Hearts and Jobs

This weekend I spent 90% of my waking time on our screened in porch.  It is by far my most favorite place to be in our home.  Just throw a bed out there and I'd be happy as pie.  I spent the weekend watching movies, drawing and painting.  I added it up and think I spent almost 16 hours out there.  Alone.  It was a tiny bit magical.  The book is coming along perfectly.  It was just the time I needed to get it finished.  I suppose being pushed with a deadline is good for the creative juices.  I only wish I had more time to devote to my art like that.  Long stretches to paint out complete ideas.  Instead of here a painting there a painting.

Billy and I had a "date night" Saturday since Mailey was at a Girl Scout camp out and William was at the Coutny fair.   Honestly I can't remember the last time we did this.  Time alone that is.  We went to our favorite restaurant called Beirut and actually sat outside (So I was literally outside from 7:30 am when I started my run until bedtime Saturday.  Awesome).  They serve yummy authentic Lebanese food.  It is amazing food.  I could live somewhere far off and eat happily.  American food is just not my favorite.  Anyhoo.....during the course of our dinner I expressed some of my anxieties about not getting to be an artist right now.  I told him about a bunch of opportunities I had to sell my work recently but had to turn them all down because I just don't have any extra time to devote to anything.  I love teaching but I'm having serious stress out moments over not getting to make art.  I whined about there not being enough hours in the day.   That weekends the kids are just so needy lately.  Wanting to constantly be entertained.  And that's when he said it.  "Then quit.  Quit talking about it and quit.  Be an artist.  Do it."  I was a tad taken back.   But not really.  He's always been my biggest supporter.  With every crazy idea I've had he's never said NO....or why don't we think about that....or question my ability.  Instead he's always said what needed to be said.  Do it.  He may not say much about much.  But when I need him to tell me the truth, he does it.

Then the rational side of me said to him that financially I have to teach right now for the regular salary.  We moved into the new house and I took the job to keep Mailey in her school.  But in the end, once he quit the legislature my working became a neccessity.   BUT...BUT....if he would help us stay on track with our finances and ifn we were to add more to savings I could do it.  He then threw out the "Don't you make more money as an artist anyways?"  The painful truth is yes.  But there is this huge thing.  I love teaching too.  It brings me crazy joy.  This year has been the absolute best year yet.  It's like 3 years is the magic time to be in a school and get comfy and the kids get comfy and us all become a happy family.  So I am NOT quitting teaching.  But I am thinking and long term planning about my future.  I'm kinda tired of whining about what I'm not getting to do.  Some pretty heavy decisions will need to be made.  But I've got an entire school year to decide.  In the meantime, I'll sneak painting and jewelry making into my weekend routines when I can.  I'll continue to dream about the future.  Because I see really big things there.   As much support and love you guys have shown me over the years here in blogworld I have a feeling if I were to take the leap you'd be right there ready to support my decision. 

Teaching Art by Stretching Imaginations

Last Thursday I was standing in the art room on the crazy flex day schedule trying to figure out which week it was, who was coming and at what point they where in the project at hand.  It was overwhelming to me.  Made me irritable actually.  I shouldn't be such an ingrate.  Seriously.  I see the entire student body 3 times in 2 weeks for at least 45 min, I think it's actually 50.  Monday-Wednesday is set in stone.  Thursday and Friday however there is an A, B, C schedule.  That is awesome for the kids to get that much art, music and PE in a week.  Some schools struggle with a once a week 30 min time slot.  So that's not the issue here. 

This is the issue.  Kids these days are giving too much time to activities after school.    Or in the car getting to these activities, some are their own and others are their siblings activities.  Heck, last week I clocked 70 something miles in carpooling and getting to after school stuff in one afternoon.  NUTSO!  And we just have 2 kids.  Not to mention the school day is packed with classwork that rarely involves creative exploration.  A kid the other day was so freaking excited that I allowed free-draw time WITH markers I thought he'd pee himself.    We aren't giving kids time to explore their imaginations.  Simply put.  I am guilty with my own kids.  So not pointing fingers out.

So then I had an idea....a rather Grinchly idea..bwaaahaaahaaaaaa.......ok not really.  But that movie is stuck in my head for whatever reason.  So there ya have it. 

1.  Kids these days know how to use an I-something better than me.  But ask them to use a pair of these and they cut the tips of their fingers off.  No really, a 1st grader literally cut the top tip of skin off her finger last week then proceeded to squeeze it to death allowing the blood to gush out at said cut.  It was awesome.  And circle cutting?  Let's just say circles to them are gumdrops to me.

 2.  Drawing to kids means using a mouse.  Or stylus if they are lucky.  Or even on the TV using the Wii-Draw or other contraption.  They know how to draw Mine Craft characters but ask them to draw a simple circle or even something imaginary of their own and they literally can not.  Like freak out mode I don't know what to draw.

3.   I can hardly look at this without wanting to cry.

4.  So if we can't manipulate the most basic of art materials, how can I even introduce these?

So I decided this.  Mon-Wednesday is regular planned instructional projects.  We are working in the theme, "Art Around the World".  These days I'll be introducing art from different cultures.  We'll be drawing, painting, sculpting, etc....using the National and State Standards as the base for all the lessons.

And then on flex days...we are going to play, get messy and use our imaginations.  No Mine Craft....no Star Wars....just kids.  Now, being the theme girl that I am and wanting to be sure this fits with proper instruction time used wisely we are basing each week on an Element or Principle of Design.  This week was line.  And we used this:

Yeah, art teachers have a bountiful supply of crap from people's basements they no longer can use.  I could knit my orange van a sweater with the amount of yarn in this art closet.  I do not lie.  And how many of you moms are daring enough to actually get out the glue, string and paper and make string art with your children?  Yeah, that's what I thought.  That's kinda why I love my job.  I get to introduce kids to all sorts of ways to make you Mommies nutty at home because their kid now wants to make a string art duckie using yarn. 

