I've been having a great time playing with the app, Helium Booth. Truth be told, I was introduced to the app at the NAEA Convention, by a dear friend who will remain nameless at this point.(Helium booth pusher woman - you KNOW who you are!) Over time I have grown quite addicted to the sound of my own chipmunk voice, as well as the chipmunk voices of others. I've got plans to use it in an end of school year activity with my students. I predict they'll love it.
Reading
through my blog posts was like chatting with an old friend. I didn’t have any true
epiphany like moments when it came to re-approaching my tree, but some things did
stand out to me. For one, I don’t think I ever considered the thinking behind
the way I behave when I encounter things I perceive myself as not being good
at. I am very uncomfortable, nervous almost to the point of feeling ill
whenever I attempt most sports, or wheel thrown pottery. A combination of
negative experiences with previous teachers of these things and my own
ridiculously high self-imposed standards has led me to believe that I might as
well never attempt them. I have convinced myself that they are things I can
never master. Those tacks at the bottom of my tree have more influence than I
had ever realized.
In describing her tree Liv said, " I believe with all of my heart that everyone I meet is a teacher." I've mulled that thought for the duration of this
class, and have come to the conclusion that I agree. I am continually influenced by everyone I
encounter and every experience I have. Sometimes it’s the conscious realization
of influence that smacks me dead-center to the face and other times it’s more of a niggling little notion circling around in the back of
my head. Amy shared the quote above and I realized that I feel this way about not only artworks, but pretty much everything that catches my attention, from things like helium booth to plastic shopping bags trapped by the wind onto a tree branch. I'm influenced by my own inner child, the part of me that wonders and questions and doesn't care what others think. That part of me was nurtured and allowed to develop by the influence of others, but I'm the one who ultimately makes the choice to respond.
As I shared in the video, the addition of a spoon to the hand of my figure represents my fantasy dinner party. If I
were to name specific names the list could be overwhelmingly long. I would
include Daniel Pink, the late Viktor Lowenfeld, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Christopher Uhl, Parker Palmer,
Olivia Gude, and Karen Lee Carroll. Sir Ken Robinson's name would be at the head of my list. (Csikszentmihalyi towards the end, because I'm not sure about my ability to engage in polite chit chat with such a brilliant thinker.)
I’m not sure if
they would be links in the knit of the yarn stripes or the lights. I would add the names of all of
my MU instructors, Sharon Hyatt-Wade, and almost all of my classmates from the
Master’s program, and my precious (and not so precious) students.
Sometimes the response I have to posts is far bigger than words, its a feeling that to capture in words, would be like caging the wind. This is one of those times. One can't cage the wind. You insights, humor, vulnerability and sincerity have been fierce since the start. Lovely poignant reflection on the tree. Ill let Karen know you'd invite her to the dinner party, she will smile about that. :) (Especially considering the company... even if she has already dined with a few of them ;)
ReplyDeleteSlammers… Wow lady. I relate to so much of what you posted here. And, I just want to hug you. I miss you. I am mulling over my final summation also, and I would love you talk to you about what you are thinking:) If this dinner party happens, can I be the bartender?
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