Dream the Impossible Dream
The antidote to tyranny
Ann and I recently started teaching painting classes again after a nearly three month hiatus caused by my neck injury. During that time I was not able to paint either. As annoying and irritating as my neck brace is, it is nothing compared to my sudden cut-off from the easel. I am back painting again, and, in a few days, my neck brace comes off, we hope, for good.
What I realized, during and after our first class, was that I really enjoy teaching—always have—precisely because teaching art is about living well. I treasure the social interaction with students who have also become friends, and I welcome the focus on matters of art and painting. I get swept up in the magic of the vibe in the studio as people engage in learning about everything related to art and painting, and the rarely spoken desires of the soul that drive them to take art classes and grow.
Above all, the studio functions as a place of sanctuary, a refuge for sensitive spirits recoiling from the often tragic, shocking news of the day. We do not discuss those troubling things during class. For three hours a week, we have a break from the outside world and we all benefit from that.
Once everyone settles in to this peaceful environment, we begin to talk about our paintings and painting ideas—and ideas are essentially dreams. We can encourage them along that path and help with the technical part, but the dreams have to spring from them. When they feel free to dream here, there is no judgement, no rating system or critique. We understand that without our dreams, art is probably doomed. Never let anyone keep you from dreaming the world you’d like to see.