Before entering our main topic, I would like to ask a question. Have you watch the movie named “The Dull-Ice Flower”? If you haven’t, I’d like to introduce it to you.

The main character in this story, named Ah Ming, was a mischievous kid. Everyone in the school has accepted the fact that he was a kid that doesn’t like to study. However, there were moments when he was serious. Drawing class it is! Painting and drawing with colours, he wasn’t a mischievous kid anymore, but a serious artist. It doesn’t matter where he was, as long as there’s paper, he would start drawing. Even worn out papers used for wrapping vegetables could be a useful tool for him.

With the lost of his mother, his elder sister had to bear the responsible for doing the housework and taking care of him. They lived a poor life with their father. Their father was a tea cultivator, and they would help out their father in the farm right after school.
One day, there’s a transfer teacher from the city named Teacher Guo. He was in charge of the drawing lesson. When he first came to the school, he said: “We should never conclude that kids who don’t do well in their academics are incapable people. Every kid has his/her strong point, and that could be their born talent.” Thus, when he knew Ah Ming, he admired Ah Ming’s art work, and always thought that he’s a genius. He said: “Originally, kid should be pure and innocent. However, it’s always the adults who limited their talent, causing them to be afraid of drawing their true feelings. Ah Ming’s drawings, on the other hand, was the most unique of all, where he had his own way of expressing his little universe, his experience, and his feelings. This is creation.”
Now, let’s see this genius’ drawings. One day, he decided to draw his dog. Due to the fact that his dog kept moving around and that he couldn’t really draw it properly, and so…. he tied it up. When his father asked him about the dog’s colour, he replied: “I’ve been drawing it for the whole day, and it was exposed to the sun and so, it appeared in red.” “What about the black ones?” his father asked. “It’s the poop.” he replied. All day long he drew the dog, and thus the poop turned black. This kind of artwork uses colours to represent the actual environment.

There was once when he drew “The Dog of the sky eating the moon”, a traditional tale told by his father. The drawing is showing that the dog of the sky was eating up the moon, and that the moon was crying. Thus, the people went out of the house and chased the dog of the sky away by hitting pots and pans. At last, the moon reappeared. This kind of drawing reflected personal memory.

There’s one drawing of his about his father plucking tea leaves in the farm. In his drawing, he painted the sky in purple. According to him, by doing so, the weather would be cooler. As for the blue sun, he wished that his father won’t turn dark and faint while exposed to the sun. Thus, his father was fair in that drawing. This kind of drawing employed dreams and wishes as subject matter.

Once in a while, he would also put on make-up for the cows. He thought that this could beautify them.

One day, Teacher Guo visited his house. He and his sister brought Teacher Guo to see the scenery near their house. Ah Ming told Teacher Guo: “When it’s morning, this view turns white, but when it’s sunset, this view turns yellow. There’s a big lake and there are enormous mountains. What a stunning country scenery. My dream is to draw this landscape on a large paper, and show it to all the people around the world.”

Another drawing is about the pigs in his father’s farm growing bigger and bigger. They were squeezing in a small space and the wooden raft was crowded. Actually the pigs in the farm are still very small. By drawing this, he wished that the pigs would grow faster in size, so that his father could sell them for money. Again, a drawing based on wish and hope.
There was once a worm disaster in his father’s farm. Both of them were forced to skip the drawing lesson and to help out their father. Surprisingly, Teacher Guo and his students went to the farm and helped out their father. They even stayed and had drawing lesson there. For all that Teacher Guo and his students have done, their father was so touched.

