Ep. 12 The Dot (点)
In a gist: A story about Vashti, a girl, who was disinterested in art and in Peter Reynolds’ words “afraid to make her mark”, and boy, did she show also much attitude. Her teacher, however, was very accepting of her lack of engagement and, in a seemingly gentle way, encouraged her by taking pride in her simple art work - a dot. She actually hung up the signed artwork of Vashti’s dot!
Out of pride, Vashti sought to prove herself better than being able to manage just a “dot”. She just focused on drawing dots, in different colours and sizes, and became so good that it was the focal point of an exhibition. It was then she met a little boy, who was like her, lacking confidence in what he could do. But she did what her art teacher did for her - to encourage and egg the boy on, helping him believe he can do more than what he could imagine.
Thoughts: This is one of my favourite books as it’s so inspiring and I honestly would strongly recommend every parent and educator to get their hands on this beautiful story. Particularly if your child/student lacks interest and/or confidence learning new things.
Three takeaways for me from this unforgettable story:
First, the obvious one - being brave in trying new adventures as we never know what they will lead us to - perhaps, a new passion? In a remotely related manner, this reminded me of my efforts in getting my firstborn to eat a wider variety of fruits. I decided to have a rule that she has to try a new fruit every day, never mind even if it was just a lick or a bite. I remember the day she tried kiwi - she was beyond unwilling as the tiny seeds disgusted her. After much encouragement, she decided to try it and actually liked the taste! Today, it’s a daily feature of her breakfast!
Second, sometimes staying to the one thing we know would do the trick in achieving breadth through depth. Like Vashti, she only knew how to paint dots but down the road, she could paint something that wasn’t a concrete circle but a somewhat abstract one (the large painting at around 3’30” of the recording).
Third, the joy of paying it forward. Just like Vashti who was encouraged by her teacher who hung up even her simple dot and made her sign off to take ownership of her artwork, she also helped boost the esteem of a little boy who wasn’t confident of his ability to draw even a line. Definitely, too, the importance of a teacher who pushes you and builds you up.
Did you know?: The idea of a “dot” came from Peter Reynolds himself when he dozed off with a pen in hand which left a mark in his daily journal. Another interesting fact is that this book is part of the “creatrilogy” by Reynolds, comprising of “Dot”, “Ish” and “Sky Colour”, which will be featured in this newsletter - wait for it!