Live Bold List 56: Art, Life and Education

Header image for blog post: "art life education" featuring black patterned chicken walking left to right and backed by autumn garden in watercolour

You might think as a long time artist, graphic designer, student and teacher that I’d’ve had my head around the importance of art & education forever, right? No! I had to work through a bunch of disbelief (and creativity shame) that the skills I’ve learned over so many years are valuable and important to life, society, even the planet! [Design I ‘got’ quicker. It increases quality of life through practicality combined with aesthetics. Clearly.]

Although I’ve arrived late to this party, smart kind people agree that art is a valuable thread to weave consciously into a healthy society.

It makes me happy that these ideas are in the world, and, I dearly want to share them with you along with a couple of non-link thoughts… [I know three of the points are Save The Planet related – hey it’s important! – I thought the points made were varied enough for them to each have their own numeral!]

  1. Art and science are not, in fact, opposites. Whaaaaaat? They are interdependent branches of humans’ quest for understanding. Science & maths are needed for pretty much all aspects of art, from the formulation of art materials and paper construction, to maths for proportions, and technology to share it. There is no true ‘versus’ in “Art v. Science” (see below for a You Tube video by the terrific band of that name!)
  2. Save the planet! Art, in turn collaborates right back with science, to clarify complex concepts or to wrap relatable concepts around the hugeness and helplessness of impending climate change. Art can help with dreaming up a world where we respect and act upon climate science – or don’t – by using other dimensions of communication. (See number 5).

    ” … climate communication needs to engage people at a philosophical, sensory and feeling level. People need to be able to feel and touch the new climate reality; to explore unfamiliar emotional terrain and be helped to conceive their existence differently.”

  3. Artists can be used to good effect to envision that we really can bring ourselves back from corporate overrun eco-disaster: Here’s a call from Ursula LeGuin, Science Fiction writer, [her job title is a poster girl for today’s topic!for writers to imagine an alternative future. What a rad-ly awesome lady she is. And doesn’t she look gleeful in the photo?
  4. Here’s a fascinating podcast: Jonathan Fields interviews Amy Herman, the “Artist who Teaches Cops to See”. Amy is an Art Lady who teaches police about art to help develop their observation skills!
  5. You know the seven learning styles – visual / logical / aural / physical / verbal / social / solitary? If we present information with a mix and match of media and styles, we can communicate better (see number 3). Graphics & Animation, themselves a mix of maths, science and art, help convey stories and ideas, and scientific illustration and photography are fascinating fields, too.
  6. Here are lots of reasons drawing education is important.
  7. Historical records of things we didn’t even know we needed to record! We move so fast, don’t we? Need to pause and think a moment! What are we doing?
  8. Science making art, helping environment. Fascinating and beautiful!

    “… we have been told that there are two antipodean hemispheres in the brain: the creative and the analytical. In this show you get both and these two projects don’t seem nearly so opposed.”

  9. Art is a way to express ourselves, process events, feelings, etc. This is important for the practitioner’s well being and ability to contribute to their community. See also #10 for both the recipient and the maker.
  10. The happiness, or whatever feeling or message, that went into the artwork passes on to the observer/reader etc and lifts up everyone’s quality of life.

 

I believe we need all our strengths, all our hearts, all our wisdom and all our team work … [I’ve just deleted a long list of specific, so as not to leave anyone out!] It’s going to take us all. And we’ll do better if we understand and appreciate our own and others’ strengths and weaknesses.

Wait … what just happened?

Heh, this post turned out to be about Everything! Haha. I hope it gave you some hope. I’ve been pretty much not watching the news at all except from trusted sources, for the depression and helplessness and despair it brings is really.not.useful for the sensitive soul’s ability to function and contribute!

A healthy society values the arts, keeps them as part of educational curriculums and to enrich people’s lives. Art adds fiscal value as well as quality of life to people everywhere.

In line with making art education available, I’m currently developing a beginners painting and drawing course, “Where Art Meets Self Care”. To hear about it first, sign up for my mailing list!

“Dude. Drawing is a learnable skill.”

Have you thoughts on art, life, education, society? Chime in below or on Facebook … or, reply by writing a blog post and we can put a link in the comments :D

Talk soon,
Love Meg x o

PS Time to buy your 2018 calendar? Get in early so you can have the theme you desire :)

PS 2 A great song from the band “Art v. Science”… as mentioned earlier, a fun band name for a terrific band, not an actual dichotomy!

 

 

 

Tall image with a watercolour background. There's a painting of a person in flowery boots walking along with a chicken. The title declares "Live Bold List 56: Life-art-education"

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Live Bold List 56: Art, Life and Education — 3 Comments

  1. Pingback: Bold Living 57: Danger, Queen Victoria, Danger! - Tangerine Meg

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