On the same day, Ah Ming drew the “Tea Worm”. By looking around other kids’ drawings, only Ah Ming’s drawing could deeply influence one’s heart. The teacher said: “There’s only imagination in a kid’s world other than eating and playing. By looking at Ah Ming’s drawing, we could clearly comprehend that those tea worms to him, were terrifying, eating up the tea leaves, and even their books and crayons. Humans, on the other hand, turned tiny and helpless. His message was straight forward and easy, the tea worms would make his life worse, leaving him no books to study, and taking away his opportunity to draw. This is the answer of creation.”
One day, Ah Ming got severely ill. At the very moment, he drew his mother’s face and said: “I’ve been drawing mom’s face for such a long time. I could only draw mom’s face when she used to touch my head. It could be more beautiful…. Why are all the rich people always getting the good things?” Formerly, the school was picking representative to go for a drawing competition, but Ah Ming was poor, and did not excel in his academic, plus, the things he drew doesn’t look like the actual ones. Thus, he wasn’t chosen. The chosen one was a child of a politician. Although Teacher Guo was helping Ah Ming to fight for that chance, but didn’t succeed.

When he went home, he got so angry that he tore off all of his drawings and threw his pens and pencils into the lake.

After that, the chosen representative got the second place in district in the competition. Once again, Teacher Guo was mocked and had a disagreement with other teachers. Soon, he was forced to resign. Before he left, he gave his colour pens to Ah Ming and took away his “Tea Worm”.

Ah Ming was intensely sad and mad for Teacher Guo has left. He expressed his feelings on a drawing paper, by painting the lake and mountains in red.
At the end of the story, the drawing that Teacher Guo took with him got the first place in the International Children’s Painting Competition!

What do you think after reading this story? How many children on the world can be as lucky as Ah Ming, to have a teacher that understands him/her?

Hence, we need to enter children’s world of drawings with a pure and innocent temperament. Just as the story told, we couldn’t judge children’s artworks by the look of it, no matter if it’s good or bad, pretty or ordinary, that’s just not the criterion. In their world of drawing and painting, children’s artwork must never be compared, at all! That is why drawing competition’s judgement is always questioned by child psychologists. Each and every child is so unique, that there is no the best nor the worst. Especially when it comes to colouring competition, people totally terminated children’s imaginations and ability of creating.

By attentively accompanying them, encouraging them, and allowing them to express their feelings and thoughts on drawing blocks, and through appreciating and knowing their feelings, then, you will get touched by them. An American art reviewer, READ (1958) said: “To deliver thoughts, words and language will be the finest device; to convey feelings, drawings will be a supreme instrument.”

Actually, children’s artwork analysis shouldn’t be used as an indicator to detect the types of children. Conclusion under a single drawing block could be lethal. To achieve a better understanding, still, we must have a dialogue. Through a true and patient dialogue, then we can open up each other’s heart. Just as the drawing analysis mentioned, only through teachers’ patience and hard work, and cautiously referring to the mother’s dialogue with children’s action then we could understand a child’s psychological world.

By preparing this discussion topic, I didn’t mean to ask you to organize a drawing class nor having a drawing and painting session during Junior Division meetings. Understanding children through drawings is just a path you could consider taking. To understand children, we should always stand in their position and think. Just like the essence of Buddhism, “sharing happiness and sadness together”. Let them know that we could understand their position while they’re in sadness, and go through it together; sharing their joy together no matter how big or how small it is.

President Ikeda once asked an England children illustrator, Brian Wildsmith: “What do children need most?” And he answered: “Happiness it is, they need to grow under a joyful atmosphere and environment.”

If children could feel that seniors are so concerned about them, these touching moments would be a fertilizers for their lives that allow their youthful spirit to grow. President Ikeda said: “Those who could plant the seeds of hope of growth in his/her junior, are mighty kings of integrity education. In the Soka Gakkai organization, PICs who train and educate the treasure of konsen-rufu and the treasure of the world’s hope – Junior Division, are king of the king.” Whereas President Toda said: “The Soka Gakkai Organization is a safe residence. We must let the children grow up in this family.”

Lastly, when you visit Wisma Kebudayaan SGM (SGM Cultural Centre) Bukit Bintang the next time, please do not turn around and walk away while you saw some artwork that couldn’t be easily understood. The principle is just as appreciating a child’s artwork. Some said that those who could understand children’s drawings or paintings, could also understand abstract drawings! It is heard that, in America’s primary school, the amount of drawings done in one semester is equal to the amount of drawings done by Asian children in their whole lives!
Thank you.

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