Carlie Kinzey
My teaching philosophy stresses the importance of guiding students to think critically. I do not want to teach students what to think or only present them with mere facts as some type of blanket statement; I wish to encourage them to ask questions on their own and identify what they wish to explore to help guide their own learning. Art is open-ended and fosters an environment where there’s never one right answer. The brainstorming process is creative and requires confidence in content knowledge. This means the artist should be comfortable with the message being conveyed, while having some familiarity with crafts and fine arts, and understand the chosen audience. I want my students to develop questions, because problem-solving is an important part of the learning process. Trial and error encourages growth. For me, art is therapeutic. Art serves an extension of ourselves, helps us work through problems, and creates new relationships. These are fundamental characteristics every person should always be developing. Every student deserves to have his or her schema enlightened and passions watered for growth. Success is the goal, whatever that may be.
My inspiration to teach art derives from my artist roots, which is something I can never turn off or retire from. This is my passion, and I want to share it. Functioning as a vessel to help others succeed is something I take great pleasure. I want to be part of a community that leaves the world better than we found it. I am always developing, and my students are as much a part of my growth as I am to theirs. We were put into each other’s’ lives for a purpose, and I am prepared to fill that capacity.
When I am creating, I transcend into this meditative state where I reflect on current events and work through emotional turmoil. The works I produce feel like they always existed and I was just a surrogate to bring them to life. All materials are malleable and require a certain level of respect with the care of forming and working with them. Nothing is ever the same twice; there are so many factors impacting material development. This translates into more than just inanimate relationships. In the process, I am part of something more than myself. Connecting with others is an important part of my artistic journey. I make strong, deep bonds because we are given the opportunity to skip the superficial exchanges of small talk about the weather. These are all things I can share with my students.
My sole purpose is to guide others on part of their creative journey. Reaching children by positive encouragement through the arts is beneficial. We all have our own struggles, and my students will learn that they have creativity as their outlet. Together we will make positive changes in the world and ripples in the art canon, no matter how big or how small.
