhere ahead. But right now – this is where life happens.
— Carina Ikonen Nilsson
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