Who is the art kid?

Written by Caitlin Dawkes

There is no one strict definition of who or what the art kid is. I could say that the art kid is just a kid that likes art. The kid that smeared paint across the paper with their bare hands, turning the paper and their palms a grimy green. I could say that the art kid is the kid that beamed whilst showing shoddy drawings of farm animals to their nan.

Or perhaps the art kid is the kid that has a splodge of paint framing their brow at all times. I could say that the art kid is the kid that was drawing, making and creating throughout their youth.

I could say all that... but that’s all a little obvious, isn’t it?

However, if we consider the art kid as a metaphor, we could say that the art kid is the light of creativity that always lives within you, whether you listen to it or ignore it; nurture it or neglect it. Some embrace the art kid within us whilst others let it suffocate in the great waters of societal pressure. Others do not realise that the art kid within them is waiting to be discovered, so they carry on with their lives wishing they could be an art kid, when the art kid was there all along. Some say that they don’t have what the art kid needs to thrive, some say they lack the creative thought, the materials, the teaching. In reality, this can build barriers around the art kid that can take them years to break out of.

The art kid can be the source of all creativity. So this begs the question, where does the art kid come from? Is the art kid something that grows within you over time, like a benign tumour? Or is it something that has been there all along in the background, assisting on all of your creative decisions and endeavours? How does the art kid know when to turn into an artist? Does the art kid fade over time? I would argue that the art kid never fades, it’s always there within us, it just gets crushed by the mounds of capitalistic, societal constraints and guilt. Society refuses to nurture the art kid when they are the one that brings joy, colour, and life to our daily routine.

The art kid made the show that you look forward to watching every week.

The art kid designed the clothes that live in the depths of your wardrobe.

The art kid made the mug that you drink your morning coffee out of.

We need the art kid now more than ever; to inspire change, to boost morale, to evoke powerful discussions and push important movements. The art kid reflects the past, present, and the future of the creative industries. We can say that the art kid is not a singular being but a collective metaphor, describing the quality of creativity that is within us all.

Or the art kid is simply just a kid that likes art