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December 9, 2007
artist's way guided intent (december)
by gl. at 9:33 pm
on wednesday we hosted the last guided intent of the year! the theme was "abundance" and the activity was blind painting, which combines movement, paint and writing in a very satisfying way. this is my favorite theme and one of my favorite activities! plus, this is the night i get to introduce one of the most valuable tools i learned from my artist's way teacher in san diego: three safe ways to give non-critical feedback. they are experiential rather than judgmental in nature. i described these responses when writing about this event last year.
this event went really well. i wanted to add a body awareness segment this time to get people moving sooner, and that really did help, but in general the whole thing had a great blend of structure and flow. for the feedback i was able to respond first to a piece i thought would make a good example, then ask for someone to respond to another piece, so all the pieces got at least two forms of feedback.
in general i'm keen on finding the right form of feedback for events. i believe that some forms of positive feedback only reward "pretty" art or encourage the idea that if it's not beautiful it's less valuable, which end up creating huge shadows of competition and conformity. bridget & i are still talking about ways to encourage feedback without killing creativity, feedback which explores meaning or encourages risktaking.
[joyce: bridge back to self (click to see the other paintings)]
the next guided intent will be the day after new year's: after the champagne and midnight celebrations, we'll bring "auld acquaintance" to mind by finding new ways to connect fact & fiction. we'll be writing about the imaginary lives of people from old photographs, so we'll begin the new year gently by creating kinship, commonality & contact with these characters -- and other writers!
posted by gl. | December 9, 2007 9:33 PM | comments (2) | categories: artist's way
Comments
It is so hard to create an environment where the feedback and comments on each other's work really adds to the experience . . . I do really struggle with this as a teacher and workshop facilitator. I have a strong desire to say encouraging words to every participant, to comment on the beautiful and unique things in each person's work, and at the same time, I don't want to encourage everyone to just look at each other's work and say, "ooo, I like that" or "Oh, I wish I could do that." I also don't want to take time away from making - particularly when people are deeply engaged - to lead a guided feedback session. I also really enjoy Stewart Cubley's style - there is no sharing, no comments. I love the freedom from comments when I'm in his workshops - and, at the same time, I am beginning to see more and more that there is value in feedback and sharing about our art. This is really a growth edge for me . . . How might we encourage sharing that explores meaning?
Posted by: bansheegrrll at December 10, 2007 10:07 PM
mmmmm, good point on the "taking time away from artmaking."
i would like to part of my job is to offer options about giving and receiving safe feedback so they can take that home with them, too, and begin to incorporate that into their art lives. certainly saying "no comments at all, please" is a valid model, too! :)
Posted by: gl. at December 11, 2007 2:59 AM