the human need for control

We've been taking a beating from the weather here for the last 3 weeks. The rain came down so hard that it ran down our steps and under our basement door. There it proceeded to spread out and make itself comfortable in warm pools on my floor. Nothing turns a sleepy Sunday morning into a state of emergency faster than a battle with nature. A sump pump and several hundred dollars later, things were under control. Looking back over the preceeding 5 days, it seemed as though no one was in control. City and school buses were canceled, residents were warned not to travel, even the university in this town closed it doors. Parents of elementary aged students were asked not to send their kids to school as there was a chance they might not be able to collect the kids at the end of the day. Several high school students spent a night in their school as helpless parents had no way to reach them. One letter to the editor of the Prince George Citizen, lamented that in today's world there should be no reason to keep children home from school. This individual scolded the district for a shoddy attempt at occupying the few children who arrived. Has society become obsessed with the idea that people should be able to control everything in their environment? It seems to me that attempts are made through legislation, and civic law to prevent any *bad* event from happening. Seat belts, helmets, knee pads, shin pads, chest protectors, vaccines for everything, inquiries into every accident are examples of this obsession.
Even as I listened to broadcasts about the mudslide in North Vancouver, individuals were saying, "Will there be an inquiry? How can we prevent this from happening in the future?" Well, you can't. Nature happens. Our grandparents worked with nature, rather than trying to control her. One thing is for sure, they weren't stressed out about their kids missing a day of math in the middle of an ice storm.

use whatever you have...

Teaching the first two classes of digital art and media, with obsolete machines (older Mac G4's), and software that is 3-4 versions old has definitely not been easy. It has been next to impossible to find reference books, enough for 20 students to buy, and online help just doesn't cut it. Since the college will not be upgrading the software or equipment anytime soon, I have really had to think about this class and what of relevance I can teach the students. Approaching this as though it were a drawing or painting class has been the answer. It cannot be a software class, therefore it will be an art class who will learn to make art with whatever software they have. Hasn't that been a tradition for students all along? When I was an art student, I could never afford stretched canvas to paint on and ended up painting on cardboard out of my mother's panty-hose, masonite, or whatever scraps of wood I could find at the local lumber yard. Why should life for a digital art student be any different?

that stale feeling

It's amazing how pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone can create growth. Every so often I do that to relieve the stale feeling that comes over me. I guess accepting this teaching job is one of those times. As I worked on the curriculum, I spent the day checking out art history resources, actually digital art history resources of which there are very few. I did come across two very interesting sites I'd like to share. Check out Paul Brown's work called Chromos at www.paul-brown.com.I also found this site for the Museum of Bad Art. There is some really bad art out there! Good thing someone is keeping track.

One Giant Leap

On January 10th I will start a new job. I'm having the usual new job jitters, mixed with excitement as I have taken a step in a new direction. For more than 14 years I earned my keep as a Graphic Designer. Now I will teach in the Fine Art program at the local college. This represents a huge step for me as I have always wanted to teach art. Sometimes the thing we want most is that which we avoid. I am happy to say that I am no longer procrastinating. Well, for those of you who know me, I'm no longer procrastinating about teaching...