And How My Paths Are Converging This Year!

Part 1 – Returning to School Is A Little Scary!

As many of you already know, I’m returning to school to get my teaching permit in Art Education and it’s been a very long time since I was in university last. Much seems to have changed in the past decades, or so my friends and family seem to enjoy teasing about. For one, I’m possibly going to be “the weird old fart” in the classroom. Well, that’s how I used to feel about mature students, back when I was too stupid to realize how brave they must be for coming back to school and all they have to do to afford it. Thanks to my awesome kid, wife, family, and friends for turning me around on that moronic prejudice. Apparently, the kids now don’t take hand-written notes, or so I was told recently. They sit with laptops open, and type, I guess, or record lectures on their phones. My brain just shut down at this point, so I’m not sure how the kids interact with the professors. SIGH! Are we still allowed to ask questions and offer opinions?

My big fear is from the fact that I sucked as a student during my first round of school. I just hated it. In retrospect, I can’t imagine why or what I hated about it, since I’ve spent so many years in love with learning for the sake of learning, and exploring for the sake of growth, and researching for the sake of understanding. I really don’t know what I have to be scared of. In fact, I’ve already made a faux pas with my future teachers, against the recommendation of an academic advisor at the school, I found them all on LinkedIn, connected to them, and engaged them in conversation about what to read in preparation for their classes. Oh well, maybe human nature hasn’t changed enough to lose its appreciation of keenness.

The final fear comes from the reality of age. It’s simply harder for me to sit still and listen to lectures lasting several hours. I need to move my legs or they hurt. I’ll figure this one as I go. I’ve finally taken care of the need for glasses and should be used to my new progressive lenses by my first class. Oh my God, will I be having to pull all-nighters for exams? Do they even give exams anymore, or is it all writing and class discussion now?

Whatever it is, I’m far more excited than I could ever have imagined. I just want to get those books and the class outlines so I can dive in. Only a few more days to go and I can’t wait!

Part 2 – Where, How, & Why I need to make time for my creativity!

The choice to get my degree in Art Ed was both practical and passionate. With the fear of being a sucky student behind me, I needed to look at what I loved to do the most, and it has always been related to creativity. The courses I saw in this program will allow me to explore and develop a much deeper understanding of practical creativity, motivation, and purpose. AND, I get to play with more art materials, make new things, and discuss art until my art-geek’s heart explodes! The obvious connection is that I have a goal in mind for whatever art I produce, and they will show up on The New Renaissance Mindset in the form of self-evaluations & teaching moments, and possibly on Arts M.Perron for sale and merchandizing, if my professors tell me it’s permitted for student work. The emotional connection is I can think of no better way to advance my purpose than to pursue a subject I have always loved. Well, there may be a little ego involved here, and I can’t deny I want more than anything to inspire others!

Keeping very clear in mind that one of my reasons for getting this degree is to share my beliefs about art, creativity, education, and the love of learning. I’ve recently realized that sharing and teaching are forms of recycling knowledge, and I am more and more dedicated to the belief in recycling. I started Found – The Repurposed Design Company with this dogmatic belief that I can make a difference to my daughters future in showing people we don’t always need to replace the old with the new. I am on a crusade to reclaim, repurpose, recycle, and reuse everything in the most creative ways I can conjure. This is and will be the core value of my teaching creativity through all the ways art can be defined and experienced!

Part 3 – The Work in Service of Others Remains Vastly Rewarding

I’ve been busting my hump over the last several years helping others and coming to terms with the pragmatic conclusion of being a consultant. Being a consultant both requires and demands that I be an excellent learner, life coach, creative thinker, holistic visionary, and most importantly, be a patient teacher. To my great pleasure it all started with my undying passion for words, specifically the subtle acrobatics of English semantics. It has allowed me to guide designers, marketers, journalists, engineers, and teachers in expressing themselves in their voices. Or as Simon Sinek says, I’ve been able to inspire others to do what inspires them most.

Part 4 – It’s All Coming Together

When I take a minute to stop and reflect on all that’s going on in my life right now: back to university, the topics of the classes I’m taking, the writing I’m doing for my consulting clients, the ongoing work with reclaimed materials, the ew art explorations with new media, and the paths both my wife and daughter are growing on. It all feels like it fits together. When I started the process of getting back to school, I worried if I would feel pulled in too many directions and away from the work I’ve enjoyed at Found & TOMA Marketing, not to mention the ongoing struggle of making time to make art, but it seems to all be coming together with the glue being the return to school. I really hope to better explain it as it happens, but for now I can only share the elation of how it feels. IT FEELS RIGHT & IT FEELS GOOD! I’m following what I learned from Abraham-Hicks and trust that when it feel this way, it is meant to be. So, let this adventure continue with it’s Good Orderly Direction. Thank GOD, I’m here.

Happy New Year Everyone!