 |
| Did anyone else have these yarn painting kits as kids? I obviously loved 'em, look at that ridiculous toothless grin. The surface was tacky so you just placed the yarn where you wanted kinda like the 80's American version of Huichol yarn painting. |
So last week I just kinda casually threw out the question: Do you think your kid-interests have had an influence on your adult-interests? Y'all. What I heard back from you was a resounding YES. Your Tinker Toys instilled a love of sculpture; your Fashion Plates have you stylin to this very day; your giant collection of naked Barbies have lead you to long walks on nudist beaches. But I got to thinking (which explains the burning smell)...what else in your formative years built the foundation of the person you are today? I keep thinking of the Talking Heads song Once in a Lifetime:
And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, Well...How did I get here?
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, Well...How did I get here?
 |
| "I hate rats.!!"...really? Cuz, you know, most people freakin' LOVE rats. And where in my 2nd grade life had I ever even encountered a rat, anyway? Did the rat outbreak happen to devour the Grammar Police because this wee paragraph woulda been under arrest, y'all. |
So, how DID you get here? What people, places or Mattel toys brought you to where you are today? Who inspired that passion in you to create, teach, stitch, cook, whatever-it-is-you-do-so-well? I'm nosy and I wanna know. So I've got a lil proposition for ya. I'll share my story if you share yours...AND if you do, I'll be placing your name in a drawing for a Brand New Car Spiral Art Kit!
Here's how you can enter the giveaway:
Share your story in the comment section below!
Let us know who/what/how you were introduced to the creative passions you have today. Was it a teacher? A relative? A combo of a buncha stuff?
Your name will be tossed in a hat and the winner announced in about a week on Sunday, August 31st! I'll (re)share your tale in a blog post and send you the prezzie shown above: A Spiral Art Kit!
Why in the world am I doing this? Because, man, as an art teacher, it's my overwhelmingly-intimidating job to inspire a passion for dreaming, imagining and creating in my students. By doing a little digging, I thought we could all learn how lives have been changed so we could return the favor to those who's lives we impact. Whether you are a teacher, a parent or that super cool aunt/uncle, I know you want to share your passion with the wee folk in your life. What better way to learn how them from our own past?
So, what's your story?
Remember back in the good ole days when we could dress up on Halloween in elementary school? I just knew I was gonna be a vet when I grew up so I dressed as one every other Halloween. Oh, by the way, that Grim Reaper haunted my nightmares until about a year ago.
Well, since you (didn't) ask, I'll tell ya mine: I went to a very small elementary school that I have the fondest memories of. The only problem with the place was that we never had an art class. I knew I liked to draw but I was never exposed to art in school. Thankfully, they still taught penmanship back in those days and that was my creative outlet. I struggled with reading and was miserable at sports but man! did I have some of the prettiest cursive in all of elementary school land. It was the closest thing I had to drawing and I worked on those purple ditto sheets like it was my job.
Updated version of letter to moms: "Dear Mom, You can be happy, my house is NEVER clean. Love, Cassandra". Whenever I talk to that lady, she always tells me, "it's okay, you are so busy with much more important stuff." Thanks, mom!
Thankfully, the parental units tapped into my creative outlets. They signed me up for drawing classes (even if I was the only kid in there with a buncha blue hairs...and I ain't talkin' hipsters, ya'll) and bought me craft kits. But it wasn't until I spent a couple summers with my grandma that I discovered my true love: crafts. In her wee trailer, that woman had every kind of craft supply imaginable. She taught me to cross stitch, embroider, create beaded jewelry, you name it. I remember the embroidered design I created that once finished, she stitched into a pillow for me. It sat proudly on our couch until I caught the stomach flu and tossed my cookies all over it. Ah, memories.
 |
| Lil known fact: I was The Big Wheel Champion of Joliet, Illinois in the 1980s. This picture only shows what became the tip of my trophy iceberg. The only thing that stopped me from continuing my rein were those dang legs. They got so long I looked like a freaking praying mantis on a circus trike. I'm willing to bet my retirement that my mama still has those trophies in her garage. |
When I hit fifth grade, I had a teacher that was like no other. She had a love for space (this was 1985, the year of both Haley's Comet and the Challenger) and art. That passion of hers was so contagious that I began drawing more, collecting all things space-themed and even wrote a couple of ridiculous plays (that she allowed us to perform). I honestly felt like she believed I was someone special. And maybe she did...or maybe she just had that amazing magical teacher touch that inspired all of her students to believe in themselves. Regardless, as a teacher, she had the greatest impact on my life and for that, I'm forever grateful.
