Not following the directions leads to deep learning and joy

Early the other morning, I was working on the Methods and Materials course for my Art-Assisted Grief Therapy certificate. Generally, I don’t get involved in art early in the day because I never know how long it’s going to take, and I don’t want to have that time constraint unless I plan for it. But I knew the assignment was a timed experience: Use seven different types of media and seven different surfaces (one medium per surface), devoting only five minutes per piece … so this assignment should have taken 35-40 minutes. I was determined to get it done. Well, you can guess what happened… I ran over.

I didn’t stick with the plan… which is surprising! When I try something for the first time, I generally do it the way it’s designed. That experience becomes my baseline, and I experiment from there. My curious mind got the better of me, and I decided to use one surface for each different medium, which was quite readily accomplished in the 40 minutes, and yet was not the assignment! When teaching/training or facilitating, I feel frustrated when folks do not follow the instructions—I mean, they’re created for a reason! Well, I had just become the kind of student/participant that I shake my head about… and I couldn’t live with that. So I had to complete the assignment the way it was designed, which took another 30 minutes or so. 

Truth be told, I totally loved all the time I devoted to this assignment (aside from running late and pushing my schedule around like putty)! It was a delight to see what worked—or didn’t—in which ways on the different surfaces. 

When have you deviated from the directions, changed the recipe the first time you’re trying it, gone above and beyond the plan?

How do you feel while you’re doing it? And, afterward? Are there consistent learnings from these experiences or a wide variety of results and thoughts?

When terrible teaching stimulates discovery and deep play

As it turns out, I am also taking a course with an artist I don’t know well. I am intrigued by her process and find the results interesting. While she may create beautiful art, I discovered she is not a teacher. It is truly one of the worst experiences I have ever had. (I will spare you the details.) 

What I can say is that her terrible teaching freed me up to play! Initially, I tried to make sense of what seemed like small problems. As I got further into the (recorded) course* there was no way to make up for the artist’s lack of understanding of what learners need, which is the what and the how of the processes and more. Once I got past my initial feelings of annoyance, it felt like all bets were off and I was going to take from the experiences what I could and run with it. 

I am having fun now, experimenting in ways that I would not have if she had developed a robust learning experience… I can see (now) both the good and the problematic sides of these experiences. I will share the completed works on Instagram in a few days, if you’re curious!

When, and how, have you worked with challenging learning experiences to shape them
into what you need and want? How do you feel afterward?

 I would LOVE to know!

* I have been taking recorded courses for years, and this is the first of dozens in which I have had to “make lemonade from lemons”!