ART & ATTITUDES by Debra Facchin

I wish our American life style would embrace the arts as an everyday part of living.

I should say when I wake up tomorrow morning, I wish I could see the sky green and the grass blue.

The other morning my son noticed how strange our cat looked with whiskers.  He said, “Have you ever thought about it, how weird it is that cats have whiskers.” We both stopped and stared at the cat. Her whiskers were as long as or longer than her head, spread out like a fan, these stiff strands stuck out from the area around her tiny triangular nose. How many times have I hugged my cat and thought she was the cutest thing I have ever seen and yet it never once crossed my mind how truly strange her whiskers looked. Luke responded, “What would that be like if we had those? Why do cats have whiskers anyway?” We stared at the cat again and thought for a moment. He continued, “Do you ever have those moments, those moments about ordinary things, when you have seen something a million times, something old or familiar for the first time in a new way?” I was a bit taken back by such an introspective comment from a 17 year old, but not really. I taught high school for 5 years and I love this age group. There were many times I was amazed at the depth of their ideas and the thoughtfulness in their planning.

Teaching art to young people is a double-edged sword. For every wondrous moment there are several monumental struggles to break through the stereotypical mainstream barriers of what constitutes art. Those ah-ha moments don’t come very often unless we cultivate them. Teaching how to think, how to see in a new way requires many deliberate and often outrageous steps, like letting go of old patterns of behavior and trusting your eyes, ears, and hands.

As adults, we need to focus on slowing down, to look and ponder over life’s simple wonders. It may sound corny, but as an artist, that is what it is all about. Finding inspiration in what is familiar and what we already know. To learn how to see something in a new way so it becomes fresh and intriguing.

Young people teach me that my day to day routine worries won’t ever go away but I can ignore them. At least long enough to find the time to get inspired and to produce some art. Right on!

If we had more opportunities to teach our young people more about appreciating and participating in the arts we could paint the sky any color we want and continually invent, create, and enjoy the diversity in art, people, and places as a daily part of our routine.

Debra Facchin, Whirling Circles Studio, McCall Idaho  www.whirlingcircles.com

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