Reflective Art Making

Brewer, K., Meditative Mandala, 2020.

Reflective art making was an important practice during the last semester of my master's studies at Kennesaw State University. This intentional time to create confirmed the connections I made in my research between teaching art and Social and Emotional Learning. Self Awareness and Self Management, which are closely linked, were key intuitions for me to identify during a 5 to 10 minute reflection before going into the art making process.

The reflective art making time was a two-fold gift. The first being the intentional time being offered by my professor, Dr. Munson, who began class with compassionate connection. She asked how my cohort and I were doing amidst the pandemic; she made inquiries about teaching and learning remotely; she posed reflective questions about what we needed from our allotted art making time. The second gift was the permission given to create. Oftentimes, as an art teacher, the "to-do" list or the guilt-ridden inner dialogue can interrupt and override the art making process. Carving out planned time to reflect and create was helpful in conjuring up the creative process that was difficult to grasp for me during the extensive shelter-in-place orders due to the pandemic. The reflective art making practice guided me back to my art and self-awareness. 

Brewer, K., Self-Portrait, 2020.

Personally, since shelter-in-place began March 13, 2020, the time to teach and learn remotely was welcomed and fully enjoyed. I was afforded time to enjoy beautiful things like sipping my morning coffee out of a ceramic mug instead of a to-go cup. I baked muffins for my sons instead of them slinging cereal and milk like most school mornings. Just for reference, normal school days before the shelter-in-place orders, we were out the door by 6:45 am and arriving back home around 5:00 pm. School days are long, there's barely enough time in the afternoon to fit in a decent shower and preparations for dinner, let alone time for making art. Teaching remotely was a wonderful but challenging change. Being thrown into a new way of teaching and communicating with my art students worked my creative problem solving skills overtime. Sheltering-in-place, masking up and social distancing took a toll on my creativity. I did not do much art making at all, honestly, and it scared me. I felt creatively paralyzed. I was watching most of my creative friends burst with creativity, making art left and right, posting their lovely creations online and I had nothing. Nothing. I had zero art to show for the extent of time we stayed at home. Not even a doodled Target receipt or scrap envelope. I felt discouraged wondering if I still had creativity in me. Can I still make? 

Brewer, K., Warm Winter Fox, 2020.

The reflective art making practice facilitated by Dr. Munson helped me to recognize and acknowledge my thoughts and feelings surrounding my experience as an art teacher in a pandemic. The connections I made with my own self awareness and self management and my art making process were the very connections I wanted to offer to my art students. 

At first, admittedly, I began my reflective art making by creating pieces I needed to use for my lesson plans. While I was creating, it was not art from my heart, for me. Dr. Munson reminded us several times that in addition to being art teachers, we are also artists. Her gentle reminder convicted me. I am an artist. At first, the words felt like an affirmation, but quickly became confirmation. 

I am an artist. 

Brewer, K., Sunflower, 2020.

Sunflower (pictured above) was the last piece that emerged from my reflective art making practice with Dr. Munson. The pen and ink drawing and the images included here are evidence of my honest, reflective art making process. This is a story that inspired an assignment and an important conversation with my art students. See what happens next.