You Can’t Speak Butterfly to a Caterpillar
End of term is a mere 3 or 4 weeks away. Every year I learn something from the students. This year, was that some will really surprise you and produce something fantastic in the last few weeks - and that they are way more resilient than you thought. I also learned that there are some very bitter people out there.
Sometimes shockingly it can be the staff.
Behind the scenes there was a distinct lack of support, motivation or willingness to try and see the student’s ‘vision’ or message.
Our particular group are also in their third season of a student magazine. Each year it’s passed on to the next group of students. Staff hardly ever support it unless it awards them brownie points higher up the tree.
I facilitate the hand-over between year groups and promote it online. I’m learning we have a lot of very unenthusiastic staff.
I find it’s my job to ignore this and keep pushing the students to aim for higher each time. No matter their ideas.
There’s a moment in every creative journey where someone looks you in the eye and says it won’t work. That you’re dreaming too big. That your ideas are too weird or risky or just plain wrong.
Here’s the thing - sometimes that comes from people you think care about you.
Teachers. Friends. Parents. Some mean well.
But they’re speaking caterpillar.
You can’t speak butterfly to a caterpillar.
That line says everything.
A caterpillar doesn’t have wings yet. It doesn’t know what it feels like to fly. So when you start talking about painting outside the lines or building something from scratch or sharing your work even when it scares you, they won’t always get it. You’re trying to explain the sky to someone who’s never left the ground.
“There’s a moment in every creative journey where someone looks you in the eye and says it won’t work. That you’re dreaming too big. That your ideas are too weird or risky or just plain wrong.”
Creative education should be where you grow your wings. It should be the cocoon.
A place to mess up, try again, and chase wild ideas.
It should make space for risk and curiosity. But too often it becomes a checklist. Safe projects. Clear rules. Grades over guts. That’s when growth stalls.
Real creativity is not safe. It’s messy. It looks like failure until it doesn’t. You need room to be loud, unsure, and bold. You need people who challenge you to keep going when things feel uncomfortable. That is where the magic lives.
Confidence doesn’t come from praise. It comes from doing hard things and getting back up.
From being told no and moving forward anyway. From failing in public and realising the world keeps turning.
If you’re in a place that asks you to stay small or be realistic or tone it down, know this - they just haven’t seen what you’re becoming. They’re still thinking like caterpillars.
But you’re not. So speak butterfly anyway.
“Real creativity is not safe. It’s messy. It looks like failure until it doesn’t. You need room to be loud, unsure, and bold. You need people who challenge you to keep going when things feel uncomfortable. That is where the magic lives.”
Need Help speaking Butterfly?
That’s exactly why I have created the Creative Futures Kit - a down-to-earth guide designed to help teens build real skills, strong portfolios, and a sense of direction in the creative world. You might have noticed the tab appearing at the top of the HatchEd main page… all the content will appear this weekend, for paid subscribers.
If you’ve still to sign up, and would like to help your children plan their creative path then click here
As ever thanks for reading. This summer I’m aiming to make a lot of changes in my career, and to be able to do these things and to help keep creative education from the hands of the state, and in the hands of the parents, I need your support; so taking time to read and share my weekly articles really helps. Thank you, see you back here next week! Creative Futures - full kit - will be avaialable to paid subs this weekend. 😊
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