I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.
John Steinbeck
Artists to my mind are the real architects of change, and not the political legislators who implement change after the fact.
William S. Burroughs
Artists are traditionally resistant to labels.
Patti Smith
Artists have really never had any representation on Capitol Hill, because it’s not the nature of the artist to join together and make a unified presence. Those days kind of died in the ’60s.
Sheryl Crow
All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
Pablo Picasso
All children are artists, yet we often try to take it away from them in the pursuit of testing…I’m sorry, education. Until they are told, in one way or the other, they can’t dance well, or sing well, or draw well, or tell a story/act well…well, they will just DO IT. They don’t start off with the negative filters that destroy them along the way.
I integrated all different art forms in the theatre classes. I looked to have the students explore, for themselves, how to find their artistic voice. Too many times, a student would tear up a piece of artwork. “Why?” would come out of my mouth. “Because it’s no good” or variations of that. Looking at the unfinished work, judgments in this child’s mind were already formed. Where it came from was beyond my scope most times. Seeing these 500+ students only once a week, for 45 minutes at a clip, did not afford me the full in-depth deciphering of their psyches.
Sometimes I would notice that the child would look at what someone else was doing and immediately stop. Rip, crumple, toss, and then maybe a hissy fit. Did this student have his work compared to another piece of art, directly or indirectly? Jealousy? Fear of failure? Ridicule lessons in the classroom or at home, or both? Honestly, most times I could not tell you. I’d let the classroom teacher know when she/he would pick the class up, but more often than not they dismissed it with the “oh, you know how ______Β is.”
When does the toddler who throws him/herself into their art become their own worst critic?
How Appreciating Art Can Promote Literacy
Why Arts Education is Crucial, and Who’s Doing It Best
As to adults, why do many of us turn away from embracing an art form that we love? I often tell any class I lead, no matter what age level this very simple thing: When we create in art, there is no wrong answer, and there should be no judgment of what or how we do it. We CAN all sing, paint, dance, act, tell a story, play a musical instrument (yes, you can do percussion). If we compare it (See rule #1 above) to someone who either has practiced their artistic craft for years upon years (or are just artistic savants), well…we just do ourselves a disservice.
So what if you’re off key, can’t draw a straight line, are a klutz. If you love it, DO IT. Just do it. Do it for the love and happiness you feel when you let yourself be free. I can sing, but my voice is not trained like it used to be and I go off key a lot. My art is mainly doodles. My music is percussive or on a kazoo. My artistic language comes out in the written and spoken word, but I do sing, I do dance, I do play music, and I do art.
YOU DO ART…All children are artists. We’re still those same children, but the art has been beaten out of you. Take it back.
Give it back. Give the arts back to the schools.
The reason actors, artists, writers have agents is because we’ll do it for nothing.
That’s a basic fact – you gotta do it.
Morgan Freeman
Sep 30, 2011 @ 08:51:24
Hi Stuart:
Couldn’t agree more w/this column. We all have something we’re good at, something that was passed to us when we incarnated. I find it horrible when as children we are told:
–We’re not good enough
–How are you going to make a living doing that?
Oh you can’t do that for a living.
How does anyone but yourself know what’s good for you?
If you’re told from a young age that you can’t do something it’s going to get ingrained. What if you could have been the next Stephen King, the next Rembrandt, the next Ansel Adams and someone said you weren’t good enough?
We should be lifting our young artists up.
—
Chris
Sep 30, 2011 @ 08:55:16
Thank you so much Chris. Yep, we can be the worst in soul crushing/world destroying, and not even realize what we are doing.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 09:42:45
Never, never tell a child he or she is not good enough. I was in education for years and I was very conscious about encouraging all my kids in their endeavors. If you allow a child to develop naturally, he or she will discover the talents within.
Great post, Stuart!
Blessings!
Sep 30, 2011 @ 09:55:52
Martha, I wish that was the case all the time. But, I do feel that sometimes, when a teacher pulls another student up as a good example (in whatever way it may be done), that shuts down some of the others. I hate competitions simply because of that. The “I’m not good enough” syndrome.
Thanks for being there for your students.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 09:46:22
Great post Stuart! Children are amazing – they are so full of creativity and talent – nothing should stand in their way. Thanks for being an advocate for keeping the arts in schools!
Sep 30, 2011 @ 09:53:58
Thank you very much Karen.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 09:48:32
..and its never too late to let the ‘inner child’ express creativity!
Sep 30, 2011 @ 11:26:49
YES!! That is what I keep telling others. Thanks Kalpana
Sep 30, 2011 @ 12:29:03
I found my inner child later in life. I am not letting her go now!
Sep 30, 2011 @ 17:06:56
Muriel, I’ve never let mine go. It’s turned some people off of me, but ya know what: π to them!!! You go with it, and enjoy it!!
Sep 30, 2011 @ 13:08:45
Somehow – in spite of twenty-one years of formal education, I never grew up. I grew older, but I never grew up. Thank goodness.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 17:07:54
Thom, so well said. We’re older in body (and oy, it hurts right HERE), but… spirit? Nah. I like where I’m at.
