Mr Vlek is an artistic-educational project exploring perfectionism, fear of failure and freedom in the creative process among children. Through drawing exercises, observations and discussions, the project investigates how children deal with making mistakes, losing control and experimenting.
The central character, Mr Vlek, encourages children to work more intuitively: without overthinking, correcting or striving for perfection. Instead of drawing ‘beautifully’, the focus is on daring to try, playing and starting afresh.
The research combines illustration, art education and practice-based research. Through workshops and a playful visual world, the project aims to create a safe environment in which children can experience their creativity more freely.
The master project starts from the question of how drawing and artistic processes can help children deal more gently with mistakes, stress and pressure to perform.