![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Dec. 29th, 2010 08:48 am_Harold and the Purple Crayon_ by Crocket Johnson (1955, 1983) [Bookshare.org]
I've been trying to create a list of books about art, or books which inspire creativity,* and I realized recently that, for me, this book was one of my early inspirations.
Although there are now many books which attempt to inspire creativity or explain in great detail why someone wishes to create art none, in my mind, convey these ideas more succinctly or more cleverly than _Harold and the Purple Crayon_. _Harold and the Purple Crayon_ gets to the heart of what is so appealing about creating art by showing the reader how Harold uses drawing to literally give his ideas form.
While in the book Harold's drawings actually become real--his drawing of a moon becomes *the* moon, which then follows him around wherever he goes--and we understand, even as children, that this won't really happen, there is still a core of truth to this kind of magic, because when we create a piece of art we are indeed taking an idea and making it real. Additionally, the fact that Harold uses his drawings to alleviate his anxieties also underscores how art can be used to explore and express real fears and anxieties, and how that kind of catharsis can allow us to feel better.
Purple has always been one of my favorite colors (as a child, I wanted everything I wore or used to be purple), and LJ user Issendai has pointed out how, unlike in the mundane world, purple is overwhelmingly popular, because it seems to imply magic. I can't help but wonder if this is in part true because of how many children have read and loved this book.
* Feel free to leave recommendations for favorite art or creativity books.
I've been trying to create a list of books about art, or books which inspire creativity,* and I realized recently that, for me, this book was one of my early inspirations.
Although there are now many books which attempt to inspire creativity or explain in great detail why someone wishes to create art none, in my mind, convey these ideas more succinctly or more cleverly than _Harold and the Purple Crayon_. _Harold and the Purple Crayon_ gets to the heart of what is so appealing about creating art by showing the reader how Harold uses drawing to literally give his ideas form.
While in the book Harold's drawings actually become real--his drawing of a moon becomes *the* moon, which then follows him around wherever he goes--and we understand, even as children, that this won't really happen, there is still a core of truth to this kind of magic, because when we create a piece of art we are indeed taking an idea and making it real. Additionally, the fact that Harold uses his drawings to alleviate his anxieties also underscores how art can be used to explore and express real fears and anxieties, and how that kind of catharsis can allow us to feel better.
Purple has always been one of my favorite colors (as a child, I wanted everything I wore or used to be purple), and LJ user Issendai has pointed out how, unlike in the mundane world, purple is overwhelmingly popular, because it seems to imply magic. I can't help but wonder if this is in part true because of how many children have read and loved this book.
* Feel free to leave recommendations for favorite art or creativity books.
