The Genesis of Line
Toddlers first lines are formed by chance from a sensory-motor need. They notice and discover that their body movements can leave a mark in substances.
Jasmin Berman
They try this magic countless times with immense enjoyment.
They then create deliberate lines and marks in their porridge that smears on the table, in the sand, and later on paper.
As they grow up, they notice how marks can also turn out to be a sign.
In the beginning, the marks can migrate to the walls and furniture as well.
Nona Orbach
I have always felt magic in moments when I could witness how brain and body collaborate.
Observing my toddler daughters and later my grandchildren in time of learning – living – always felt sacred. These young pioneers are discovering the cosmos as we are privileged to notice their journey.
It is a completely personal, intimate process of one baby, but at the same time, all humanity has experienced these moments for centuries.
We are fortunate to notice such miraculous moments.
Slow down. Look closely. Listen deeply. Take Notice.
More about listening to the process here
This is one of many posts to come in collaboration with Suzanne Axelsson and Roberta Pucci, where our collective wisdom will be shared via our websites/blogs.
Follow the journey on the Facebook page the Grammar of Drawing, and on Instagram Grammar of Drawing
Swedish translation Suzanne Axelsson available on Interaction Imagination
Italian translation Roberta Pucci available on Roberta Pucci Lab
Hebrew translation Nona Orbach available on The Good Enough Studio
Upper image by Nizan Sedler
I always wonder about that word “deliberate”. Children make me wonder about it. Us adults seem to be seeking “deliberate” in children, where thought comes before action, and idea before a mark. But I wonder, when watching very young children draw, about the value of drawing from
Intuition, a kind of pre-cognition, but no less of an idea, that comes from their inbuilt creative spirit. I wonder whether there is a twilight zone where doing, thinking and just knowing play together. And whether we as adults can meet children there sometimes.
Thank you, Lindi,
It seems that the western capitalistic society is interested in cognition from the VERY BEGINNING.
Babies are measured, and competition begins.
This is very sad.
I am trying to look closer at the phases of the being -doing. .
Toddlers and young children probably think parallelly. to being -doing.