Why It is important for me to teach art to everybody
When I'm teaching a large group of mixed ability art students in a classroom where the students have no choice but to be there, I'm often faced with a number of challenges. My main challenge is managing how to offer EVERY student (who I like to refer to as artists) the chance to "IMPROVE."
Yes, it is a challenge indeed and this is how I deal with it: I get the students to adopt a 'growth mindset.' Put simply, I aim to get all the students over time to believe that "POTENTIAL" is impossible to foresee and if they put time and effort into something, who knows what can be achieved over time. Fixed mindsets can be adjusted and can really help students approach challenges in a new light. Carol Dweck is a pioneering researcher in the field of motivation; why people succeed (or don't) and how to foster success. She has pioneered the theory of adopting a 'Growth mindset' click here to watch a short video on her ideas.
Creativity is a fundamental life skill and should be treated with upmost importance. Art isn't just about being able to 'draw,' it's about ideas and creative thinking, problem solving and expression of thought, creating and being an individual, appreciation and being in touch with your spiritual self. I don't know a single person who doesn't want to be creative. Regardless of what you believe, Art is for absolutely EVERYBODY in one way or another and is certainly not reserved for an elite group. I absolutely love helping people reach their creative goals and this is what I do best.
Then…
I actually grew up in a time where at school you were made to believe that you were either 'good' or 'bad' at art, so my education wasn't particularly helpful. However, when I was little I was so lucky to have spent so much time over the summer with my very creative grandad who we called Papa. He built his own darkroom in a cupboard in his kitchen and would photograph me and my siblings regularly, then hide away in his ‘magical’ cupboard for a few hours, before showing us the developed prints. My uncle would pop over at least once a week and take us to either 'the rustic part' of the River Thames to draw boats and landscapes, or to Syon Park, which always finished with a very exciting trip to the art shop. We would regularly look in awe through his portfolio of drawings and paintings critiquing which were the best and worst. My crafty Nan would spend hours knitting different creatures and dolls that all sat on one big chair smiling at us.
And now...
I consider myself to be very fortunate to have been surrounded by such creative role models as a child. My mum is also very creative, working on her own art projects or learning how to use new art mediums all the time. I can clearly see that creativity has run through different generations of my family. After a creative degree, a few years of Prop making, travelling and Visual merchandising, I landed on my career as a secondary school art teacher in an all-girls school, which I worked at for 6 years. There was nothing I enjoyed more than working in my classroom with my students. The most significant thing that I learnt there was that young people are so eager to develop their own ideas, something they don’t get to practice as much in other subjects. In fact, they ended up inspiring me way more than I inspired them. I often found myself working alongside them. Listening to the students talk about their ideas and then seeing how they bring them to life was something that excited me on a daily basis. I made a personal choice to leave full time secondary education for now, so I can put all my creative resources into solely teaching art and sharing my skills, materials and time with anyone who cares about it as much as me! I've set up this school for students who would benefit from enriching their own creative practices at any point of their life, it’s never too late. I am now a proud mum to a 4 year old ‘Wren, who is a huge part of Miss Bird’s School of Art. She can’t wait to meet you!
Why choose to learn with me?
As a teacher, I have always taken a very personal approach to teaching. It has become clear throughout my years of teaching that every artist is different and that people learn in different styles and at different paces. Even with a class full of 31 students, I treat each person as an individual. I have always loved experimenting so have built up a variety of skills in many different mediums and am still learning new techniques to further expand myself creatively. I honestly believe that a good art education can enhance your existing range of skills and really engage your brain with creative thinking and problem solving, a valuable skill in any employment role and in life. I am tremendously patient and have taught hundreds of students, so you really don’t have to worry or feel embarrassed if you currently don't employ any art skills or can't draw, that's why I'm here! Learning art can be time consuming and difficult, but every student gets there eventually with a little help and the rewards of this is wonderful. Finally (and most importantly), I just love art and everything about it. I love how people appreciate its beauty and flaws and spend time talking about it. I love how it doesn’t need any fancy technology and that we can make it with our bare hands. I love that it seems to slow down time in a fast paced culture and I love that it makes us look at the world closely and notice things that other people don’t. My workshops are fully focused around my passion for art and my passion for teaching and I can guarantee that you will enjoy learning under my guidance.
