Teaching Philosophy:
Within art and design, I believe it is my job to assist students in developing their creative voices through exposure and practice. Exposure to ideas and approaches that already exist lay a foundation that can be built upon. Exposure also makes vulnerable the ongoing work of the students to public scrutiny through critique or exhibition. Practice is the act of trying and trying and trying again. Learning that mistakes or failures are actually steps in increasing conceptual or artistic potential. Through cycles of exposure and practice, creative voices gain the authority to speak, but what they are saying is backed up by history, contemporary practice and self-realized experience.
Since students enter into an art education environment with differing levels of technical and artistic abilities, my goal is to approach each individual with a large amount of trust. I trust that they can do better than they think they can. I trust that they are smarter or wiser than they give themselves credit. Also, I trust that my students are capable of enriching the learning process of their classmates with their thoughts, opinions, and experiences. Frequent small group discussions in my courses are structured so students cannot keep their thoughts to themselves. They develop their voices together and, as competency grows, gain the same creative fluency.
Yet, I am not a delusional teacher. I know my students sometimes will show up exhausted or not in an ideal state of mind to actively learn. Attending and producing work for my classes is not their entire life and should not be considered so. In my time spent as an instructor, I have connected with a vast range of students whose abilities and challenges are all invisible at the start of the course. Some excel and I can help guide their enthusiasm. Some have talent, but are distracted by persistent illness. In all cases, they will learn best when they maximize whatever energy they can contribute by being engaged in the course.
It is my responsibility that the opportunity to learn is clearly laid out for them. My goal is to make my students’ time in class worthwhile by involving them in meaningful tasks and discussions, structuring the time so their learning process is enjoyable, and offers experiences that they cannot simulate at home. A rhythm of low point writing assignments throughout a course prime students to be thinking critically about a specific aspect of design prior to the session we discuss it. Variety is key to internalizing concepts so I teach an idea one way and have them utilize it in another form, ideally while laughing, interacting, playing, or making. On some level, their participation modifies their way of thinking.
Within design education, I believe that success should be tied to changes in thinking or growth of conceptual ability. As fairly as possible, the ability to push personal limits and experiment should be valued similarly to enacting a refined finished product. Tying success to internal development builds self-confidence and imparts lasting impacts on everyone including those who may not build their career in creative industries.
Even so, I strive to instill a high-level of proficiency and independence in all of my students. I am not satisfied teaching them only technical skills or artistic innovation, but rather a dexterity in combining both. Through exposure and practice their ability to create and refine thoughts becomes manifest in the work they produce. Nobody can produce perfect work, but it is important to try to attempt that ideal and internalize the lessons of really trying. Art and design education is so powerful because success does not rely on correct answers, but rather a confluence of craft, knowledge, and experimentation to achieve its goals.