We as parents are so quick to buy the latest game for Nintendo or latest i-tune song for the ear bobs.  Those things don't make messes.  They keep the children entertained.  They give us a breather.  (been there, done that believe me!) I challenge you though, next time you're at a local business that sells craft supplies to buy your child a box of washable markers, a ream of white paper and a roll of masking tape.  It will keep them equally entertained.  Might be a tad messy.  But the magic that can come from that hour is worth every penny.  

So....if your kid has me, today in art we made string art at center 1.  We talked about lines and how the ball of yarn is one darn long line.  We also made "doodle art" at center 2.  Kids had no idea what that meant.  I said it meant drawing from your imagination and not really worrying about an end picture.  Just draw what you are feeling, or something you like to eat, or something you like to do.  Doodle.  Seriously?  I had to teach 5th graders what it means to doodle?  Yeah I just did that.  I can not wait to get to the end of the year to see how far we've stretched our imaginations out.  Hopefully farther than imaginable, right?

Tomorrow....

Tomorrow.....I go back to work full-time.  I've not worked full-time in a classroom since May of 2000.  I know this because that was the year I had my William.  The year I decided to do art teaching part-time.  Which led to opening the Bubble Gum Ice Cream Art Studio, which led to meeting Valerie and opening The Vintage-Flea while running the studio inside that fun store, which led to finding my art voice, which led to trying art shows out, which led to leaving The Vintage-Flea to pursue art making full-time and teaching after school art, which finally lead me to this: 

I am an art teacher....at my kid's school.  Geesh.  I could seriously make this into a fairy tale if I wanted to.  Because, it is.

By the way...the photo above is of me teaching in the Bubble Gum Ice Cream Art Studio above The Vintage-Flea to one of my favorite students ever....Olivia.  Man, life has an amazing way of completing a circle.  Am I right?

See you guys later in the week.  So much to share.....my t-shirts are on the way peeps!  On the way!!!!

Oh Frosty the Snowman....

I just love that Christmas special. Old Frosty the Snowman. Here in Newnan we are lucky if we get enough snow to make a snow baby, so a snowman is way out of the question! But in my art classes this holiday I really went all out with special seasonal items, including a Frosty the Snowman. We made super, super cute banners see: The one above really loved hers....see all the hot pink hearts on it's tummy?

Each one was so different and had so much personality. The parents were very happy to see this come home!

Here are two of my cute 3rd grade artists holding their banners. I think they inspired each other a bit. We also made Santa pillows below. All they need is a little stuffing and a comfy place on the couch! So that's it for me this year for children's art classes. I am looking forward to the next few weeks off from teaching and recharging my lesson plans. These children are enthusiastic and very talented. It's a joy to have them! So I really want to challenge their talents in the coming months.

The Hands and Heart of an Art Teacher

At the end of art camp yesterday, I looked down to see my hands full of paint from a creative day of work. Now what other job can you get your hands this dirty and love it? Driving home I started thinking about when and why I decided to become an art teacher. How did I get so super lucky? Because I really love what I do. Being an artist is a very fulling job as well, but teaching children and adults to appreciate, love and enjoy art is my true passion. I've been working lessons and planning this summer series for hours. My children and I have been busy making samples, collecting materials and planning the day's activities.

So why teach? I entered Auburn's Fine Arts program completely naive to the opportunities available to an artist. I'd taken one class at my first college and fallen in love with the creating process. Upon entering Auburn for year 2, my Mother and I walked right into Biggin Hall and spoke with the Dean of Fine Arts about my being an Art major. He said here's what you need to take and welcome!

I was a very diligent student. All the other art majors had a leg up on me because most had portfolios from High School. I hung on to every teacher's word and worked at every assignment with enthusiasm. My favorite classes by far were art history. Not so much the intense tests, but the learning about art and it's evolving was just fascinating to me. Then during my 4th year the lithography teacher asked me, "Jenni, what do you plan to do with this art degree once you are done?" Now, this is my 4th year, and not once had anyone broached the subject with what you actually do as a practicing artist. I reflect now that there really should be a course on how to submit to galleries, what shows can do for your career, developing a website, etc. Auburn was seriously laking in this area. I suppose that most of the professors of Art were actually artists, and not necessarily art educators. I see this now that I am a teacher myself. And although they taught their medium with expertise, they did lack in teaching more about how you become an ARTIST. So my reply was this, "I think I want to be an art teacher." He said point blank, "No you don't." Keep in mind that at Auburn the football coach makes over a million a year, lives in a mansion and has the world literally at his fingertips. The art professors were teaching in a less than desirable building situation (bats were our pets) and had salaries less than probably what I make now. So his saying no I did not was not meant to discourage, but to encourage my moving in a different direction. But I didn't, and I took a year to become certified. Again eager to learn how to teach and inspire children. I remember being so eager during that year that I was probably a bit obnoxious.

So here I am 13 years later, still teaching and inspiring others. I am very fortunate for the opportunity to do both at this point in my life, work as an artist and teach others. I am amazed at how much I learn from students as well. And I always look forward to new workshops and new techniques. Like Art and Soul in Las Vegas Valerie and I have in the works for February.

I leave you today with this quote I happened upon last night,
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." John Quincy Adams. And this is exactly what I intend to do...........