 |
| Isn't making a kid feel like a superhero a teacher's job? Such a tall order...but I'm willing to bet money that some of your stories will include teachers too. |
I could go on and on with more stories of awesome teachers, painting professors (Barry, you are the best!), friends and fam that have inspired me along the way but I'd much rather hear from you! So if you have a moment and would be so kind, please drop me a line in the comments with your story. Remember, I'll enter you to win a Spiral Art Kit because I totes believe in a good bribe.
Chat with ya soon!
I grew up blessed to be part of a family where making, stitching, sewing, knitting, crocheting, cooking, baking, canning was a part of everyday life! Items made by hand/love were more valued than things that were bought. I was always creating in one way or another. As a child I always said that I was going to be an art teacher when I grew up. There was never a time that I thought of doing anything else. Art and creating/crafting has always been a huge part of who I am. If I wasn't an art teacher I would probably own a bakery ( and be really chubby from sampling everything! )
ReplyDeleteI also loved crafting when I was a kid; hooked rug kits, plastic sun catchers, etc. I think the defining moment for me was when my elementary art teacher picked me as artist of the month and displayed my artwork in the hallway for all to see.
ReplyDeleteOMG! Spirograph and Big Wheels!! Eeep! Nostalgia cometh! I was big time into crafting and sewing but my mama was a jock and didn't quite get the whole arty thing. It wasn't until I started visiting my grandparents in England for the summer that I learned to sew, crochet, cook, and craft my pants off. Rug hooking and cross stitch were big for me until I was a teenager, when sewing and painting (oils and acrylics) started to take their place.
ReplyDeleteYou know, Cassie, I hadn't really thought about all of this in a long time, but my mother and daddy always incouraged me to be creative. I had all kinds of crafty kits growing up, and when I was in the 7th grade my daddy let me use the calligraphy pen he had bought to make signs. I can remember my mother painting when I was little, along with making things. When I was in High School, my mother let me draw unicorns on the walls of my bedroom with chalk! (What can I say, it was the 80's!) Yes, she IS awesome!
ReplyDeleteI can remember drawing dinosaurs with my best buddy Theron in 1st grade, and using up all my tablet paper. I also remember my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Mattie Stewart, who let us make things out of paper bags. On Halloween, we stuffed them and made pumpkins. On Thanksgiving, we stuffed them and made turkeys, (ha!) and at Christmas we stuffed them and made Santas. I can remember going out to the playground and spray painting them. I'm sure that sweet woman spent lots of money on spray paint! All through school I had teachers who encouraged me, and asked me to help them with bulletin boards, murals, play program designs, (thanks, Mrs. Ford!) and lettering. My high school teacher, Mr. Cooke made me think I was awesome, and still encourages me to this day when I see him. I was very lucky to have the support I did. I'm glad you asked the question. I hope I encourage children every day, and help them bring out their own talents.
Señora Holtz was one of several awesome teachers I had over the years. We went on a field trip to the Watts Towers followed by an art response using watercolors. In my usual way, I tried to capture a methodical (read boring) rendition. It was not going well. With 5 minutes left to complete my masterpiece, I started over. Because of the time limit, I did a hasty (read expressive) version, just to have something to turn in. Señora Holtz loved it. She asked me if she could have it, and then she framed it and hung it in her living room! I became an ARTIST that day. Gracias, Señora Holtz. (She taught Spanish, history, and art to us as part of a 3-teacher team. It was an experimental program that I was lucky to be part of.) :D
ReplyDeleteI was the oldest of three girls. When the youngest came along, mom was pretty busy and was always looking for creative ways to engage the older two, my sis and me. We didn't have much expendable income. She was always making everything, sewing, knitting, embroidery, etc. to make the money go further. For fun, she gave us older girls the old Sear catalogues and free wallpaper books from the paint store and taught us how to fold, cut, tape and glue to create our own paper furniture and paper dolls and clothes. Sometimes I feel like I must have been born with scissors in my hands. I can pretty much cut out anything; very visual with the contour line!!! As I got older I added drawing and coloring to the mix. We all learned to sew, embroidery, knit and crochet. I remember doing macrame, latch hook and those sticky yarn pictures. I still have my first art book that was a holiday gift from my mother's oldest sister. I think everyone noticed my interest in art and tried to support it. A fabulous, really she was, art teacher in Junior High introduced me to oil paints. She also taught me to make wood cuts for printing. I sold the first wood cut I ever made; a really meaningful and validating experience for a Junior High student! Everything Miss Lauderdale did was amazing to me and I hung on her every lesson, every word. There were other so - so art teachers throughout HS and one really terrible one in College that turned me off of oils but the love was deeply instilled and I've always been an art explorer. Give me any new medium, any new method, I am game to play and give them a try!!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, Cassie, love your pics!!
