THE TWO-YEAR-OLD BODY AS A CANVAS BY EMMY SILVERMAN

While finger-painting at the age of two, I decided that rather than painting a piece of paper, I wanted to paint my twin sister – and so that is what I did.

At the end of my artistic venture she was covered in red and purple acrylic paint. This transformation caused her to cry at the sight of her reflection in the mirror in fear of the “scary clown” that was staring back at her. Even as a two-year-old the shrills of my sister at her own reflection caused me to laugh uncontrollably.

This is when I learned the power of creating. The world is a canvas.

If something is lacking in your life, create something to fill the gap. In this instance, I created my own canvas and my own humor.

Coloring inside the lines is not creativity. We are meant to look outside of the corners of a white piece of paper. This is where the magic happens – even if it involves making your twin sister afraid of her own reflection.