I recently came across a young artist on Facebook, her name is See Foon. She creates watercolor paintings and sculptures of wild and whimsical creatures. I was amazed at her talent, creativity, and joyful expression in her art. I was so impressed that I would go so far as to call See Foon a child prodigy. I’ve seen extremely talented kids before, I remember seeing a young girl on TV who painted large paintings of flowers and sold them for thousands of dollars. I’ve always wondered how a child could become so talented at such an early age, so I contacted See Foon’s parents and asked them.

Her Father explained that See Foon got the message that her paintings were good because they always praised her. Her Mom would immediately hang her paintings up on the wall, so it built confidence in See Foon. See Foon was homeschooled. Her Father said that he believes that children follow the value of the people around them, and they taught her to value art and creativity. They felt See Foon’s talent wouldn’t be developed as much at conventional school which values achievement in math, English and science.

Her Mom also loves art, so she taught See Foon different art techniques. I saw a video of See Foon painting a creature (see below), and the thing that I noticed was that she just seemed to be having fun. She was very focused, but she was just kind of doodling and dabbling with the paint. It was almost like she was playing with the paint. It confirmed what I believed that artists should enjoy their work. This also applies to anyone looking for their dream job, if you love what you do, it will eventually show, and people will eventually notice.

In my own experience, I definitely wasn’t a child prodigy, I liked to draw Disney characters when I was little, and I eventually became a Disney artist, but I certainly didn’t create and sell professional work like See Foon. I think the difference was, when See Foon’s parents recognized her talent, they were generous with their praise, her Mom helped her with techniques, and they explored ways to be creative. If you have a talented child, encourage them to explore their talent. Even if they’re not a child prodigy, they might discover a job that they really love to do.

So what makes a child prodigy?
1. Talent
2. Creativity
3. (The secret ingredient) Lots of love and support from the parents

Here are See Foon’s internet links:
https://www.seefoon.com
https://www.instagram.com/seefoon09/
https://www.facebook.com/foonhome
https://www.redbubble.com/people/seefoon
https://www.etsy.com/shop/seefoon

See Foon’s painting video: