The Future of Teaching Art by Jane Evershed
The Future of Teaching Art: The Overall State of the Visual Arts Today; Repairing Current Art-teaching Methods and Omissions; & Why Art is Important to Humanity’s Positive Conscious Evolution
Note from the editorial team: Gratitude to the author for including some of her artwork in this article.
Overall State of the Visual Arts Today
For too long there has been a torrential downpour of control over art. Visual art, especially, is mired in a vast bog of mud that requires heavy machinery to lift art out and cleanse it of its mucky academic debris. As humanity moves closer to a more elevated consciousness, the true function of art is torpedoing to the surface as a major life-skill for all to realize. Art is about to undergo a Renaissance for this age in these times of mass-awakening.
Why has art been held back and value-butchered? For what reason? Art is intrinsically connected to freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is highly frowned upon by those who desire to control humanity. Uniformity is much easier to manage than spontaneity. Those who control humanity also control the institutions of our education. Artistic expression and implementation across all areas of study is the match to the fireworks that ignites quantum evolution. Quantum evolution influences and accelerates biological evolution and human consciousness threatening to leave the old school of control on every level, in the choking dust of establishment mores.
Establishment think-tanks were formed in the early 1900s to deal with human creative containment such as the Tavistock Institute in 1947. A think-tank is also known as a policy institute. These institutes perform research and advocacy concerning social policy, economics, political strategy, military, technology, and most importantly as concerns art, culture. Culture basically covers the social behaviors found in human societies, also the knowledge, beliefs, ARTS, laws, customs, capabilities and habits of the people therein. The United States has almost 2000 think-tanks working every day to keep humanity inside the proverbial box.
It follows then that the culture of art needed to be tempered and diverted into a wholly manageable entity. The ways in which this occurred was slowly over time so as not to sound the alarm of their plans to contain the runaway vagabond known as creativity. These are the steps I have observed so far that have been implemented to suffocate art across the board:
Delay early art-teaching as an important developmental process in order to stunt the stimulation of creative neurons at a young age. Promote the starving-artist, (Van Gogh) myth. Infiltrate the psyche with the Stick-Figure syndrome; either you are an artist or not an artist, no in-between and no-one is born naturally artistic. Give art minor prominence in education curriculums. Teach art haphazardly and grade it by means of obtuse standards. Dispense with the arts first when funding issues arise. Evaluate art through academic institutions in order to own and rate its credibility. Make art difficult for the average person to make a living from, unless through commercial avenues. Select the art of only those who have been through established art academies as worthwhile and valuable, ie, (Closed system). Make people believe that random objects are art, (urinal by Marcel Duchamp, 1917, or banana duct-taped to a wall by Maurizio Cattelan, 2019). But wait! … There’s more!
Establish genres within which the infinite nature of art remains confined: (Minimalism, Pop Art, Abstract Expressionism, Hyper-realism, Conceptualism etc) and recycle said genres ad infinitum. Commercialize Fine Art and subject it to asset/investment-monetization and laundering practices. Blasphemize art for sadistic, occult purposes (Artists such as Biljana Djurdjevic and Avish Khebrehzadeh). Uphold sadomasochistic and paedophilic imagery as the zenith of artistic occult trends (Jeff Koons). Scoff at aesthetically beautiful and well mastered creations. Fail to integrate creativity into scholarly disciplines to prevent a more holistic art-inclusive education. Digitalize art, creating a firewall between the human and source energy. Create Artificial Intelligence “artists” where no human is involved in the creative process and then give these AI artists prominence through solo exhibitions. (Sadistic art examples: Podesta Art Collection, Marina Abromovic.)
To fulfill the art-lust of psychopathic, schizophrenic, occult art collectors and aficionados is not in the best interests of art, no matter the depth of their pockets. (Documentation for educational or research purposes where abused people express themselves therapeutically would be an exception.)
Let’s us rip up that cultural model and return to the quantum evolution of art; shall we? Let us teach art early and properly. By properly I mean the basics first and then the freedom to deviate from the basics at will, sans the bias of the teacher’s preference. Let us nurture the creative juices that flow naturally through the human body and ignite the creative neurons in the brain. Let us remove the grading systems that measure art so ruthlessly without considering the recipient/artist. Let us offer certificates of completion of the basics of art. Let us allow for artistic creativity to spill over into the sciences, architecture, health, economics, etc. thus fomenting a far more holistic paradigm for art to thrive in. Let us allow the arts passage, gleefully into its maturity in all realms of our existence.
Let us thaw the art-frozen back into the dormant regions of their imagination. Let us shed the confinement of “genres” and remove the hierarchy of the art’s system, determining for ourselves the true value of art where art sovereignty can thrive. We must let every human know that they are born creative and are connected to source which is at their disposal, from which to draw inspiration for a more conscious, aesthetic human evolution.
