Something Odd About The Arts

Posted by
Jo Murphy
Aug 31, 2006

Karen Carpenter is an example of an artist who lost her life due to the stressful nature of fame and fortune. Fame Management is a type of personal vigilance where the teacher looks for opportunity to dialogue with students.

Teachers model ways to nurture esteem from within rather than by looking to boost ego from outside. Addiction to adulation will develop a need to follow and court the tastes and wants of audiences. This can be odious and soul stealing. Artists who are drawn into competitive and comparative cycles of addiction suffer. It is better that they be eased into cultures of support and collaboration more pure in motive.

Prep School is the time to commence dialogue with students about their 'life's career.' An artist's life requires a balance of work, fun and play. Students will be encouraged to think about the role of exercise, meditation, numeracy, literacy and the like. Aspects of everyday life such as love, value and esteem are essential if the artist is to be resilient Art students should be encouraged not to put all of their eggs into one basket and allow this "cache" to be the sole source of their self esteem.

Resilience will be encouraged when

students become aware of a variety of career pathways rather than just the one obvious pathway to stardom

the spiritual aspect of the arts are seen as important and relevant

students explore artists lives in the light of stress, addiction or over blown egos and become aware of the tragedies that may result

students use their understanding of these matters to imagine alternate scenarios

feelings journals track thoughts and emotions through the ups and downs of each performance

the students learn to identify times when they are nervous, confident, resentful, or over elated, etc

they can identify times when they are at risk

students see a need to have strategies for self management and self correction.

At the low time after a performance when all the accolades have subsided; students may be asked to brainstorm how to deal with the deflation. Perhaps they will settle to writing about the experience, meditation, or be content to lose themselves to exercise or some other creative pursuit such as photography.

I welcome feedback.