for Real?

Author of the books Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work!, Austin Kleon says, "As every writer knows, if you want to be a writer, you have to be a reader first." hummmm.... that has lots of carry overs, doesn't it? If you want to be heard, you need to listen first. If you want to be famous, you need to be a fan first. And for me--If you want to be a teacher, you need to be a learner first. If you want to be an artist, you need to be a patron first.

I've been in a room full of teachers, totally embarrassed with the disrespect being shown to the speaker. Perhaps there may have been reasons for their disengagement, but my thoughts today are that as I start a new semester as a teaching professor of art, I want that role to be a genuine overflow of my own learning and risking and growing. There are no short cuts.

I taught 6th-12th graders for many years. Let me tell you, they can spot a fake! And I promised them that I wouldn't stay if ever I didn't want to be teaching them any more. To me, they deserved that.