Just imagine for a second, the ramifications of letting art and the creativity that artistry represents out of the confining, stunting barriers that has been holding it back. Think of all the harsh straight lines and sharp edges we encounter every day, think about those lines now being curved and more harmonious as in nature. Not saying all angles are bad, they have their place, but rows and rows of boxes is not a divine aesthetic environment. Our entire life experience would be nurtured by our boundless creativity.
You may protest that this costs too much. With new technologies now available such as 3D printers the cost of beauty is descending. Add creative ingenuity to the equation and costs can be cut even more. The price of living in grey angular environs takes its toll on those who dwell therein. People are uplifted in beautiful environments. It has been scientifically proven that just looking at images of nature is enough ‘natural’ stimulus to lower stress levels. Imagine if our immediate environments reflected the beauty of nature around us. There is no greater artist than nature herself. This is the true power of art. This is the unleashing-time of humanity’s highest potential for creativity, and it all starts with art and reviving our natural harmonious aesthetic through practicing art in all its forms, starting from an early age.
Repairing Current Art-Teaching Methods and Omissions
It shouldn’t surprise you that the best way to teach art to children – and beginners of any age – is the most simple way. My teaching method emphasizes painting from the soul after being taught the absolute basics of art with an emphasis on meditation and inspiration methods.
I believe Painting from the Soul is the future of art given that digital art programs can now simulate images that look like human-painted masterpieces. This fact alone turns the art world on its head and raises authentic, expressionist “hand-hewn” painting to new heights because AI cannot do that. Digital human artists are also impaired from creating from source as the computer itself is an electromagnetic firewall connecting to source. Knowing how to teach art becomes crucial in this hot digital, trans-humanist climate.
So, how do we best teach art in this day and age?
Starting with the DOs… As I mentioned, every child and beginner needs to learn the absolute basics of color, drawing, perspective, light, composition and anatomy BEFORE they purposefully deviate from the basic rules to create their own unique style of art. Starting art lessons with a free-expression segment in any medium, a “playtime” sets the tone for spontaneity. It allows the students to get familiarized with their art materials, other students and their teacher. It is important for the teacher to build relationships of trust with their students if their students are going to be asked to express themselves through their art. Every student needs to be taught a healthy dose of inspiration methods from which to choose a suitable method for them. It is also very helpful to begin each art lesson with an age-appropriate creative meditation. Set the mood for everyone to be their most creative self.
It is paramount to nurture and encourage every student at every step lest they determine for themselves that they are not artistic. The truth is that we are all born creatives. Humanity’s future depends on our ability to be ever innovative. Possessing healthy, functioning imaginations is intrinsically connected at an early age to art. Art is one of our earliest experiences as a sovereign creator.
How NOT to teach art … the DON’Ts …
Art teachers must refrain from deciding which art is good or bad in their estimation. Any negativity expressed has long-lasting effects on the student as they are so young and impressionable. Never have students copy any recreated art unless it an exercise to match a color. All work should be original. The reproduction of two-dimensional images serves no purpose and eliminates all other dimensions that could come into play. Refrain from making any student’s art an example. If it is lauded as a “good” example the students will usually try to mimic it to curry favor from the teacher, thus abandoning their own original expression. If their work is shown as a “bad” example, the student tends locks up their creativity. As stated earlier, every child that progresses through the art lessons should be awarded a certificate of completion and not a grade.
An artist receiving an “F” is unlikely to pursue their creative talents. This is harmful in the future because later the ability to apply one’s imagination to any discipline is stunted as the creative process has been impaired with a negative vibration. When a teacher grades art low, it lets the student know that subconsciously going out on a limb to express oneself is a place to stay away from. I know an aspiring artist who was crushed when she got a low grade for copying a color too light. This draconian way of teaching art is psychologically damaging and unnecessary to creativity. When it comes to teaching art, we need to be ever vigilant!
We stand to lose so much in just one generation as technology is so revered in our lives and allows life to be so much easier. But when it comes to art, the sacred act of creating will never be surpassed by artificial intelligence or advanced digital art programs. Art is art – and we must know how to teach it. It is like giving a child a map to the Holy Grail. Creative spirits are far less likely to become the zombies in society.
Why Art is Important to Humanity’s Positive Conscious Evolution
Time to rise to the occasion! Time to expose the failings and skewed direction that art has taken across the spectrum from marketing to academia. Time to look at the necessity of art in the context of positive human evolution. Time to make art easily accessible to all and not an exclusive luxury for the monied few who arrogantly deign which art is great or valuable.
