Warhol and Basquiat. Lennon and McCartney. Isabelle and Mackenzie? YES!
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Meet the most adorable collaborators in modern times. I may be slightly obsessed with this recording of Isabelle and Mackenzie, native New Yorkers, now age 3. With all the research I’ve done on creative collaboration for my executive workshops, I’ve never seen a cohesive partnership emerge from humans who’ve only been on planet Earth for two years.
(Pic #1) Isabelle and Mackenzie in Manhattan, New York
There’s no fighting, no pushing, no conflict. Each girl fearlessly expresses her Twombly-esque improvisational strokes. In their own language, they share chalk sticks, add perfectly-placed scribbles, and hum. And toward the end, you even hear an “excuse me, excuse me” as one tries to politely maneuver into just the right space.
So okay, I may be somewhat biased about this story, since the girls’ father is my cousin, Donal Lardner Ward. But even he told me this may be the first time one twin didn’t try to control the situation. He seemed as excited as I was to watch the pair create together — in this seamless, synergistic way. His hope is to see them “support each other’s ambitions” in the years to come.
Educational experts say collaborative learning has been shown to develop higher-level thinking skills, boost confidence, and foster leadership. But what those studies leave out just might be what matters most: the absolute joy parents feel watching this kind of tenderness between two sisters — just trying to make their marks.
If you’re a cat owner, I don’t have to tell you cats are all about free will. They don’t ‘sit” or “stay.” (Neither do I, I’m fairly sure my husband would say.) And they seem to take pride in doing the exact opposite of what you’d like them to.
Bottom line? Why a square made out of tape? Well the experts say without actual walls, the blue boundaries represent “the possibility of a box, and for some cats, that’s good enough.”
Some of his larger works sell for as much as $14,000. But he has always wanted to make his work accessible, so he makes smaller, more affordable pieces for $100 as well. But Father Bill never sees the collectors’ checks. As a member of the Order of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, he took a vow of poverty, years ago. In exchange for his artwork, clients pay the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. “I won’t touch a check with my name on it” he says.
