Between my 4 god children, my 45 friends who have 2.5 kids each, and volunteering in the preschool at my church, I continually find myself surrounded by toddlers. I tell them to “use their words” as an attempt to thwart their over-dramatic emotional outbursts. It never works. Uncensored action often thinks quicker than rational thought.
I was recently in a situation where I understood the plight of the toddler. My instinct was to burst out in tears and maybe even let out a few good grunts. It was uncontrollable even in my best attempt. I had no time to stop, think rationally, and then come up with the words that would best relay the way I was currently feeling. The tears started and I excused myself as not to blanket the room in awkwardness.
Actions are great at showing our emotion of the moment, but it takes words to make sense of the messes they leave behind. I have made it the purpose of Creative Spillage to communicate to others that it’s okay to make a mess. If I believe this in art, and in life, then I must also believe it with our emotions. Not everything can be explained, some things just have to be experienced.
So yell, scream, cry, and make a mess if you feel like it. Just be prepared to use your words to clean up afterwards.
I like when you use your words. Especially when you use them to write your thoughts… Because they are awesome. This was a great post. In speech therapy, Ryne is tought to use his words to express himself and Jamie and I are taught to thank him for using his words when he does. I think in conjunction with your post, this is a great idea when “cleaning up the mess.” I need to remember to thank those that will take the time to try and clean it up.
I love this. Great thoughts Brandon. And, I thank you for using your words! Ha! (No seriously, it’s a fantastic thought.)