A.R.T.I.S.T.S. should...

This is the Forty-Fourth article in a permanent column for Stroud Arts that appears in the Stroud American. The mission of these articles is to inform, educate and inspire you, the reader, to Make Art Happen in your life and the life of our community.

I hope everyone enjoyed spending some time with their families as they celebrated and appreciated their fathers on Father’s Day.

One of the joys of family gatherings is catching up with distant members of the family who you may not have seen for years in some cases.

During one such conversation, a distant relative, who has been following Stroud Arts through our posts and livestream videos on Facebook, asked me; ‘What does someone ‘get’ for being an artist?’

Now I had my canned answer about ‘Satisfaction of being creative’ and ‘Quality of Life by learning the techniques of Problem Identification and Process Solutions,’ both of which are my answers for people who usually see the Arts as something ‘squishy’ and of little value.

On the drive home I began to think about the more quantitative values of an arts education and the learning involved with the artistic process.

BTW, I’m not talking about money, but about actual life skills that can be learned through pursuing a career of the arts!

Searching the internet for definitive skills that an artist should learn, I came across the following;

ARTISTS should...

A ATTITUDE- Have a positive “I CAN” attitude

R RESPECT- Respect yourself, others, and materials

T TRY - Try your best and THINK art smart!

I IMAGINE and create unique art

S STAY seated, raise your hand and wait patiently

T TALK quietly and stay on TASK!

S SAFETY rules should always be followed

The above is from a Middle School Student Handbook and art class syllabus.

The syllabus continues with Grading Criteria and technical requirements as well as listing what types of equipment will be required, but the “ARTISTS Should…” component resonated with me.

The above list is something that goes beyond the creation of an artist and into the realm of creating a fully realized and functioning adult human being.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone had a positive ‘I Can’ attitude?

Or always showed respect to themselves and others?

What if people tried their best all the time or waited patiently till their turn?

Wouldn’t it be nice if people talked quietly (especially at Wal Mart while using their speaker phone) and stayed on task?

How about safety while driving?

Take a week to ponder the value of this guidance from a Middle School Art Program and perhaps you too can… Make Art Happen.