VR stands for Virtual Reality. If you follow me, you know that I was awarded Educator of The Year last year and received a $500 donation towards a project for my classroom.
We were able to purchase, and did receive two Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets before the end of last year! The students LOVED using them and we explored many ways to create art! Check out the video on my YouTube channel! Like and subscribe to stay up to date on the coolest things about Art and Life!
Since quarantine, teaching has changed so much. As a public school educator, I used to be in a classroom full of students and buzzing creative energy. When we went virtual, all of that energy was displaced and we had to learn how to channel it in a new way. Learning Zoom, figuring out Google, making dynamic presentations, creating new activities to increase engagement, and figuring out what to do when technology doesn’t do what we expect it to.
During quarantine I had an opportunity to really think about and plan the many ways I desired to teach creativity. To generate a creative energy in others, so that they might learn more about themselves through creative expression. I believe this is the way of the future, the way to heal, share, and communicate with one another. Art has always been a driving energy. It records history, shares stories, documents ideas, communicates emotions, and connects us to nature, ourselves and a divine God source energy.
I believe in creativity, and creatively living.… in everything we do.
Aside from teaching in public school, I have developed art lessons for children and adults on the evenings and weekends. This has been a great time for private lessons, with quarantine restrictions being lifted. The lessons range from realistic drawing, material exploration, and creative thinking to using new digital art technology!
One of my most recent art lessons, and most favorite, is to have the artist come up with a narrative based on objects of their choice. This can be adaptable to any age, we can go deep into a situation to uncover how we feel about something, or we can let our imagination take us away!
I really enjoy creating a sacred space for all to feel safe to express themselves through the creative arts! Here are few images from lessons I have recently had in person and via zoom.
Creative Balance Studios is in the process of setting up our art studio space to hold creative classes for kids and adults this summer!! Contact me if you are interested!
One evening in April, Landyn called out to me from the other room “MOM check your email!!” So I did, and I found a nomination for Brainly Educator of the Year award!
The educator is my mom who is an art teacher at Ridgely Middle school. She teaches 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and is nice to them all. She has helped me to stay on task a lot and get out of rough patches in my virtual learning and in this crazy time. She is the most supportive person I know and helps her students a lot too. My mom has been an exceptional educator in my learning journey this year because of many reasons. One of them is she is always prepared and cares for others a lot. She is always concerned if someone gets hurt and makes sure that they are okay. This crazy time is affecting all of our jobs, whether it’s getting fired or everything being harder to manage, my mom doesn’t care! She pushes through each struggling day of driving an hour to her school and back dealing with kids for the whole day, then drive all the way back home just to get on meetings and teach more kids and never gets tired of it! My mom is practically a real life superhero! I don’t care if she wins or not, I just wanted to nominate her to show her how much I love and appreciate her!
-Landyn Oates
I am so proud of Landyn and all he has accomplished as a 7th grader during quarantine. He had a tough time for a little bit when he got behind on work. As a mom and educator I find it interesting to manage my parent mindset and educator mindset, though most times they are the same. When it comes to being a parent, things like making sure my children take responsibility for their things… helping with family matters such as keeping their rooms clean, doing chores, and making sure they complete their schoolwork. Then as an educator, I find it important to make sure they have enough time to complete their school work. Especially during this virtual learning time… there is so much students do not know about using computers that they are learning so quickly.
So I decided to help Landyn out by taking over his chores, and instead of punishing him for his misuse of time, he used his time to complete his work and saw what happens when we do not do our part. When we slack off and decide to do other things then our responsibilities, it affects the whole community. Our actions affect the community as a whole, either in a positive or a negative way. This was such a good experience for him. He learned his lesson through love and modeling rather than anger and punishment.
No one knows everything, but everyone knows something. With Brainly, students combine their strengths and talents to tackle problems together.
These core values really resonate with me! The CEEQER model is one of questioning, exploring, expressing, reflecting, and experimenting. Then taking what we know and sharing it to help others on their journey! Its about having a growth mindset, and know that we learn most from our challenges.
So after finding out I was nominated I shared it with my students, and boy did they take it and run! I was voted for 164 times!! I am so grateful for my community, family and friends. Thank you all for believing in me and voting for me.
I did not have the most votes for my category, humanities, first place was taken by Angela Dierschke an educator from Lewisville ISD, Killough Texas! I love Texas educators!! Way to go!
I did however receive the BRAINLY SPECIAL AWARD!
This is such a wonderful opportunity and I am so grateful for be given this award! Thank you Brainly for your vision to share and celebrate educators!
One of my favorite art lessons to do with my 8th grade is the Art Expo!
For this lesson I began by talking to the students about art supply businesses and the NAEA convention!
We observed videos I took during the NAEA expo hall experience, discussed what it means to be a vendor, and created theatrical characters that students performed as in the final day of the unit!
Students loved researching and becoming the expert of materials, and then sharing what they learned through acting and presenting! We invited other teachers, administration and parents to our final Art expo day.
Each student was tasked with creating a character that was an expert on an art material. Students completed a character development worksheet, that identified their characters name, birthday, education, and work experience with the art material.
The first year I did this with my gifted and talented students and I allowed them to select which materials they wanted from a list of materials I premade. I did not want students to use things like colored pencils and markers since they have so much experience with them already. When I retaught this lesson to my academic art class, I allowed them to choose more typical art supplies.
Students had to create a table set up that included history, techniques, and types of the material. They also had to show 2 examples of art using the material, and have a 5 minute activity that visitors could do to explore the materials.
The students LOVED this project, and so did the Admin! Its student centered to the core.
It has begun! Students and teachers are together again! I have missed my students a lot. Seeing them in the classroom, creating and smiling. Its been too long since we had this type of interaction. There is nothing like creating art together with other people.