ReplyDeleteThe mythical money tree in the backyard was never in blossom, so we MADE our fun: wrote Thanksgiving pageants and taped construction paper feathers on poor Aunt Jan's back side; designed a Fisher Price haunted house with yarn and string, etc.; I was always told I was good at art and now have the honor of passing that love of creativity to my own children and students. There are too many teachers to mention: I would hate to forget to mention someone. My original comment was about five paragraphs long, so this is the condensed version. :)
ReplyDeleteI have always loved creating things but my creativity took off when I was ten and a stranger took me under her wing. My family was on vacation and one day we were out looking for sea glass at the beach. I reached for a piece and another lady did too. Turned out she owned a jewelry store and turned the sea glass into jewelry. She invited me to her shop. And every summer when we went on vacation I became her little apprentice. She and all her employees taught me and inspired me. I still make jewelry but since teaching my creativity involves so many more mediums. Forever grateful I met that wonderful person at the beach. :)
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather was a Russian-Jewish immigrant woodcarver/furniture maker/sculptor. While he died before I was born, I'm in awe of his talent. I'm very proud that there are two of his sculpted heads on display in the Brooklyn Museum's Luce Visible Storage. My parents always hoped they'd have an artistic kid, and after they realized that my two older brothers were not, they found it in me. From an early age, I was encouraged and gifted with artsy toys (oh how I loved that John Gnagy Learn to Draw Kit; anyone else remember this? Covered bridges and a fruit filled cornicopia?). I designed and made clothes for Barbie with my best friend (who ended up going to FIT) and doodled on my Etch-a-Sketch. One of my biggest supporters was my big brother, who made the point of always showing off my artwork to his friends, and even said I should travel around the world showing off my etch-a-sketch skills! I was pretty shy and reserved, and it meant so much to me that he thought I was talented and was proud of me! We haven't always had the best relationship as adults, but I'll never forget what a wonderful brother he was to me all my childhood and throughout my teenage years.
ReplyDeleteI love your story! I was always a creative kid that thought (apparently too far sometimes) outside the box. I loved too many things perhaps- art, music, swimming, baking, making up new recipes, animals, karate, ballet, science, building things, reading, writing, the girl scouts... there was little I didn't love. Growing up, though, I felt like an outsider. Everyone seemed to have close friends based on their activities. I was a social butterfly because I did everything.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in 6th grade, I had a new art teacher in a brand new middle school. She had us keep a sketchbook and one of the assignments was to draw something in a dream so I drew a car with wings and people looking up at it and pointing. She chose 5 kids from the whole 6th grade class to paint something from our sketchbook on a large canvas and she chose my sketch to be one of those paintings. From that day in 6th grade, I knew that I wanted to be an art teacher, to nurture kids and help them grow creatively. I had a teacher who believed in me and continually blew my mind and I knew that I had to pass that on.
I am about to begin my 9th year as an art teacher and it is daily that I am reminded of my teacher and how powerful my words and actions can be to my students.
I was inspired to be creative by my mom! I remember going to museums as early as 4 or 5. I went to a sewing camp in 4th grade and sewed my own skirt! My resume that I (apparently, but probably with some help) wrote in 2nd grade stated that I wanted to be either an art teacher or a swim instructor! I had a tiny easel and "studio" (which was basically a tiny picnic table) where I was allowed to draw and paint whenever I wanted. It was the best! I still draw and paint, but I don't really sew anymore. I do occasionally knit though.
