Focus. Teaching.

 "Don't compare yourself to anyone else." - Sally Harmon

Last summers art by Arianna Hall

Focus.  

This is why I want to become a teacher... why I need to actually. When I'm in my thirties and a student walks up to me and shamefully confesses that they can't draw or aren't very good at art, I want to be the person who tells them these exact words - "Don't compare yourself to anyone else." This is something my piano teacher told me years ago and from then on I've always made sure to live by it. Whenever my subconscious tries to negatively inform me that others are clearly exceeding past my own ability in whatever I do I just remember that quote. 

No matter what it is that you do, music, art, even running, you do it differently than anyone else. That's a pretty significant fact alone. Think about it. In all of human history and time that has passed, the present, and the future, you are the only one who has done what you're doing. And even if it has been done before, you go about doing it in your own way. 

Take a piece of classical music for example. I learned how to play Clair de Lune by Debussy last year. Timing is key with that piece and reading the music gives you very specific instructions on how to play the piece. However, not one person who plays piano plays Clair de Lune the same. You can't get discouraged if someone plays it much better than you do. That's where they are musically, and you're where you are musically and there's really no changing that in a matter of seconds. Same goes for art or anything else really. You just have to know any human can be extraordinary at what they put their mind to.. it just requires focus. 

Art. 

A page of my sketchbook by Arianna Hall

I also want to talk about grading art. If you've ever taken an art class in high school you'll know that grading art is absolutely ridiculous. In fact, it's so ridiculous that even your teacher probably asked you what letter grade you would give yourself for your finished piece, and then what are you suppose to say? Who would really give themselves a D or an F? Let's be honest here. 

When I become a teacher I'd love to be able to grade my students on growth and improvement rather than their mistakes or laziness on a piece that they weren't really excited about. I want to adapt my class to what the students are most interested in. Of course I'd have a curriculum and they'd have to learn basic color theory and proportion, but I'd love to leave assignments open for my students so that they can exceed it their comfort zone at first. Then ask them the right questions and push them further to think in ways about their art that they'd never thought about before. 

When you think about your traditional high school art class things can get uninteresting very quickly. Painting portraits, researching the same famous artists time and time again, pencil drawings of spheres. You want to have a basic class structure don't get me wrong.. but I'd want to introduce newer material to my students to provide a little inspiration and thinking room. Like air brushing or spray painting.. when have you ever heard of a high school class learning pop art through a lesson on graffiti? 

Sorry about my art class tangent it's just I have so many ideas for new lessons and I'm so worried that when I'm finally an art teacher they wont matter because all the funding for high school art programs and classes will be cut in America. Time to move to Europe I guess.. that wouldn't be too bad of a plan. 

Anyway, thanks for listening -  

Please leave a comment if you'd like  :) 

Or if you have good blog discussion questions or subjects I'd love to hear them. 

Thinking about doing an art gallery page.. with a few more photos. 

~ Enjoy, Arianna