With the rising consciousness of the masses it is becoming more and more clear that art has been minimized and hijacked as it is a crucial elemental tool in the evolution of the human species. Art is in fact EVERYTHING! How does it qualify as everything? Let me count the ways: Everything we see resonates with the human body. Think about how punishing it is for a human to suffer solitary confinement. They become spiritually depleted by the day as their immediate environment is lacking in visual stimulation coupled with the deprivation of never seeing into the eyes of another soul begins to take a toll on their psyche. In other words, they exist in a visually dead zone devoid of creation.
On the other end of the spectrum, we see that people who have access to the beauty of nature, (and appreciate it) are healthy, happy and stimulated by the visuals they interact with on a daily basis. Indeed, nature is the supreme artist. Nature works with the infinite palette of form, light, color, time and alchemy, as do so many artists when creating.
I imagine originally the purpose of art was to please, to bestow surprising aesthetics foraged from nature’s bounty to share and delight in with others. As technology progressed art became integral with all elements surrounding humans from lovingly made toiletries to beautifully endowed architecture, the likes of which we cannot seem to surpass in this day and age. Why not? Humanity regresses without ornamentation and beauty surrounding it. Standards of beauty surrounding us have dropped rapidly to the point where most humans seem quite content to dwell in the grayness of angular, unforgiving surroundings that do nothing to lift their spirits. WHY? How did we sink our standards to such a low aesthetic? One has to peruse the paintings of forgone eras depicting people in flowing gowns playing beautifully fashioned harps on verandas adorned with sculpted fountains to see what humanity has walked away from as far as standard aesthetic. There are millions of these ornately built places still left standing in ruins all over the world as a testament to a people who valued art and nurtured artistry with a visible passion.
Why are the arts not immediately integrated into all other disciplines today… why has art been subtracted from the equation and how did we let this happen? Sadly, today we find that art has been bunched in with math, English and history, as just another subject in the school curriculum. The truth is, if education systems incorporated the basics of art at an early age into the system as a crucial grounding for life, we would quite possibly be living in a completely different and more beautiful world. Such is the importance of art.
The powers that be are well aware of the power of the unleashing of creativity into all disciplines that they have held it back by design lest the world spin out of their control in a flurry of empowering aesthetic glory that lifts all spirits and propels us readily into the 5th dimension, where new energy technologies and art merge into a new paradisiacal existence as glorious as those of past ages.
In the words of Sylvie Ivanova;
“We have had enough lies, the time has come to unveil the real history and claim our rightful heritage, because we are descendants of Gods and magicians and have the right to live on a beautiful green clean planet and use our deactivated magical powers.”
To this end I am developing an art curriculum in three phases to remedy this lack of the importance of art as a tool to reactivate our latent magical powers. The first phase would be an early education in the basics of art, access to the higher self through meditation and teaching inspiration methods that jump-start latent and inherent creativity within the child.
The second phase would be for art teachers to learn how to teach the basics of art and inspiration methods, without bias, preference or judgement. The third phase is to heal the many would-be artists who have experienced what I have coined “Art-freeze”: those who have suffered some trauma whereby their creativity became frozen in time and they have a negative association with expressing creativity that needs to be removed and healed. (There are of course many aspects to these three phases which I will not go into here.)
I am thankful for my partnership with the New Earth University (NEU), the only institution truly interested in my type of art direction and also as passionate as I am about the importance of art and the thriving of true artistry in our social realm. NEU is aiding in developing a comprehensive curriculum going forward. Thus far I have developed a rudimentary outline to address the problem as far as curriculum goes. I am most appreciative for NEU as a worldwide new-paradigm learning community and their interest as an educational institution to help implement these studies. As part of my work, I also would like to find a way to procure professional instructional videos.
Creating from the soul can only be done through heart, hand, soul-integration and connecting with source. As digital art technologies proliferate the need for art-teaching will grow. Humanity must keep the skills of hands-on creativity alive. Right now there are AI artists having solo shows; I kid you not. Artificial Intelligence generated art is indeed eerie to behold and seems to me to produce aberrations of horror devoid of soulfulness. This is what makes the teaching of Painting from the Soul so relevant today.
I like to say: Water, food, shelter ART (in that order), so vital it is. It is time for art to be elevated and put to use for humanity in the way it was originally intended: Creativity lives in the realm of the divine and art is a pathway to that divinity. Our creativity was given to us to elevate our humanity, to be respected and revered as an integral part of humanity’s soul expression.
The changing topography of art-terrain promises to bear the fruits of quintessence: The fifth and highest element in ancient and medieval philosophy that permeates all nature and is the substance composing the celestial bodies. Water, food, shelter ART!
Jane Evershed, dean and senior faculty member at the School of The Living Arts, NewEarth University (NEU)
OPEN enrollment for Jane’s 4-module course & intro workshop; visit Painting From Soul:
