Where are you hiding your inspiration

I have been spending a lot of time researching children and there creative journeys in the last few months and inspiration is a key factor that i am seeing come into the relationship between children coming back to the art table or art easels.
Actually i am seeing a lot of key factors but inspiration is one that is quite huge for children and it has me wondering "If children are not inspired, are children not seeing the link to become involved".

So what does inspiration look like you may wonder, how on earth do i inspire a young child to become creative in the arts.
 I believe it is all about children's admiration and children's desires, and influencing there thinking and priorities in a creative way .
For many of us it is safe to say that being creative is not a priority, it is a fantasy and i am seeing that perhaps it is similar for young children, and we are limiting children's experiences with our own priorities and our own thinking, i believe we need to put art in the foremost areas of our minds to make them see the benefits of creative expression.

Take paint Easels for instance, i have found that if i set them up first thing in the morning before i get outdoor equipment like balls and hockey sticks out i am seeing a lot more boys come and spend that little bit longer than it takes to add the odd flick of paint, and lose interest.
Inspiration can mean adding a vase of flowers to the art table, inspiration can mean looking at books that have amazing use of colour.
Inspiration can mean looking at colour charts, colour is the best inspiration, i see colour as a bag of jellybeans, who can go past jellybeans without having a try.
Inspiration can mean pairing children together that admire each other and pointing out to reluctant children when there friends they admire are painting and creating.
Maybe you are inspiring a first experience in art, or maybe you are inspiring a reluctant artist,but i really believe we all need the chance to be inspired to create great beauty.
At Play and Learn many children have been inspired by all the paint pots we had donated to us from Bunnings, amazing colour test pots that offer a blend of colours all ready to go.
Children are also inspired by a colour wheel i added to the paint station, now children take full control of the colours they want to paint with.
Children are also inspired by the colours in nature, taking a group of children out to sit by the swan plant to paint is a great way to realign priorities.
Many teachers have amazing cultural rituals and experiences that can inspire children, i just want to challenge everyone that works with young children and ask them "what inspiration are you hiding from children?" .