Teaching can be an insidious business. As primarily an elementary visual art art teacher I hope to instill a sense of the wonder and appreciation for what I can only say is an outright passion. Fairly daunting when you think that if I am not successful, my knowledge will be completely lost to the next generation of visual artists. Worse yet none of my students may find what I have to say interesting enough to carry on in any capacity. Sounds narcissistic, doesn't it? But let's be honest, each one of us hopes to instill something into our society. Something that will live on...a permanent contribution.
So here is the rub. Lately I have been so engrossed in my teaching, that I have neglected my own creative process. While certainly there are those that can successfully teach art without being a practicing artist, I simply can't. My art making has become spotty. Of course I can always create things that are designed and executed with a fair amount of skill, but like riding a bike after many months, it's always a shaky start. And brilliance? Well, that has been a bit elusive. It requires time.
Sure I would like to have the discipline that I used to have. Set hours for studio every day, with no exceptions. Now it seems impossible. I often think that the successes of the past will never revisit themselves. So in my self-pity I decided to steal a grain of wisdom from someone else in the hope that it might give me the "kick in the pants" that I so desperately feel I need. That's when I came across this wonderful video by Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity.
Hopefully my genius will partner with me while I begin my "mule-ish" ways once again!
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