Creating Authentic Community Through Art Classes

Last night, a session of my Mixed Media course ended.  I am feeling reflective and am experiencing some pangs of loss as this season ends.

Teaching and attending an in person art class is a unique experience.  It is a vulnerable process for both the students and the teacher because we see one another while our work is still "in process."  Brene Brown says that connection requires vulnerability.  I do believe that through allowing ourselves to be vulnerable in our class we are also allowing for true connectivity and the formation of a community.

One of my primary beliefs is that one way to grow as artists and human beings is to start where we are and to be brave enough to try new ideas or to keep going with the ideas we already have.    As we grow, we often experience awkward stages of imperfection, vulnerability and risk.  It is most helpful, when going through those phases, to have the support of an authentic community.

Specific praise helps to foster an authentic community.  Specific praise is a form of critique.  It is looking closely at the work of another person in the class and finding specific and positive things to say about the work.  We often ask questions while we are in this process.  Through this intentional process of looking deeply at the work of another, learning their process and finding specific things to offer encouragement about, we become more adept at noticing details of artwork and also more talented at speaking specific praise into our day to day life.  We begin to take on a new way of seeing artwork and the world, as we notice the efforts and perspectives of others on a deeper level.

Hearing specific praise also allows us to see ourselves and our work from a different perspective.  As artists we can get caught up in our own internal dialog.  The offering of a different way to think about our work can break through our self-talk and help us become more graceful with ourselves as we go through our growing pain stages.  We discover that while we might have been ready to dismiss something about our work, others can see value that we might have missed.

Speaking specific praise into the lives of others feels good. Each time we have spent a session sharing specific praise the group has bonded on a deeper level and we feel invested in the well-being of one another.  This authentic community is not an accident but is as purposeful a creation as our art pieces are.

As I prepare for my next classes I do so with great expectation and I look forward to helping to foster a deeper sense of community as well as teaching art techniques.

I am offering two courses.  One in Mixed Media and the other is Intricate Doodles.  More information is available here.  I am available to answer your questions at TammyDialGray@aol.com

29 Faces 2.4.13 "A Woman Before Her Time"

I had a ton of fun using the following stencils from Artistcellar: the brand new Flower of Life, Steampunk Lace, Paris Cathedral and Runes Textures. I also used Derwent Inktense Pencils, Silks Acrylic Glazes, pan pastels, water soluble graphite, and a black pen.

Life is a Verb

I am currently working through Life is a Verb By Patti Digh.  I discovered her work after reading her powerful Commencement Address to Guilford College.  Here is one of my favorite quotes from the address:

"The verbs we live – that is, the actions we take – create the landscape of our lives. The verbs we live, the actions we take, the story we frame over those actions – all those things together create the structure of our land – those valleys and mountains of our atlas of experience. And like any hike up any mountain or through any landscape, the process is messy while you’re in it, and there is just no way you can see a clear path, not until you’re finished. So it is okay to be lost. That is what I’m telling you. It’s okay to be lost and not know – because that’s what learning is, that’s what life is."

I have found Life as a Verb to be very helpful in my quest to live wholeheartedly.  It is designed as a 37 Day Retreat with writing prompts and actions to take.  Patti Digh's work is insightful, creative and inspiring.  She expresses poignantly her urgency to focus on the important things in life and helps the reader clarify for themselves how to live wholeheartedly.  

She expresses it this way, "What does it take to fully inhabit your life?  It takes realizing how important the I that is you is to the equation.  This is not about other people, its not about changing the world in big ways, it's not even about doing great things-rather, it is about doing small things that give you life, bring you joy, help you inhabit the stories of your days-and, by extension, help change the world and the lives of others around you.  To fully live, you must be present in the biggest way possible.

From time to time I would like to share with you a book or product that I have used or am using that is helping me along my path.  I have become an affiliate of Amazon which means that if you click through a  link to Amazon on my blog and purchase the product I will receive 4% of qualifying purchases.