One thing I’ve learned over the years is that kids have an opinion and a personality from day 1. Even little babies like this one seem to convey their sense of things in their attitude and in their expressions.
Once kids are verbal, it’s funny to hear what comes out of their mouths – it can be nonstop non-sequiturs, or stuff so poignant it gives you pause. But even while they’re infants, they bring a lot to the table, and I consider it a collaboration when I work with a baby. I try to give people the space to express who they are in the moment, and that goes for people who haven’t learned to talk or walk.
Maybe it’s unusual to think of collaboration from the standpoint of working with someone you can’t communicate with in words, but I believe collaboration is a spirit you embody and it invites everyone around to do the same. It breaks down language barriers because it’s its own language. Even babies get it. Check out this guy, and tell me he wasn’t bringing all kinds of intrigue! That was all HIM. I just made space and captured it.