NO TO THE FUDDY DUDDIES!!!
Thanks
Sep 30, 2011 @ 13:43:42
This is wonderful. I don’t know when children become their own worst critics, but I think it stems from the idea that there is a right and a wrong way to do everything, just as there are right and wrong answers on tests. It makes me sad, and I try hard when I work with people of any age to encourage exploration and to embrace their “mistakes” to find something wonderful. What’s even more frustrating for me is the fact that somehow being an artist is not perceived by adults as worthy, because otherwise why would adults fear it so? Meanwhile, providing artistic opportunities for people of all ages and abilities can open so many doors. I experienced a wonderful example of this recently which I’ve written about here, if you are interested http://lkramer14.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3168&action=edit
Sep 30, 2011 @ 13:45:24
Oops, sorry, I gave the wrong link http://lkramer14.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/appropriate-age-appropriateness/
Sep 30, 2011 @ 17:11:04
Lisa..thank you so much for sharing the link.
Yeah, fear is part of it. I also think it just doesn’t fit in some people’s heads. I had a…gentleman…argue the hell out of me on this posting on LinkedIN…and he is not just an opposite view point, but the part I dislike: all judgmental about what IS art. OY.
I’m tired of people who want to argue just for the sake of arguing. Really, give it a rest.
Thank you so much Lisa. I’m following your blog now.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 17:36:16
Thanks for that. I’ll go check out the discussion Linked In and add my two sense. π
Sep 30, 2011 @ 17:38:56
Lisa…that’s ok. thank you. I copied what you wrote (not the link) as from “someone on my comments) to answer him, so you’ve already kinda done it. π
Hope I didn’t step out of bounds. Let me know and I’ll delete it.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 17:43:41
Glad to be of service. For some reason I didn’t see his comment anyway. It’s strange. Did he do it in the group discussion or on your personal page?
Sep 30, 2011 @ 17:45:31
Besides posting on my profile, I also post to certain groups I am part of. Not even sure which one it is at this moment. I’ve deleted the emails I got, and the only way I’ll see it again is if he answers back.
Thanks anyways.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 13:49:16
I agree Stuart. This brings to mind Harry Chapin’s song Flowers are Red. http://youtu.be/qeJJOjb7fj4. It tells how a teacher tells a child that he can’t use the colours he wants but must paint in “real colours” I’m told I’m creative but I can’t draw for skins but love to “slop” with paint, sing in the shower and to cook. Apart form the cooking, I rarely let anyone see or hear the results.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 17:11:45
Mary, i do envy your kids in your classroom.
Thanks.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 19:36:08
Such a great point and it hits home for me because I have a brilliant and artistic little 2 year old that I so love to help be creative! It is hard not to tell her “No no, do it this way.” though sometimes and it’s something where I need to break that bad habit now so that she doesn’t lose that creative spark!
Also, I’m just rekindling my love of theater now after being away from it for about 10 years and it feels wonderful! Being Creative is totally NOT a waste of time! : )
Sep 30, 2011 @ 19:39:51
She may or may not be a GREAT artist, but that’s so not the point. Encourage her and have fun. School will try to beat the “you can’t do that that way” into her too soon.
And YAY for you in refinding theater. I had to wait until after I got divorced to find it again. Enjoy it.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 21:35:55
Awesome post!
I am an artist and a teacher, so I really loved this!
Great to meet you through the Ultimate Blog Challenge!
~Mary
Sep 30, 2011 @ 22:22:47
Hi Mary: Thank you. Same here.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 23:10:24
Good post and I whole heartedly agree. Politicians with agendas dabbling in education have pressed all the fun out of the classroom for both teachers and children with testing. I never cared what my content area was: science, math, language arts.
My students always had some storytelling and expressive writing. Emphasis has to be on the Can DO attitude. I applaud you in your vision and efforts.
Oct 01, 2011 @ 07:53:19
Hi..for the OPPOSITE VIEWPOINT of what this post is about, take a look at what two educators have to say: http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=77639&type=member&item=73243486&commentID=53584247&report%2Esuccess=8ULbKyXO6NDvmoK7o030UNOYGZKrvdhBhypZ_w8EpQrrQI-BBjkmxwkEOwBjLE28YyDIxcyEO7_TA_giuRN#commentID_53584247
They are from the LinkedIn group: Association of Arts Administration Educators
Oct 03, 2011 @ 21:47:45
Ooh! This is a topic dear to my heart, Stu! I think it ties in with the competitiveness we feel in a society that’s all about productivity. It begets perfectionism. I come home as a child with a drawing of my family and the adults tell me, “Beautiful! But you haven’t included the eyes. Don’t you think you blue goes better with green?” Maybe I *could* have been an artist. Maybe I *could* be an artist. =P
Oct 03, 2011 @ 22:16:07
I do believe you can always be an artist!! Do it, Sam