Published 04 July 2025 in The Viewing Room Art Gallery
Being creative means being free to play.
To play means to experiment — What happens if I do this? What happens if I don’t follow the rules? In creative play, there’s no such thing as a mistake — whatever happens, it’s okay.
This is not the case with a narcissistic parent.
Playtime is not just about having fun — it’s also about learning. When a child recites a nursery rhyme, they are developing language skills. When they toss a ball into the air and catch it on the way down, they are building important gross motor and hand-eye coordination skills.
For a traumatized child in a dysfunctional family system, childhood and creativity are often sacrificed. A narcissistic parent restricts a child’s developing sense of self and sabotages their early development and creative exploration by refusing to support the acquisition of essential knowledge and skills needed to navigate the world.
A child learns through play. When a parent overcriticizes and restricts the child’s playful nature, learning, creativity, and healthy mental development all suffer.
This exhibition presents a reclaiming of the inner child’s creativity, playful nature, and the skills that were sacrificed in childhood to please a selfish, destructive parent.
We are thrilled for this exhibition opening! See you this weekend.