Art Made Easy

Do you ever wonder what it takes to become teacher of the year? According to today’s guest, Barbara Hua, it wasn’t about having amazing art skills or years of experience — she had little of both. Instead it was something she didn’t realize was noticed —  and her answer may surprise you.

Barbara Hua, an art teacher from Conroe, Texas is a member in our Sparklers Club and is our featured Sparkler of the Month.  What we love about Barbara is her fresh approach to learning, staying curious and celebrating children’s creative expression.

Her road to becoming an art teacher started with a decision to go to school in her forties. And she’s been paving the way ever since.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

 - How Barbara started her career as an art teacher

- What Barbara considers are the biggest challenges faced as an art teacher

- How to arrange a classroom with lessons for all children to be included

- What you can do to handle the issue of politically sensitive books and art lessons

- How to find art projects that both boys and girls will be engaged in creating

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

LINKS & RESOURCES

Join the Sparklers Club waitlist HERE

You can visit Patty through Deep Space Sparkle on Facebook and Instagram

Patty Palmer At Home Instagram

I’m diving deep into how to cultivate your creativity with daily practice and awareness by following the exercise in Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit…our first book in the DSS book club!

This book isn’t what you think it is.

It’s not a quick checklist of creative activities to do so you feel like you accomplished something. This book goes deep into the psyche of how creatives think. Not just visual artists but musicians, writers and dancers. It stabs you with truths and realizations that really make you think. So much that reading this book didn’t happen quickly. I would stop at a sentence and allow the words to sink in.

It was hard to pick my favorite exercises and take-aways  but I managed to select my Top 5 Big A-Ha's from the book.

After the episode, join me over on the Deep Space Sparkle Facebook page for a discussion on what you thought of The Creative Habit.

Patty's 5 biggest takeaways from reading The Creative Habit: Learn it and use it for Life by Twyla Tharp:

 1. Twyla's 5 Big Creativity Fears

- people will laugh at me

- someone has done it before

- I have nothing to say

- I will upset someone

These are so universal, aren't they? I share my thoughts on these inside the episode.

 2. Muscle Memory

How copying and repetitive action leads to personal inspiration and mastery. I literally LOVE this one so much. It's an undervalued an underestimated practice.

 3. Start with a Box

The power of collecting ideas so they won't be forgotten is just so liberating. It helps creative folks "capture:" their ideas so they are free to move on with their day knowing their idea won't be lost.

Such a powerful exercise.

 4. Scratching

Permission to do research and the hunt for nibbles of ideas. Go with an intention of not stopping until something triggers inside you.

 5. Skill

The importance of building skills in order to develop creativity means that sometimes you just need to step outside your comfort zone.

"Success will happen by consistently doing the work of feeding creativity. Not judging the process. Not analyzing but just feeding, the sifting. Basically, experimenting without expectations." - Patty

What do you think?

Please join me over on the DSS Facebook page for a conversation about the book. Look for Book Club in the events.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

LINKS & RESOURCES

Cézanne Still Life Artwork

Henri Matisse Apples on a Table Artwork

AME episodes mentioned in this podcast:

My Mini Burnout and How I Plan to Recover: AME 120

The 6 Stages of the Creative Path with Nicholas Wilton: AME 112

Best Practices for Acrylic Paints: AME 091

You can visit Patty through Deep Space Sparkle on Facebook and Instagram

Patty Palmer At Home Instagram

How would you describe the vibe in your art room? What do you focus on? Art? Classroom management? Colorful decor? Today's guest, Rona Wilcox from New Zealand, claims that her focus is community. And she maintains that the strong community she has created is why she has a waitlist for her after school art classes.

Sounds intriguing right?

In this episode, Rona and I talk about the language that helps her students not only feel welcomed but brave and curious. Rona drops an art tip a minute so listen carefully her great advice!

Get to know and learn more about Rona Wilcox:

 1. What was your path/journey to becoming an art teacher

University and gained a diploma in Teaching and a Bachelor of Education. I was a general classroom teacher, teacher in charge of Visual Arts for Primary school and on the Arts Curriculum Development Team (24+ years). I did a Visual Arts Leadership Course to facilitate the implementation of the new curriculum into our school. Then I had an Art student from the States with me for her final 6 week teaching practice which highlighted how important art was and how much I loved it and wanted to teach more. So I started the specialist Art teacher role in my school 2-days a week and now I teach 4 days, and I began an after school art club, holiday art classes and an adult class.

