As an artist and teacher of same, the discussion regarding artist's personalities are always coming up in my life. Once, in a discussion with some of my student's parents regarding growing up with dogs, I shared that my parents found me sleeping with the dog (in his bed), frequently as a child (and that I had 8 siblings). One woman said: "oh, that sounds so very bohemian! How exciting and unusual your life is, I can just picture it!"
I was stunned, and clearly she didn't "picture it" at all, I had nothing at all
of a "bohemian" childhood. It was just so funny to me, so far out of her experience that she assumed, because I am an artist, some strange picture of my life.
My students are always fascinated with Vincent Van Gogh. Even pre-instruction, most know that he "cut off his ear". This amazes them.
It is sometimes frustrating for me as a teacher to get them beyond that.
Here are a few ideas on this subject:
One is that we spend quite bit of our lives (people in general) trying to cover what we really are....we get stories/experiences about ourselves and stick with them....they become us. When we are asked to express/ourselves in art, it can be frightening and a possible threat to that image/story.
Here is another thought: There is a bit of a conspiracy in art....that somehow not everybody can be artistic or experience that type of expression of self first hand. I think a lot of artists like everybody else to feel that it is some enormous mystery. My personal quest as a teacher of art is to expose this.
It's simply not true. Take the idea of being able to "draw" well, (realistically). People are taught they either have "talent' or they don't.
But that's crap. It's skill.....and like any skill it can be learned. Some "talented" people have perhaps a better developed right brain, or some other pre-disposing factors, such as genetics, environment, experience.
But anybody can create art.
The other thing is that not everybody WANTS to understand everything. I have a nephew who is a race car driver. I would never in a million years choose that, and am in awe of it. He can explain it so that I feel I could possibly do it...even want to, but I don't. People want art to stay mysterious I think.
One of my sisters is a math professor. THAT completely blows me away. I feel I have no capacity for it. But I think if I had not had "new math" instruction in the 60's in gradeschool, and had her for a teacher instead, I would be competent in math. I still may not choose it for a career, but it should have been demystified for me as a child.
