When parents and teachers talk about the need for good self-esteem, they usually mean that children should have “good feelings” about themselves. For young children, this also refers to the degree they feel accepted and valued by the adults and peers who are important to them. A child with a healthy sense of self-esteem feels…
What can we do when we find ourselves getting overly stressed? The simple answer is simple– stop, look and listen. It doesn’t matter it you are a student struggling to understand a problem, a parent trying to make ends meet or a senior citizen trying to remember where they left their car keys. The answer…
After many years of experimentation and study I have come to realize that the creative process can have profound restorative benefits for the body, mind and spirit of an individual. I have also discovered that you don’t have to expensive art supplies, excessive art training or to be the next Leonardo Di Vinci to reap…
How can we come up with innovative solutions if we are afraid of making a mistake? How can we make changes if we are afraid of taking risks? How can we stand up for ourselves if we are afraid that who we are is wrong? Creativity is and needs to be an important part of…
After many years of observing children struggling with school, losing their sense of self and being turned off to learning, I wondered why the educational system couldn’t see the viable and long-standing importance of nurturing the whole child. Indeed, Daniel Pink, in his book A Whole New Brain, sites that our new global economy has…
All too often in schools, art becomes one more thing to learn, do and accomplish. The real power of the creative process is lost. This is unfortunate because art, even in its simplest form—scribbling—can be a profound form of mediation that centers and clears the mind. I liken the experience to pushing the refresh button…
Research has shown that art and music enhance the learning process. Some people stop at the notation that we need to include art and music as part of school curriculum because it enables nonlinear thinkers a place to excel. This kind of thinking discounts and indicates a lack of awareness of how and why art…
In the spring of 2009, I began teaching the I Create What I Believe! (ICWIB) program to a small select group of gifted teachers who had agreed to actively use the program in the classroom in the 2009-2010 school year and track the results. Our intent was to demonstrate that when a student understands of…
I am not sure if I am more interested in the creative process or personal growth because they have always been so deeply intertwined. In college I had such a profound mind-altering experience while drawing, that it permanently changed the way I view both art and life. This singular event propelled me on a journey…