 2. What do you feel is your best attribute or strength as an art teacher?

I think my best attributes are my creativity, adaptability and organizational skills. A particular strength is the ability to adapt a lesson to cover a variety of age levels.

3. What do you do well in the art room and how does this benefit your students?

I am able to build strong, positive relationships with students, I am encouraging and my art room has a calm, well organized atmosphere. I excite and motivate students with pictures, books, video clips and props and I give clear instructions and expectations.  This benefits students because they feel secure, safe to take risks, ask questions and work through mistakes. I give students freedom to explore materials and ideas within clear boundaries.

 4. Why do you feel teaching art to kids is important?

I believe teaching art to kids is very important because it encourages thinking, observation, participating, communicating, perseverance, problem solving, self management, self evaluation, goal setting, exploration, experimentation, to ask questions, to learn about history, science, maths, different cultures, different points of view.  Art is a fun way to learn and learning should be fun.

 5. Why did you join the Sparklers Club and how has the joining the group helped you?

I did the free webinar a few years back on how to choose the right project and I heard about the Sparklers Club. Generally in NZ, classroom teachers teach their own art and we don’t have Art specialists therefore there is very little Art Professional Development for primary schools.  So I signed up for the Sparkler’s Club for a month to see what it was like. I loved it so kept going for a few months then showed it to the PD organizer at school and he agreed for the school to pay for the year subscription. It now comes out of our curriculum budget.

Joining the group has helped by cutting down my thinking and planning time. It has given me all the skills to be confident in what I am teaching. I have expanded my repertoire of lessons – I love doing new things - new lessons. I have people I can share and glean ideas from.  I don’t have any actual formal art qualifications – so being part of the Sparklers, I get amazing PD, feedback on what I am doing, lessons done for me (I just have to fit it with our curriculum) I can support and encourage others, Ive made many new online friends around the world who I connect with through art – it’s like my safety net, my resource centre, one of my social events - I just love it!!!!!

Something I Love

Doing crafty activities and card making.

Have you ever wanted to start an after school program? Today's guest, Pamela Saunders from Washington, D.C. was motivated to teach art when her children entered elementary school. Like many school districts, art was not offered, so Pamela took it upon herself to begin an after-school art program.

Pamela shares how she began her after-school art classes, what challenges she experienced and what motivates her to keep her vision alive.

Take a peak inside her art room and see what two projects were a home-run for her K-4th grade students.

As with all interviews with members of The Sparklers Club, Pamela turns the table and asks Patty a question.

Pamela asks, What are some creative ways that art teachers like me, who are self-employed, can creatively market their business in their communities? To hear Patty's response, listen to AME 122 by clicking the play button below.

Get to know and learn more about our February 2019 Sparkler Spotlight, Pamela Saunders

1. What was your path/journey to becoming an art teacher.

I took a circuitous route! During collage I briefly worked with a non-profit art group developing a PR campaign as part of my course work in a grad level PR class. I ended up getting a summer job there teaching art to preschoolers and loved it. Years later, after becoming a decorative muralist and faux painter, I found my way back to teaching art at the preschool level. When my children reached elementary age, I started an art program at their school and added more schools after that.

2. What do you feel is your best attribute or strength as an art teacher?

I am passionate about art and want my love of art to be contagious. When a parent told me that their child, who had never shown an interest in art prior to my class, was now looking up artists, asking great questions and talking about art movements with his parents at the dinner table, I was elated. The mom told me that she looked at her husband and said, "who is this kid?!"

3. What do you do well in the art room and how does this benefit your students?

I am respectful of individual expression. In their art curriculum, they are expected to do things in a specific way. In my art club, I allow them to make artistic choices withing a framework. That is, if the assignment is to make a cat and the child asks if the cat can have big ears, I'll tell them, "you are the artist, so you get to decide." They are usually excited by the freedom to be expressive and that makes the artwork that they create more meaningful and interesting to look at!

4. Why do you feel teaching art to kids is important?

- Children need space and time to get lost in their imagination

- Art enables children to learn not just hand-eye coordination, the elements of art, how to use materials, but more importantly how to collaborate with others, how to problem solve, how to focus, how to observe something from different points of view, persistence, working through frustration, time limits... the list goes on.

