Post on Preface and Ch. 1-3

Through the reading assignment, I found some similarities between Haynes thinking and my own. In the preface, Haynes talks about creation versus evolution. She talks about her interest in reading about Darwin's theory. I found this interesting because it is something I have always been interested in as well. In my own life, the debate between creation versus evolution has been significant. On page 9, Haynes tells us that books and nature are primary inspirations for her. I am also very inspired by nature. In chapter 3, she talks about teaching an 8th grade class (18). I really wish she would have shared more information in regards to this since I am going into teaching. She added that it wasn't exactly a successful point in her life because she felt overwhelmed by the structure she was expected to uphold. At this point in the Art Education program, I have been in the schools. I enjoy the structure that schools offer and am curious as to why this was not for her.

There was some text that I found inspirational throughout the reading. When she talks about the idea that art is symbolic for expressing cultural and personal ideas, I completely agree (XIV). I also like the part where Haynes explains that making and looking at art is a space in our lives for solitude, silence, and being in the present, when everything else in our world is noisy and information saturated (XVII). Haynes emphasized the importance of writing for self-discovery. She claims that writing helps you to understand who you are and what you believe (10). This really inspired me to include more writing in my research for future projects.

Something I highly disagree with was the statement, "I believe, like Beuys, that artists are not born with special talents, though certainly some people have inherent gifts and proclivities that would seem to make their learning easier." I personally think that the truly successful artists of this world were absolutely born with special talents. There are plenty of artists that are not as blessed as others, who learn as much as possible to become successful, however, this is nothing compared to natural talent. Some people have to work at being artistic. For others, it's like breathing. Either way is fine, but I have much more intrigue for people who are naturally talented.