ReplyDeleteAlways loved to make things--play dough food for my dolls, drawing paper dolls and clothes for them. When the historical American Girls
ReplyDeleteDolls came out, I realized that I was born 20 years too early.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend all through school who was artistically gifted, so although I was fascinated by her ability, I was in her shadow. We roomed together in college. I was originally going to major in elementary education, but switched to Art Ed. Now that they've sucked all the creativity out of being a classroom teacher, I know I made the right choice.
To be perfectly honest, it is a miracle I got here as I am - a passionate crafter, lover of art and special ed teacher. Art and craft materials were so precious i was scared to use up anything we got given, and at school I never seemed to get anything finished. I am pretty much self-taught in every craft I do. I loved the idea of being an artist but our art teacher at high school was incredibly lazy and crappy, plus he smelled bad. In spite of all this I get this amazing absorbed and excited feeling when I visit galleries and create things. And creating cool, fun things with my students is brilliant! Now I make sure I use up the art materials so that I can get more!!
ReplyDeleteOh dear - I didn't have a single one of the 80's toys!!!! I know about all of them, but the rich kids had them!
ReplyDeleteI began as Zorro when I was 4. Drawing all those Zs taught me the magic of line. They were followed by shapes, colors, textures et al that garnished my path on my journey here.So much fun along the way! Here's to all our art students that teach US so much. Have a great year, everyone. Thanks, Cassie!
ReplyDeleteOh my it was a lot of things but boy were they all connected. I had two grandmothers who were librarians. One retired to keep my brothers and I and her beloved garden while my mom was at work the other retired and took up painting. She made beautiful desert landscapes, tropical birds, and clowns... those freaked me out but she loved them and collected them. My mom was a teacher, she actually cried when she found out I switched my major to education. She hated the idea of me teaching because she was stuck in an under performing school and felt unappreciated her whole career. It wasn't until she retired to stay home with my son that she found out how much her school really did love her. When I was 14 my father very suddenly passed away, April 2001. That August his mother also passed away, her funeral was 2 days before my first day of high school. I started high school completely lost. I dropped art because it felt so attached to my memories of my dad and grandmother and signed up for drama. I was shy and quiet and terrified. My drama teacher was actually our schools Latin teacher. He was a ball of energy and expected us to be the same. We were immediately shoved on his stage for improv. I was horrible, very horrible, but he never gave up and yet never pushed too hard he gave me enough confidence to sign back up for art. I majored in Communication design for one year in which I constantly cried because computer art is sooo not my thing. My then boyfriend (now husband) said "but you should be a teacher, its just who you are" and he was right. I switched to Art Ed and never looked back best decision ever!
ReplyDeletetoy wise I cried opening my doodle bear. those machine washable stuffed toys you could draw on. I also had a barbie that came with clothes you could draw on but the doodle bear was the best. I was super pumped to see them at target recently and now they come in monsters shapes too so my son will totally have one!
I grew up as an only child and, looking back, kind of a nerd; however, I had a "crafty" grandmother and an "artsy" dad. Mother was head of the lab at the hospital, so her brain power went to the scientific side -- but Dad bought me How-To art books (start with a circle for the nose). He could manipulate stiff, green clay into a bust, but mine looked like someone who had been run over by a car. ;-) My maternal grandmother made things I could understand and emulate: paint the inside of a popcorn kernel with pink nail polish and glue the "blossom" on a twig trapped in a nut cup by plaster of Paris for a tray decoration at the nursing home (this was the 1950s). She would make costumes with newspaper patterns! There was nothing she couldn't do. She encouraged me making potholders for everyone in the family and showed me how to hand embroider (something Dad also did). While in college, I knitted or crocheted afghans for everyone for Christmas. When she and my great-grandmother died, I got them back. They were 1970s ugly, but had been made with love. Now I machine embroider and machine make quilts. I let my two older grandchildren (Lauren and Jack) sew on my machines when they visit. Pass it on....