 5. Why did you join the Sparklers Club and how has the joining the group helped you?

I joined because I needed some fresh ideas. It was taking me hours each week to develop lessons for my classes. Since I had so many repeat students session after session, I always tried (and succeeded) to never do the same lesson twice. It was exhausting but when I found DSS, I felt like I had all these incredible lessons at my fingertips. What I didn't realize was that by joining the Sparklers (and I am a founding member), was that along with it came the unexpected human resource - some refer to it as a tribe or sisterhood, a group of professional women (and men?) who understand the life of an art teacher like nobody else does and they are for you when you have a question, a problem, or a success. Being a Sparkler is priceless.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

- How Pamela's creative background and love of art eventually led to her art career

Have you ever considered what it must feel like to be overweight? Most of us can understand how it feels to be 20 pounds over-weight and even underweight, but weight on a grander scale - like 100 lbs. might be more challenging to understand.

Today's guest, fellow art teacher and friend Cindy Ingram, bravely opens up to share her story of what it was like to move through the world with the challenges she carried around: not just her weight but suffocating debt. Her story is inspiring and uplifting and shows that with the right mindset, you can accomplish anything.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

- The struggles Cindy faced and her ability to conquer them

- How losing a significant amount of weight has benefited Cindy personally and professionally

- Cindy's three main goals with her weight loss, debt reduction and building a business

- What has been the biggest business challenge she's faced and the mindset shifts she's made to get to where she is today

- What advice Cindy has for others experiencing similar situations and how she is pursuing her next big goal

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

LINKS & RESOURCES

For more information on the Art Class Curator, visit their Website and Podcast.

Podcasts and blog posts mentioned in this episode:

How to Talk to Kids about Art: AME 019

Art of Simple Podcast

James Wedmore Podcast

Keeper of the Home Travel Blog

You can visit Patty through Deep Space Sparkle on Facebook and Instagram

Patty Palmer At Home Instagram

It's the end of January and while many of you are well on your way to integrating new year's resolutions into your life, I feel like I'm lagging. Two months of family, work and holiday bustle has left me worn out and uninspired.

But today is a new day and it's because I realized one important thing: the cause of my depletion was actually depletion. The lack of creativity (or not enough of) had a profound effect on me: weight gain, lack of tolerance and the feeling that I just wasn't myself.

I started to spend more time on social media seeing what others were doing and then feeling the opposite of inspired. I noticed I was cooking less and eating out more. NOT my normal preference. Watching TV every night instead of reading. OK for a few nights, but a whole month? Nope. Not me.

I knew what was happening.

I've always been diligent about my daily habits:

1. Rest, which means a full 8 hours a night

2. Eat healthfully with treats in moderation

3. Create something daily: art, food, blog post, etc.

4. Spend at least 1/4 of my day alone doing the above (the introverted me requires this)

And when one of these is eliminated, I know I've gone off my own little rails and need to make a change. And the solution lies where all solutions lie...in a good book.

But I need your help if I'm going to get my creative mojo back.

Join me for my very first Deep Space Sparkle Book Club selection and how I plan to use it to help me banish my creative depletion.

In this episode, I share 3 ways to identify burnout and what to do about it.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

- Why I felt the need to take a break from the podcast

- How my recent experiences could apply to you, and help you in your own situation

- What are 3 telltale signs you're ready to take some time off

- How I've noticed I've been changing, as a result of not being creative enough

- What I plan to do to refill my creative cup and a special invitation I have for you to join me on this journey

- Why you won't want to miss next week's special Art Made Easy episode...

DOWNLOAD THE FREE BOOK CLUB CHECKLIST

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

LINKS & RESOURCES

The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp

You can visit Patty through Deep Space Sparkle on Facebook and Instagram

Patty Palmer At Home Instagram

Do you suffer from chronic overwhelm syndrome? Or as I like to say, do you know how to ask for help?

If you’re like most women, the thought of placing a burden on someone else is downright unthinkable. Or, you may be of the belief that its far easier to do the task yourself rather than take the time to explain it to someone else.

