As my time as HFA’s Art & Design Intern comes to an end, I find it to be the perfect opportunity to reflect on various parts of my experiences.
One thing that led me to apply for this particular position was immediately being intrigued by the whole other universe of art that I never have had teaching of prior to this position. As a Visual Arts & Design Education major at Purdue University, my exposure begins in a classroom that is purposed to spark children’s imagination and how they can make those creative dreams a reality. In a classroom setting you constantly get the joys of children making those connections right there in front of you, but you lack longevity in terms of how that might impact the child outside of your classroom and even as they get older. In growing up they have the potential to harness those creatives practices and utilize those teachings in the expeditious world around them. That is exactly what I got to experience in my day-to-day life as an intern and it was truly beautiful and reassuring to see. It is reassuring to know that even adults are still making time for themselves to be creative in a way that makes them feel fulfilled. It’s reassuring to know, for me, that no matter what grade level I may have, as adults these children will remember instructional tools that I gave them and how I made them feel about their unseen creations. Those creations must have a moment to be praised because at the core of a child’s artwork is all they are as a human being.
There is a quote in our space that I often read, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up”. There is not a more perfect statement that sums up the life of the artwork that is hung in our space. Everywhere you look you see artists that still choose to side with their illogical side and construct something unthinkable. You see adults that still put their messy clothes on and tell themselves “Well, why not?” and even question, “Does this look good enough?” I have seen my elementary students ask those same questions to themselves and it just goes to show how similar we actually are to the younger generation. At the end of the day, we often do operate life with our child-like mentalities. What I have found to be important is how we must captivate those youthful ideas and re-purpose them as solutions in our world that is desperately looking for answers.
As a child nothing is impossible to you, and that is your rare intellect that must be here to stay, for there are endless opportunities that await.
Similar to the world, a classroom is diverse, competitive, and even scary at times. It is one of my greatest joys in life that I get to see how a child learns to live and grow in “their world”. My hope in sharing my experiences and realizations with you is to not only to share the blessings that have been a part of my journey, but even more so to provide insight that’s applicable to your own journey and finding the utmost fulfillment in what you do
Working along aside Jill Lehman and Julie Miller has been an opportunity that I will be forever grateful for, especially as I continue my path in the Art & Design world.