Writer, artist, painter, sculptor, poet, seamstress... constant creator. All in one morning. Thankful for snow days because as Lucy says, "School just takes up too much of my creative time." [ M ]
As soon as she wakes up she will go straight to her little area in our apartment and start making something new or finish a project that didn't get done the night before. It's amazing to see her drive. It's inspiring and sometimes a little overwhelming. Lucy's creative needs are like an empty pit that we are perpetually trying to fill. She is so obviously talented that Marci and I are desperate to keep her interested in making stuff. In a way, both Marci and I are trying to give Lucy all the space and material that we wish we might've had at her age.
Marci captured this photo of Lucy in her natural habitat perched on top of a little table surrounded by crayons, markers, pens and endless amounts of paper. Our apartment in Wexford is small but Marci is exceptionally gifted at space management and has set aside this dedicated creative area which Lucy lovingly refers to as her "art space." On this particular January day it was only 8° outside and the girls' school had been cancelled. Lucy is once again busy in her space making another drawing about her latest obsession; Robots.
Lucy's drawing of a robot she named "Metle Detector." January 6, 2018
Marci and I cannot figure out where or why Lucy became interested in them but lately she has taken to drawing sketches of different robots and machines. She seems particularly interested in the mechanics of them and how they might be built to perform different tasks. She has been asking for building materials so she can construct the robots from her drawings.
Today she made Metle Detector and when I asked her about her newest robot she gave me the following instructions.
“First, twist the little knob there.” she said and pointed to the first rounded lever of her robot. "Then, you go to this cog and it will go to, like, that spinny-thing that's full of yarn." Lucy excitedly pointed to other various details in her schematic and continued the explanation. "Then, if you hit the other cog, it will hit the bell. The bell will make a fun noise. If you spin the spinny-thing full of yarn it will go up to a hook and hold onto a magnet that will find all the metal.”
Lucy has made dozens of these drawings already. There is a whole armada of Lucy made robots ready to spin and whirl and buzz and make fun noises. I can't wait to see what she makes tomorrow!
