I have a habit of self-deprecation. My husband reminds me of that every time he reads something I write. I don't really consider myself to be an insecure person, but when it comes to putting my thoughts out there in the world, I feel more comfortable apologizing for any disappointments before a person is even given time to feel disappointed. All too often I tell my students to NOT do the very same things that I do. "Don't apologize for your work" was something that a professor of mine said often in class. I've carried that torch and now say it to my own students. I try to make them as comfortable as possible to be open with their work and to not feel the need to apologize for it. Teaching design to high school students really helps to establish a barrier between the students as artists and their work. At first, it is difficult for them to understand that the things that they are designing and the problems they are solving are not really for them alone. After some exercise in this departure from the "self" of their typical art classes, they begin to separate their art from the larger purpose of design.
I have to admit, it is far easier to critique design than it is to critique art. Art becomes a part of these young people. Sometimes letting them know that the composition is slightly off is like telling them that their 10th grader boyfriend just helped another girl sharpen her pencil, which might not seem like a big deal, but believe me..it is. In design, the need for criticism is established as the process. They understand it to be one of the integral steps of its completion. In this way, I am able to teach the core principles without letting the mess of teenage feelings get in the way. The need for apologizing for one's work is....not gone, but lessened.
1 Comment
Peggy
3/20/2014 03:00:56 am
You're making a really good point about the difference between critiquing a design project which is based on problem solving as opposed to a painting or interpretive exercise. The aesthetic element is present in both but at differing degrees of importance.
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
November 2019
|