1 September 2010

rabbit rabbit


I wish I’d had time to write here more, recently. There’s an awful lot going on, what with me back to my periodic bee-busy days – fashion shoots and other photography, a video to edit, two exhibitions, a house to fix, etc. etc. etc. I’m getting ready to teach again for the Fall, too, so under the chaos I hear the rumblings of Big Ideas trying to form. I just hope the chaos doesn’t break me first… Thank goodness I remembered to call on my hares and rabbits today; I’m afraid I could use the luck.

I was just asked about my teaching philosophy which, remarkably, I’ve never bothered to put into words (though it’s always been clear enough in my head.) Here’s what I wrote:

Listen to everything the students ask. Give everything away. Look for the best in each person. Be willing to be wrong. Most importantly, make sure you have (or find) a reason for every idea, every judgement and every critique. The aim is to dispel the Great Mystery, not to wrap yourself in it. The passion and wonder that comes from real discovery is much greater and more lasting than a reverence for false gods…

I’ll try and practice what I preach this Fall, and use this as a guide to clear away the chaos, and to push my own work towards somewhere new and, I hope, wonderful.