My favourite art teacher always did things differently. She would always hold the brush at the very top while she painted. I thought to myself, “how does she get any control doing that?”. That was the point. She always encouraged me to forego control. Her techniques seemed strange at first but they helped me to realize a new level of artistic freedom. She would use sticks to paint things (and they all looked amazing!), she would tell me to squint my eyes to see value and tone. It was so easy to see why she was the most popular art teacher in town. Nothing she did was inside the box and I found it liberating to be around someone like that.

    We go through our whole lives conditioned to think that there are only certain ways of doing things. Conforming is the greatest enemy to the artist and creator. Once you start living like there is no box, that’s when art becomes true expression. No longer constrained by the four walls that entrap true expression we are free to create from a very open place. This kind of expression also teaches us that there is never one right answer. Liberation is the daily goal of the artist. Piece by piece we can tear down the box that is inhibiting our creativity. Then we are free to express our true selves in a very natural and fluid way.

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