Over the past year I have taught students art virtually. In doing so, I have learned so much about myself, teaching, and digital space. Learning what I love and what I can let go of. Seeing what I have to offer my students, even without being in their presence. Realizing that our energies can still influence each other, even if we are miles apart.
I missed seeing my classroom full of students creating. Walking in to my classroom filled me with anticipation!
We can create as a community. We get to gather and share. We get to feel that energy flowing through the classroom. Even though we are missing a few of our fellow artists in person, we have been able to nicely integrate both in person and digital work space!
Our PTA is the best ever, I just have to give them a huge shout out. They are so supportive of the teachers at Ridgely, and always go beyond to show us how much!
March 13th marks one year since we stopped teaching from our classrooms, and stepped into the virtual world.
One year ago I was excited and eager to head to Minneapolis for the NAEA conference. My students were beginning some amazing personal projects in class. The green club had just been approved to go on a canoeing field trip. There were so many beautiful things about to take place!
On March 12th, I was preparing my students and myself for the unknown. The only advice I could give them was to take time to breathe and do things they love to keep them relaxed. To go with the flow. They had been prepared in other ways throughout the year, by teaching them to have a growth mindset.
A growth mindset is so vital during these times. Being able to experience challenges and perceived setbacks in a healthy way, learning and growing no matter what.
Nothing is to be feared, it is only to be understood.
Having awareness and understanding of self, through an open mindset, creates huge opportunities for growth.
2020 was a hear of growth and transformation. Allowing the things no longer serving our goals to be washed away, making room for a bright new dawn. A new era of living, experiencing, connecting, and sharing. A new era of finance and self sovereignty. Taking back our power to create a life we are worthy of living, to know our worth.
As I sit here, remembering how it used to be… I am filled with gratitude and excitement for this new year. I am excited to see my students in person starting next week. Excited to see their faces light up when they are able to create something they never thought possible. Looking forward to watching them problem solve and express themselves!
This new year has so much to offer. If we step into it with gratitude and love, all the riches that are divinely ours will come to us in perfect ways.
<3
Another thoughtful creative challenge… the word mood comes from the old English root word for MIND, or
perhaps when we get in a mood it is to remind us to have fierce courage.
Mood… mind… I see this one as realizing that everything comes from within. Our mood is set by our mind… Mindset. How we choose to see the world. How we choose to respond. Do we let our mind control us or are we actively being the awareness outside of the mind.
Having a growth mindset is one of the best ways to maintain awareness of self, and take all challenges as learning opportunities. This keeps our moods in check and allows us to have that fierce courage to step into our authentic selves!
<3
A recent creative challenge word for my students was Illustration. After looking into the root of the word, I was fascinated that it comes from the world for illumination! Spiritual or intellectual enlightenment.
As I thought more about the context of this word and its meaning, which is … a picture illustrating a book, newspaper, etc. An example serving to clarify or prove something. The action or fact of illustrating something, either pictorially or by exemplification.
An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, video games and films.
We are enlightened because we see.
When there is light, there is illumination.
When there is illumination there illustration.
When there is illustration there is enlightenment.
Art is the key to the divine.
To be enlightened, one must see this
<3
Recently my students and I have been creating Neurographic Art drawings! It has been such a wonderful process, that I thought I would share it incase you had not heard of it.
Neurographics is a way of drawing that recreates the outer from the inner. The world is a reflection of the beliefs we hold.
A way to allow a person to transform one’s stress and fear by drawing freeform lines and then later using a specific algorithm to transform the stress into a beautiful work of art.
Neurographica™ is a simple and effective method for working with the subconscious mind through drawing. This creative method stimulates new neural pathways by combining art and psychology. It was discovered and developed by Pavel M. Piskarev, PhD, a Russian architect, psychologist and creativity entrepreneur. This art style deals directly with our thoughts and emotions in a non-interpretive, non-dogmatic and thought-free way.
https://www.neurographica.us/about
The hand and brain are connected, and in tandem, or we would not be able to pick up or touch what is in front of us.
Neurographic art uses that connection to loosen and redirect the habitual thought patterns that create fear and confusion and creates a new way of thinking and being.
A new line; a new neural pathway.
I felt way more relaxed while I was focused.
E.S.
It made me feel more focused.
K.H.
How do you feel? How did you feel going through the process?
The reflection process is one of the most important aspects of this practice. When one does this activity with intention and focus, there will be an affect on their perspective of the situation. Reflection asks for your attention on the matter. What did it feel like, what did you notice, describe where your thoughts went…
I feel like there is so much more that can be done with this, and I have only skimmed the surface!
Hopefully you have a chance to try it for yourself! I have created so many already! Let me know how it goes!
<3 Raine Dawn
Art and creativity are VITAL to life.
Most adults I speak to do not see themselves as creative at all. So before we can “change the system”: we have to first realize how creativity is key to a growth mindset which is vital to true learning. This can only be done if we are actively seeking knowledge of self.
Our imagination is what we use to create our realities. So therefore creativity is spirituality. A creative person is connected to their soul and has unique ways of showcasing their spiritual connection through art and imagination. Spiritual intelligence is an all-encompassing form of intelligence.
Creativity and the use of our imaginations is the first step to everything we do, even our spirituality. When we are praying or meditating, we are using our ‘imagination” to envision our higher selves, our spirit guides, or our prayers coming into fruition. The mind’s eye sets the stage for what we draw to us in the astral realm. Our thoughts and visions of the world come from our perception which is molded and created by our choices and experiences.
Spirituality is an ongoing journey and learning experience from the inside out. Where as creativity is the ability to take that learning and apply it to our reality.
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