This episode shares the secret benefits of reaching out for help, ways to ask for help that benefit everyone and insights on how asking and receiving help has helped me become a happier teacher and business owner.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

- How to tell if our pride is getting in the way of asking for help

- Why it all starts with you giving yourself the permission to ask others for assistance

- What the benefits of asking for help are

- Where to begin when asking for help

- How you can address your fears and limiting beliefs

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Podcasts mentioned in this episode:

Behind the Sparkly Curtain: AME 114

You can visit Patty through Deep Space Sparkle on Facebook and Instagram

Patty Palmer At Home Instagram

Do you deal with disrespectful students and general low engagement in the art room? If you just raised your hand, you are not alone. There has been a flurry of advice-seekers in our Facebook group recently that are struggling with this very problem. So what's an art teacher to do?

An effective classroom management plan is necessary yet sometimes our plan is not clearly defined or easily attained. In fact, we may start the year with a great plan only to have it waver. Students test the system and soon you find yourself immersed in a situation that isn't benefiting anyone.

The first thing we might do is try new strategies: a new reward system or a new game only to find the class back where we started.

When practical solutions are no longer serving you, it helps to take a look at what's going on in your own head: Here are some questions I used to ask myself when I felt a bit threatened in my class:

1. Is it my ego talking or is this student truly evil? Another way of saying this is: Have I looked for solutions for this problem or justifications of my feelings?

2. Am I qualified to help this student? Have I reached out to my peers or admin for assistance?

3. Is my art room set up in a way that meets the needs of this particular group of students?

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

- How to tell when your losing control of your classroom

- What role your ego plays in your classroom management process

- Why there's power in confiding in your fellow teachers

- How to determine if your art room is set up for the needs of your students

- How past episodes of AME can help you with your classroom management skills

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Make sure you participate in our 7 Sparkly Days Giveaways

Podcasts mentioned in this episode:

Classroom Management Strategies That Work For You: AME 088

How To Cultivate Craftsmanship in Your Art Room: AME 092

Head, Heart & Hand: The Waldorf Approach to Managing Young Artists: AME 090

6 Factors for a Successful Management Plan: AME 053

You can visit Patty through Deep Space Sparkle on Facebook and Instagram

Patty Palmer At Home Instagram

Do you have an art degree? What about a teaching credential? I'm always surprised at how many of us have found our dream job of teaching art to kids by tapping into our creativity and allowing our intuition to lead us to the perfect job.

Today's guest is Sparkler Jackie May Hiller who after a career as an occupational therapist, followed her bliss and began teaching art in her children's school.

Jackie and I talk about where we get our energy, the value of online classes, the importance of community and how to cultivate online friendships in the art teaching world.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

- How to introduce different styles of learning techniques to your students

- Why earning trust with children is key to teaching

- What to do to recharge yourself and help balance your life

- Why planning and enjoying the process will allow time to develop and grow with your students

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Join the waitlist for The Sparklers Club

You can visit Patty through Deep Space Sparkle on Facebook and Instagram

Patty Palmer At Home Instagram

Are you looking for ways to cultivate creativity, choice and personal expression in your art room? Today's guest, Kat Clarke shares the five questions she asks her students as they work through an art project. If you need an injection of inspiration or an alternative way to approach teaching art, I invite you to listen to today's episode.

Kat's journey to becoming an art teacher wasn't easy. She didn't have a curriculum or guideline in which to develop her program. Perhaps like many of you, she had to come up with her own lessons and teaching style. Her philosophy of "start by making a mess" and "do it your way" evolved quickly because of her innate ability to see art through the eyes of her students.

Today's episodes shares Kat's 5 Step Framework that she developed to help her students think about their own creativity and to provide lifelong skills that children could use beyond the classroom. It's a brilliant process and we're happy to share it with you.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

- What allowed Kat to have confidence and courage in her creativity

- How she got started in the school system and what led her to becoming an art teacher

- Why seeking out creative a community was important to Kat's development as an art teacher

- Kat's 5 Step Framework that she uses for every lesson in her art room

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

DOWNLOAD

Download a free 5 Step Framework PDF by clicking the image box below. Enter your name and email and we’ll send it to you!

LINKS & RESOURCES:

100 Painters of Tomorrow by Kurt Beers on Amazon

You can visit Patty through Deep Space Sparkle on Facebook and Instagram

Patty Palmer At Home Instagram