Tuesday, June 12, 2018

An Art Teacher's Thoughts on A Summer of Art...

During the summer I go to the beach. I will keep going to the beach each summer until the one day when I do not have to leave the beach ever again! 
So going to the beach means I have to travel. I do not fly...I am not afraid to fly, I am afraid of falling and being out of control. But that is a different blog post! So I drive everywhere I go, which makes it easy to pack all my art supplies. 
There are a few things I plan for during my summer break so I feel refreshed and ready for the next school year...
1. Reading-I always seem to be reading the latest classroom management, PBL, STEAM or what ever is the next big thing in teaching. Last year I read Wonder for our school book review. All the teachers went to see the movie together when it came out. I had to take a pass. I cry way to easy. 
I also read Classroom Management for Art, Music and PE Teachers by Michael Linsin. I highly recommend this book. I also did a book study with Cassie Stephens on her Wed. night Facebook live show where we read The Growth Mindset Coach by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley. Cassie never really finished the book study but I loved the book and I used a lot of the exercised from the book in my classroom. I highly recommend this book as well as Cassie's Wed night blog. The last book I read was Launch by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani. This was a book study with Samantha Melvin from the Texas Art Educators Association. I had to join the TAEA be part of this book study but it was all worth it. Samantha is an awesome host for this club and I am happy to say a friend as well. 
This summer I am reading The Creative Habit Learn it and Use it for Life by Twyla Tharp with the TAEA. My mother actually danced with Twyla Tharp in the 70's. I am only in chapter 2 and it has already changed my life. I differently recommend this book. Take special note of the "ritual" section. I am trying very hard to from rituals in my life so I can operate at a much more proficient level.  
So that is my summer thing during the day...I lay out on the beach and read. I go into the water with my water socks on and lay on my tube until I start thinking about sharks then I go back to the beach and read some more. Why do they always have shark week when I am at the beach house?
2. At night I work on my own art...It's hard to pack every art supply I may want to take with me but I try. I want to make books, felt little creatures, art journal, Zentangle, sew...it is a lot. I usually end up taking every art supply I own and then only working in my art journal.
I usually create all my covers before I leave for my trip and just add the pages to my 
books while on my trip.
For art journaling I take my smaller journals and a set of travel watercolors, scissors and glue. I use to pack every single art journaling supply I though I would need but then they opened a Hobby Lobby near the beach house so that solved that problem. I actually
always have scissors and a stick glue in my purse just in case. Don't all art teachers?
Here I am teaching a felting class in Norfolk, Virginia.
A couple of years ago I picked up felting at Art Scouts. I love, love, love needle sculpting.
Yes I stab myself all the time but I still love it. Felting is very easy to travel with because 2 oz of felt will take you a long way and 2oz is very light weight to carry and it's very 
manageable.
3. I update my blog. There will be a lot to updates this summer since my 1 year old MacBook crashed and took everything I have with it! I just did not feel like posting for months...I was sad. I have now gotten over myself, mainly because it was my fault I did not back anything up and I have moved on. So I will have a lot of catching up to blog about this summer. 
4. I update old art projects, lesson plans and PowerPoints. Not really much to tell you about this since I am guessing all art teachers do this during the summer. 
Here are a few of the lessons I am updating for next year...
Color Wheel Pigs
Stacking Birds
Skeleton Torso
5. Every summer I try and attend workshops that are just for artists or art teachers. I love being around other art teachers and just jammin' to their crazy vibes. For the last 2 years I have attended Cassie Stephens' Art Scouts. I am a huge fangirl of Cassie's and Art Scouts is just an amazing time. This year I am going to Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) for their Summer Workshops for Educators. So very, very excited. I have always wanted to go to SCAD but for horse riding, well art too but mostly for riding. I grew up showing horses and I miss it now that I can't afford it because my dad is not paying my stable bills any more!!! Darn being an adult is expensive!
I am also going to the National Art Educators Association Leadership conference in Charleston, South Carolina in July. I think it is very important to keep in touch with what is happening in our industry and to keep in touch with each other as artists and educators. Workshops and conferences are my favorite way to do just that.
6. I always myself to teach a summer camp the week before school starts. I think it is the only thing that forces me to come home! I teach at the Center for the Arts in Manassas, Virginia. I have taught art journaling, Zentangle, paper mâché, bookbinding and this summer I will be teaching a fiber arts class at Windy Knolls Farm in Nokesville, Virginia.
7. Just relax...I have a studio in my back yard and when I am in there it is as if the rest of the world just floats away. We all have to have some "me time" to just decompress. My happy place is my art studio....and my art room...and the beach.... My dream is to combine all those things someday.
This is why I go to the beach!
This is why I come home!
This post is a part of
The Art Ed Blogger's Network: Monthly Tips and Inspiration from Art Teacher Blogs. On the second Tuesday each month, each of these art teacher blogs will post their best ideas on the same topic.

Participating Art Teacher Blogs:

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