ReplyDeleteI love reading everyone's inspirations! I was lucky to have a family that encouraged creative pursuits. My maternal grandmother (my Nana) was a crafty lady who sewed my adorable dresses up until Middle school, painted, cross-stitched, and woodcrafted. She would make the most adorable crafty things and didn't hesitate to share her skills with us! As a kid, we'd go visit her in Texas and she would let us use her brushes, paints and markers as well as teach us how to cross stitch and sew basic things! I loved it! My mom is an artist too. She paints, draws, and is crafty. She always had materials at the ready and even took me to a class with her while she took a collage drawing class. It was all part of who I am today. My dad is not artistic but always loved my art projects and praised me all the time! It meant a lot to me! Then there were my teachers. I had some amazing art teachers throughout my elementary through high school career. My elementary art teacher was known for making puppets in certain grade levels and it was something I remember until this day! When I got to middle school, I lived for art class! We had a rad art room and darkroom! I got to learn how to create photos and develop them! But jr. High and high school was the time when I knew I wanted to be an artist and maybe even teach art! My jr. high art teacher, Miss Wells, was my inspiration for being an art teacher. She was so much fun and had great projects that introduced us to techniques and artists. I loved it and would even eat lunch in her room! She is still my mentor and friend. We go to dinner at least once a month and she's still active in our professional organization. My high school art teachers were encouraging and taught me to try new things like welding, casting, clay, and painting with more advanced techniques. I knew I wanted to go to college for art! Every teacher has helped me along the way... my mom is my biggest cheerleader and I love how much she loves to come in to help me or just cheer me on! My love of all materials and of learning was fostered through all of these people and I continue to take classes and try new techniques! I also loved my fashion plates, light bright table, all things crayola and crafty sets! This shows how art teachers inspire kids to explore and be confident in their own abilities! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCassie, I think I was born with a drawing pencil in my hand! (or maybe a crayon!) With three older brothers, and a younger sister, I was the quiet one in the family, who always did artwork but hardly spoke. In school I must have been the shyest person they ever saw. Teachers would comment on my lack of class participation. But I always created artwork. It was something I just loved to do! Every teacher I ever had always hung up my artwork and I credit them for helping to build my confidence in my own creative and artistic ability. My parents, however, were my biggest fans…always buying me art supplies…my dad bought me my first Rembrandt pastels and a silk screen when I was in high school, and there was an artist’s wooden paint box for me under the Christmas tree when I was in college. My mom taught me to knit, embroider and sew—activities which kept me busy right through to high school and to this day! After college, I’ll always remember how my dad held up each of my large paintings and drawings for me so that I could photograph them when I was putting together a slide portfolio. And my parents still have oil paintings from my college days hanging in their home! When I was a senior in high school, my guidance counselor asked me to illustrate a handout that would be given to incoming freshman in the fall. She loved my work and gave me a sweet thank you card with a lovely little artist’s palette pin that I still wear. There’s more little stories, but the jest of it all is that I guess never thought I would do anything else! Somehow, all the people in my life knew that! But here's what got me into teaching..After studying studio art and art history in college, I knew that spending hours isolated in a studio wasn't for me. I remember being bored a lot in elementary and high school and so I vowed as an art teacher to make sure my students were never bored! .
ReplyDeleteI grew up in rural West Virginia where my art studio was the woods and the creek in the back of our house. I used to make early versions of Andy Goldsworthy sculptures out of sticks, ferns, and rocks in-between throwing them at my 2 older brothers who destroyed them as soon as I made them. From there I moved on to trying new mediums such as putting crayons in the toaster oven to make "candles". It didn't end well. I also had The Sunshine Family which were like Barbies but hippies with a vanagon and I used to make all sorts of things for them.I was into deconstructing and recreating most all my toys including painting my green banana seat bike purple with house paint I found. I am just wondering where my parents were? But the real influence was my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Pence. She moved to our small WV town from the exotic land of Michigan and we all loved her. She was always very tan and had hair that flipped up. One day Mrs. Pence brought in barn wood and Mod Podge for us to make collages! To this day I LOVE the smell of Mod Podge. It makes me happy. We also make a quilt about our town, did a play, and painted landscapes. It was the first time I loved school. Being an artist wasn't even an option where I grew up but luckily I am super stubborn and always found a way to use art as a classroom teacher then jumped at the chance to just focus on arts education. My art studio still is the woods of the Pacitic Northwest and I finally learned how to make candles the right way.
ReplyDeleteI never had any interest in medicine but for some reason, I was fascinated by a Life magazine article on in vitro fertilization and I saved it. (Yes I am that old). Anyhoo, I still have that thing and I have been an IVF doctor for many years. 2 sets of twins just this morning!!
