So, I walk into Artsbridge’s offices for the monthly board meeting. It’s often cut-and-dried and business-like, but tonight there are dozens of pieces of art propped up in chairs and ready to go on the walls for an art show. I wander around to look at them, all variations on themes: Two Fish, Truck, Horse, Dog. The coolest part is seeing the different ways to color and design those fish, trucks, horses, and dogs. It’s just awesome.

Artsbridge is great about providing space for emerging artists who might not land a show in a more public space. And, since our mission includes a huge push into education, we also showcase student art, from preschool through college.

These pieces might be right at home on refrigerators, of course — they’re all created by the preschool class at the local Art Center — but I love that we’re putting them up in what may be their very first (hopefully not last) art show. What a potential turning point for a child! We never know when some event in life winds up propelling us through a door to a whole new world or point of view or talent or even career.

My choice (and I’m probably going to have fight off another board member for it) is “Truck in the Sun.” I mean, how cool is that? It’s a happy yellow truck, with a smile (I think), a lovely blue sun, and huge wheels that look sturdy enough to take it smoothly through life.

I. LOVE. IT.

It speaks to me. And isn’t that the point of choosing art? That it speaks to you and begs for a spot on your wall somewhere?

Today, I’m grateful for two things: Truck in the Sun by Izzy (age 4) and Artsbridge.

First, I’m grateful for the happiness that painting evokes, for how Izzy augmented the truck with an unexpected blue sun, and for the creativity that jumps out at me.

Second (and here’s the best part): Izzy’s helped me reconnect to something elemental in Artsbridge’s mission — the one about bringing art to children and firing their passion for it. What I know is this: while Izzy may or may not become an artist with shows on the walls of galleries and a huge following of fans — that spark of creativity will fire passion and fuel success in life: as an engineer, maybe, or an analyst or a cook or a volunteer or … well, I guess that’s pretty limitless, isn’t it? Which is a good thing for Izzy.