For the past 7 months I have been working as an art teacher for the 600+ students at Kay’s Creek Elementary. While I was teaching these 5 – 12 year-olds the elements of art and practices of artists, I was in reality teaching
Respect for oneself and one’s work
Respect for others and their work
Observation and recording skills
Problem-solving using discernment and creativity
Following directions while simultaneously incorporating creative thought
Completing projects
Self-control
Self-control
Giving and receiving constructive criticism
Believing in oneself
Cleaning up one’s mess
Helping a neighbor clean their mess
Using one’s resources and asking for additional resources when needed
The validity of one’s thought process and creative practice
Finding something beautiful and worthwhile in every piece
Learning from mistakes
Being humble in success while enjoying it simultaneously
Respecting one’s environment including people and materials
Most importantly:
Art (and people) doesn’t have to be perfect to have validity and that giving up perfectionism is freeing.
When you allow yourself to fail you can succeed even more gloriously.
As Picasso said ” Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.”