ReplyDeleteMy high school art teacher taught me to use my visual voice to express how I felt when dealing with my father's declining health and a tragic death. Sad but she helped me learn how to make art heal.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was around six years old my parents moved to Virginia and bought an old house in the mountains that they someday hoped to bring back to a state that could be lived in. We lived in the town of Staunton and this house was in the Shenandoah mountains. The house had been built by the settlers and was next to property that my great great great grandfather, Braxton Davis had owned and farmed. The house had no running water or electricity. We would take family weekend trips and stay there, sort of like camping. There was a spring and spring house and barn on the property as well. The driveway was a long hill of grass that led to the house from a gate at the top of the hill. Driving up the mountain to the house was an adventure itself, the road winding its way around switch-backs and steep inclines. I remember the musty smell of the inside of the house, which is a fond smell to me. The front room was the original log cabin that we later discovered under paneling. The kitchen had a wood burning stove that we did use. There were two stair cases, one on each side of the house that led up to separate bedrooms. In the back of the house was a somewhat large (or it seemed large to me at six years old) room we called the sun room with beds where we would sleep. It had windows all the way around the entire room, looking out to a view of the valley on one side. I have many memories from my childhood visiting the mountain house. Being on the mountain had a magical feeling to me, away from the rest of the world. We would take hikes as a family around the mountain and have picnics on the front porch of the house that was the length of the front of the house. My father built me and my sister and brother a tree house to play in. I learned to ride my bike by coasting down the driveway hill. I didn't know how to use my breaks yet so I would crash into the weeds! How did this inspire the person I am today? My art work is inspired by abandoned houses. Whenever I see an abandoned house as I drive down the road I am intrigued to see the inside. If it is possible I will enter and photograph as much as possible and then I use the photographs as inspiration for my paintings. My paintings have a rich texture or look of texture that suggests the texture of the dilapidated walls and floors of the abandoned houses that I visit. My paintings also have a sense of depth that draws you into the space. My family was not able to keep the house because of financial reasons and we sold it. However it has been remodeled and is a very nice home to two women that I have kept in contact with. I have visited recently and still have a magical feeling when I go there.
ReplyDeleteDespite being thwarted in my aspirations to become a dancer (“No one likes a fat ballerina,” my mom warned), an artist (the YMCA art teacher threatened to hang me out the second floor window by my toenails when I drew individual grapes for my still life when she’d apparently told us to just rough in the shapes), or an anthropologist (they couldn’t seriously want me to go to New Guinea for my fieldwork?), I had encouragement from many positive adults along the way. Thanks to a Junior Choir director I was encouraged to sing, thanks to a speech teacher I was recruited to try out for a play, and thanks to a stint in summer stock where I was allowed to sew and never rip out mistakes because no one would notice them from the audience - I found my calling and became a high school theater arts teacher.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos. My mom inspired me to want to be a mom. I loved to create as a kid so I did teachers gifts creatively with my kids, wrapping paper, birthday parties, Halloween costumes and all that with my kids and I've been wanted a Spirograph for me. Just for fun. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the spirograph. Had one as a girl but have zero idea what happened to it. :( I'm always amazed that I ended up as an art teacher as I really had no exposure to drawing or painting as a young person. My mom was an amazing sewer and had made me and my pooh bear matching dresses. She taught me one summer to make a wrap around reversible skirt. Kind of a high learning curve for a first endeavor. Anyhoo, I remember my grandparents taking me to a park near Niagara Falls called "ArtPark" which featured workshops and demos by artists as well as theatrical performances. It was there that I first saw a potter throwing on a wheel and I was transfixed. Although it took many years until I took a wheel throwing class it was love at first sight. To this day I have a love affair with throwing clay and always feel like I'm coming home when I am throwing. The other strong memory I have is working on the scenery for the musical productions at my high school. The art teacher was the advisor and she was just the most chill, zen and amazingly unflappable person I had ever encountered. I wasn't allowed to take art as an elective (my parents were super focused on the academics and motivated me to take another biology or history class) so working on the scenery was my only visual art exposure in high school. Sadly my elementary school didn't have art either so it wasn't until college that I truly discovered my art self.
ReplyDeleteI always tell parents who ask how to support their child's art and tell them to keep art and crafting supplies around, look at and talk about art, look at what is around you and share with each other what you like, why, and what you find to be good design in it, and especially have little inexpensive books with decent prints by great artists.
ReplyDelete