Self Fulfilling Prophesy

The following blog was written by Mrs. Karen Lundgren, an Art Teacher at Carson High School. In addition to teaching art, Mrs. Lundgren is our beginning teacher coordinator!

There is an interesting phenomenon in the art world. Before the age of five, almost everyone believes that they are artists (even when a drawing of their mom looks like a snowman with stick arms). What happens around the age of five that convinces children that they aren’t artists? They go to school. Suddenly all of their work is graded and they are exposed to the work of other students to which they compare themselves. It is inevitable that students will eventually have someone tell them that they are not very good at art. In fact, many people can actually remember that moment. From that point on, students believe they aren’t artistic so therefore they aren’t.

There are a few chosen people that either show some artistic ability or ignore the critics around them. These students carry the title of artist through out their school career. I was one of those students, and actually experienced a self-fulfilling prophesy of my own. When I was three years old, I sat on the floor of my favorite aunt’s house coloring. My Aunt Nancy looked at my work and exclaimed, “You are an artist!” I believed her and became an artist. That belief led me to practice a lot which allowed me to develop my skills.

I spend my days trying to teach students that they can improve their artistic abilities. There is nothing magical about learning to draw or paint. It is a skill one learns. The more you practice, the better you get.  It is very similar to learning to play an instrument or a sport. Just like these activities, students all have varying levels of abilities, but all of my students can benefit from the joy of being creative. In his book, The Creative License, Danny Gregory ponders the question, “What if we treated drivers like we treat artists?” In his vision, only children who showed an aptitude for driving at an early age would be allowed to drive. Their natural driving abilities would be nurtured, and they would be showered with money for their special driving skills. The real drivers would drive by while the rest of us stand on the sidewalk watching. The next time you are tempted to say “I can’t draw” remember that you can put yourself in the drivers seat.

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