How Cubism Helped My Students See Success Differently

While researching for the W.I.N.G.S Program mentorship program for children, as an artist, I am naturally drawn towards art forms and what they teach us.

Why do people shy away from art?

Art is relative. It cannot have the same appeal to everyone, as there are expectations that come with it – draw within the lines, use these colours; it has to be art gallery-worthy. If it is not good, people will laugh at your funny lines and colour combinations. As a result, people tend to give up even before they try.

Why I chose Cubism in my session

When I was exploring some art forms and revisiting them from a Grade 3 or Grade 5 perspective, I was focused on how to make them more engaging, with a takeaway that’s still fun.

I will be honest; I found this template on the internet while I was reading and researching cubism.

This is what the children coloured. We tried more variations on the art.

The children filled in the colours however they wanted; there was no right or wrong method. Since they had the creative freedom to use any medium, colours and patterns, they were more open to learning the concept behind cubism.

Lessons from cubism

We talked about our concept of ‘success’ or ‘expectations’ or what we want out of life. Usually, we tend to have a fixed mindset or an idea of what the outcome should be or how it should be. Through this art exercise, we learned that we will have various experiences in life, good, not so good, but they all add up to the final outcome, making it more meaningful and worthwhile.

We tend to have such a linear concept of life that it frustrates us when things don’t go as expected, and we give up.

But Cubism is different. It’s an art style where artists don’t draw things the traditional way. Instead, they break objects down into simple geometric shapes—like squares, triangles, and circles and show them from many angles all at once. By looking at a subject from different perspectives at the same time, the final picture becomes so much more interesting, rich, and unique.”

Why Cubism matters in daily life

– It helps us to look at life in a new way.

– It helps us understand that there could be more than one way to perceive things.

– It fosters creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Our sessions are simple, yet highly insightful. While colouring the various shapes, the children usually come up with new ideas, colour combinations, or even share that they faced a situation at school and how they either handled it or could have handled it.

As the children focus on their artwork, they tend to feel a sense of accomplishment, and their breakthroughs are unique and exhilarating. The children feel that they have come up with this idea, and since they have their ‘ah-ha! moments, they feel so happy!

This is something that makes me immensely happy as a writing mentor and a creative thinking coach: seeing them smile from ear to ear as they learn something new, not only as an art form but also about life.

If you’re keen to host a workshop/ session for your students/ teachers/ employees/ team, get in touch. We’d be happy to host such fun, insightful and creative workshops online/ offline.

Book a Discovery Call with us, and let’s charter a creative, insightful journey hand-in-hand with The Write Compass.