Awards and Rewards

Sometimes I've lamented that artists don't have the equivalent of the Emmy's or Tony's or Oscar's. Artmaking doesn't build up quite the cult of celebrity that the performing arts tend to do. It's a good thing in some ways- perhaps visual artists remain more authentic and less swayed by the public that way. And no paparazzi hassling you. But surrounded by media all our lives, doesn't everyone harbor a secret desire to be famous?

I'm nearly finished my master's thesis which is on the topic of blogging for reflective practice in arts education. One thing I wrote about was how opening up your teaching practice to the world on the internet builds community and creates an extrinsic motivator to continue writing and reflecting. Time is crunched when you're an art educator- how do you make time to be in the studio let alone do all this reflective writing on top of teaching and planning for teaching (hello- I was up till 3 in the morning caught up researching for a lesson for next week). While in school we have the guidelines and deadlines imposed by teachers to motivate persistence in studio and academic work, but out in the real world we have to set up our own assignments and purposes.
So what I'm saying is, blogging is something started off in isolation, but the longer you blog, the more people read it, the more you want to blog. It's a great way to feed a healthy habit of reflection as an art educator because it sets up a sense of responsibility to your readers. You gain self-confidence as an authority on your own expertise, and you don't want to disappoint your "followers". It gives you your 15 minutes of fame and fulfills the desire to somehow be "famous".



Today I get to thank Deborah Schlegel of Art Threads for selecting me and Colored Thread for a Liebster Blog award! Blogging is its own reward, but it's extra-special to know that people like the things I have to say and share. Here's how it works:

The Criteria: The Liebster is meant to showcase bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers. This is all done in the spirit of pay-it-forward.
The Rules: You must mention and link to the person who awarded you the Liebster, and mention 5 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers who you think are worthy of the Liebster!
'Liebster' means "favorite" or "dearest" in German. This award, which originated in Germany, recognizes up and coming bloggers. In accepting this award, I agree to:

-Thank the person who gave me the award, and link back to their blog.
-Copy and paste the award to my blog.
-Reveal the 5 blogs I have chosen to award and let them know in the hope they pay it forward by awarding it to bloggers they would like to honor.

And here are my picks:

I'm a big fan of Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artists. I love how she shows process and product and how innovative her art lessons are. I wish I could be a student in her class!

Experiments in Art Education is another one of my favorite art ed blogs. She shows projects that connect with themes and cultures that are inspirational and classroom organizational stuff that's really helpful. She makes me want to steal all her ideas to use with my own students someday.

Drucilla Pettibone- I love that she follows fiber traditions, uses vintage textiles, lives close to the land, and blends her love for animals and textiles so organically. I can't tell how many "followers" are on her blog, but hopefully she still falls within this category.

I always enjoy what Martha Knox at Words on Woodcuts has to share. She posts her own work as well as that of other woodcut artists. Her descriptive and critical writing is a great contribution to the world of printmaking (in my humble opinion), and I think it's a great example of how art educators should be looking at art and modeling how to discuss it critically. She hasn't written much lately, but she has a good excuse- she just brought a new member of the family into the world! I hope she'll have time soon to continue her great discourse on her blog.

And Finally, there's Cocoa Eyes the Stitcher, whose bold graphics and incorporation of printed fabrics into embroidery are amazing. I've just recently found her but I'm looking forward to more from this artist.
Here's to 15 minutes!