Sometimes it is not so bad that a child unravels or takes about a sculpted balloon.   I know of some children(Dustin especially) who use to take apart everything from balloons to TV's and computers trying to figure out how they worked and how he could do it himself.

Sometimes things are not always as they seem to us.

Yes, most of us young and old still want instant gratification, that is why we have so many fast food places and microwavable foods, but there are still plenty who like to stand around for hours and watch balloons being made, especially children.

The twisters in our area who do the quick one balloon, can't tell what it is stuff, never have a line, whereas we always create a line.   When people are willing to stand around and wait 1 to 2 hours to get a balloon, it is no longer instant gratification.   I believe it is appreciation and the age old feeling that if something is being given out for free, "I better damn well get one."

Just a reminder, there are plenty of one balloon creations that are truly masterpieces of the mind.   Everytime I look through some of the old books and at some of the sculptures Ralph Dewey, Ed Chee, Guido Verhoef, and Jack Matterson have done with one balloon, I am truly impressed.   Our art has progressed greatly, but it was the one balloon artist who got us all started.  

I remember thinking that I could only use one balloon; that that was how it was done.  It was so much more important to be very precise with the size of your bubbles and the amount of inflation to a balloon.   Now I can move so much faster at twisting because I can know break off balloons, and in new balloons, use multiple colors to age detail and deminsion.   Man, in the beginning the original balloon twisters had to do everything with just one balloon.   Hats off to those that came up with some of the earlier designs!

There will always be people to continue the craft... I'm sure of that. But looking at the much bigger picture... There has been over time a move away from creative practices. Once upon a time we needed people who could make things now a lot of things that would have been made/crafted by a skilled person are imported or made in a factory so quickly and so cheaply that there is less need and less people see the point of learning a creative ability.

Look at our schools more and more children who are good at maths, english and science are called 'intelligent' and those who are good at creative subjects are called 'unintelligent'. The emphasis in school is on the academic subjects. Artistic subjects are considered 'soft' subjects not to be encouraged. As someone who studied for a BA in performing arts I can tell u a lot of people think u r unintelligent or wasting time.

A lot of crafts are dying out... I really hope twisting is here to stay...

Some of you will have noticed that 'The Scallywag' who has just replied to this thread share the same web address as me. He is my double-act partner and not me being schizophrenic. I hope that clears things up.

I kind of liked the schizophrenic idea myself  

after all we all are to a degree, who we are in RW is not who we are in our latex world, most of the time

I remember when LEGO® didn't have instructions....

Both my kids are semi artistic, my youngest (12) surprises me the most. She actually made up the cat head on my 2nd DVD!!

CReativity has a new tool that many of us did not have .... the computer. It makes it hard to gauge the creativity because most things look so good.

The hand to eye coordination doesn't seem to be there that many of us had in the past.

Too much is emphasized on perfection and not play. Also schools have cut back art programs considerably...

See my experience of the school system this side of the pond is different.  My old senior school (high school to those in the US) was, and still is, the best school in town but it has also got special award status as a school for the arts and this was very much encouraged when I was at school (I left some 15 years ago) although at the time I felt I had no aptitude for the arts.  Also I never specifically studied at school to be a lawyer but the subjects I took helped me when I went to university just as the subjects I took at school have helped me with balloons to - it's just a different application of the same things more or less.  Also Schools don't teach plumbing or do training for electricians either but they do offer art classes, music, CDT, drama etc which are all compulsory until GCSE level.

As for the arts being seen as soft subjects in the academic world - so what :?:   There are also degrees that are book based that are also seen as soft i.e. business studies was the one when I was at Uni.  I'm afraid in higher education there is a huge amount of snobbery involved but if you love what you then who cares what some stuck up old git thinks :?:  (my question mark button will not work at the mo!!!)

As for key stage 1 and 2 at my daughter's school it is excellent.  They have specialised teachers that come in and teach them art, music and pe from Reception age.  Our school also have an after school art club which I would love my daughter to attend except it clashes with her music class.

Finally I really don't believe children's attention spans are decreasing.  I never had much of an attention span as a kid and neither does my daughter.  I believe it is because we are both dreamers with our heads in our own little worlds and my thoughts are constantly skipping between what I have to do (and rarely get round to LOL) and what I want to be doing, ideas for balloons or face painting, what I want to do on my website etc.

My son has amazing patience for things.  He turned 3 in September so cannot read yet but does recognise some letters.  He has paid so much attention to his sister learning to read he can blend words together if you tell him the sounds (phonics based system of learning to read we use in the UK) and since he can't read he cannot read instructions that come with things like Lego but a few weeks back he was given a small pack of Lego that came with the newspaper and he had it assembled correctly in seconds - not much but my Mum and I were impressed.  I think he is going to be like his Dad that in a few years I will find my TV dismantled in the living room just because he wants to see how it works!

Such grand wisdom coming from a Sage Old Magician and Balloon Artist!
Graham, you are a fountain of knowledge!

I agree with Graham that you need to master a few skills to really be successful and good at entertaining.   Some learn quickly, and for others it takes years to get there.

Many schools in the states have cut some art programs  and given more to the Football and other teams, but art is definitely stressed by many teachers in our schools by the projects the kids are asked to do.  

When Dustin was little, they put him in gifted program for learning, but then took him out because they said he was ADHD since he would not focus on what they were doing, but he could concentrate for hours if he was drawing or writing a story.   I would not let them put him on any medications because I did not find anything wrong or unusual with him being able to focus on art and other things he loved.  
Later his teachers admitted that he was probably just more artistic and creative than other kids, but that their program didn't focus on those skills.  

From watching my girls and other children, I just think that some are more inclined to certain areas of interest than others.   I have been doing children's parties for nearly 25 years, and the biggest difference I see in the children is that they have more gadgets to distrack them from what I am doing, but there is always one or more child who will stay by me the entire time I am twisting and watch intently while I make balloons.   When my husband does jobs as a line twister, people are not amazed at what he makes, but they stay watching because he is very funny.    

Some kids perfer interaction constantly with an adult and others like to "study" things quietly. I believe there will always be entertainers and observers and maybe a nice mix of balloon artist and balloon entertainers.
 

I wish I was more like Graham though and a master at all!

I wish I was more like Graham though and a master at all!

I wish.....................

But it is important not to spread yourself too thinly while trying to find your feet and way in entertaining. Find what your good at and stick with it. Then keep practising it and honing it, adding to it gradually so that you keep improving that one thing instead of trying lots and being a jack of all trades and master of none...........now where have i heard that before  

I know what I think are my strong points and try to stick to them, the person that says he takes on any job and anything when the phone rings and then works out how to do it after worries me. Surely it's better to give that job to someone that is an expert in that field already as if you go and do it and only make a half hearted attempt at it and the booker realises then surely you wil be damaging your reputation and the booker will think more highly of you if your honest and say that this is not your field of expertise but I know a man that is, just my opinion.