Time And The Human Hand
As I work on my Kid Prompts illustration series, I’ve been reflecting on why they feel important, why I feel so compelled to keep making them. The answer I keep landing on is Time and the Human Hand.
A kid could give any basic AI Generator the same sentence they give me, and something interesting, maybe even beautiful might emerge. (Or I assume so - I refuse to even open the ChatGPT website. Is it a website? I’m tapped out). But what sets this project of mine apart, is the basic factor of my humanity, the intentionality of my focus on a kid’s idea, and my existence in time and space.
As a visual artist, I am drawn to materials that are fairly unforgiveable: marker, watercolor, lo-fi stopmotion animation. I gravitate toward media and practices where my presence in the art - my brushstrokes, my movement, my streaks, even my lack of expertise - is unmistakably present. Granted, some of that is down to being mostly self taught, but it feels bigger than that - more fundamental to an artistic outlook than just a lack of technical skill.
There are echoes of this practice in my television life as well; I am relinquishing the desire to “act” in favor of being myself as a host and interviewer. When I sit opposite another person, prepared with questions and research, there I am. Lynne. Not a character or an interpretation of text, just a brain, two ears, and a voice. When I move a marker streakily across a page, there I am. Lynne. Not the flat, perfect fill of a Paint program (People still use Paint… right?) but the distinct effort of a physical being.
When you add kids into the mix, I think it gets particularly special. I have always said the success of my art isn’t in my execution, it’s in my ideas - my desire to wrestle with concepts through drawing. With Kid Prompts, the idea is outsourced, so my art instead evolves from the space between myself and this small human’s imagination. In this case, my art is simply in my commitment to moving my hand across a page in time and space, with intentionality, respect, love, and appreciation focused on this child’s thought.
I hope this practice tells a kid they matter. Says they are seen. Says they are important. I hope this work perhaps inspires others to engage with one another’s imaginations - suggest drawing prompts to your friends? Have discussions about the impossibility of fully communicating image? Play.
I hope this work says Time and The Human Hand may never be replaced, even if they only matter in the space between two humans.
And with that, as I prepare to jet off to the UK and have my cup filled up with learning for the next few weeks, here are two absolutely delightful prompts I received last week, from brothers Harry and Walter. Maybe you would like to try drawing these prompts as well? Send to me if you do! I would be honored to receive your time and your human hand.