Inspiration Times Two: When you’re on and off the job

by: Sarah Klein, YAM Co-Chair

Creativity. We teach kids to think about it every day.  But, we can easily find ourselves getting too lost attempting to fix stubborn glue bottles to think about our own creativity. There are many things you can do to keep your creativity alive when you’re on and off the job.

At school, your positivity and ability to refresh your soul are up to you. Here are a few ideas that will help you stay inspired when you’re in the classroom.

1. Use your talent! Instead of printing out a banner from Microsoft Publisher to hang above your student artwork display, use a long sheet of paper and write the title and description yourself. It’s your chance to invent a fun new font, get some doodles out on the paper, or play with those new art supplies from your order! Plus, students will love to see your artistic ability when you create a rockin’ banner for their completed artwork!

2. Get outside! Whether you are taking your students on a nature walk or collecting materials to do observational drawing, it is always refreshing and inspiring for students and teachers to get outside into a different environment. Try teaching your students a few Yoga poses as a way to relax and center themselves as they try to balance in tree pose.

3. It’s the little things! Write down the funny comments your students say in your lesson planner so you can look back on all the silly things that happened that day. Remember that art is beautiful, inspirational and all around us. Look for it in strange places like watching the colorful paint swirls that are created when washing out paint trays or noticing a box elder bug that has decided to do some swimming in your splatter paint bowls!

At home, we are often just happy that we didn’t end up with Modpodge in our hair or India ink staining our shirts from the day of art-making. Thinking about creativity at home after a long day can be overwhelming, but totally necessary. Here are some ideas about staying inspired when you are in the comfort of your home:

1. Use resources! Give yourself time to get lost in all the wonderful sources for project ideas. This can include blogs, Artsonia, Pinterest, or even just the view outside your window. Constantly searching for new ideas means that you will always teach with gusto!

2. Just relax! Give yourself 7 minutes to just sit and veg. Leave your phone, TV, and any other object with a screen, in the other room and just sit. Our greatest ideas for creativity often come when we are least distracted. 

3. Do something completely different! Trying something seemingly unrelated to art can give us new insight and inspiration. Make granola bars from scratch, Jog around the block in funky socks, or air drum to a super fast song. Sometimes the most unexpected connections can be made back to art when we are able to free ourselves with different outlets. 

Getting and staying inspired is an important part of our artistic lives. Remember that you are in charge of your own creativity. Don’t be afraid to explore and discover what works for you…so you can be inspired times two!

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