A friend sent me an email ....
A friend sent me an email ....
They were talking about me and my lifetime of teaching art - and being an artist. They said something about honoring my
They were talking about me and my lifetime of teaching art - and being an artist. They said something about honoring my
"art teacher spirit"
"art teacher spirit"
and I almost threw up.
and I almost threw up.
It took me back to the one art ed class I was required to take. Dr. Holley - who I later knew as a colleague and genuine sweetheart - had a pedagogy that was truly something to behold (and I harken back to it, occasionally.) Most of the students in that room were headed toward elementary art education. You know the vibe: balloons, clowns, rainbows. And I mean pre-political rainbows... this was the fall of 1987, after all.
It took me back to the one art ed class I was required to take. Dr. Holley - who I later knew as a colleague and genuine sweetheart - had a pedagogy that was truly something to behold (and I harken back to it, occasionally.) Most of the students in that room were headed toward elementary art education. You know the vibe: balloons, clowns, rainbows. And I mean pre-political rainbows... this was the fall of 1987, after all.
They were lovely, sincere people. But I? I was stomping in (yes really, with my classic docs) with an ego the size of Alaska, convinced I was a real artist. I made political art. I went to rallies. I dressed somewhere on the axis between goth and punk, with intentionally ripped everything - not because it was cool, but because I wanted you to know I did not care what you thought. Picture your average art student now and wind back the clock: that was me, unapologetically disruptive at 20.
They were lovely, sincere people. But I? I was stomping in (yes really, with my classic docs) with an ego the size of Alaska, convinced I was a real artist. I made political art. I went to rallies. I dressed somewhere on the axis between goth and punk, with intentionally ripped everything - not because it was cool, but because I wanted you to know I did not care what you thought. Picture your average art student now and wind back the clock: that was me, unapologetically disruptive at 20.
Honestly, I wish I could go back and watch it all unfold. I’d probably cringe and cheer.
Honestly, I wish I could go back and watch it all unfold. I’d probably cringe and cheer.
ANYWAY back to "art teacher spirit"
That’s classic Vonnegut. The way he used quotation marks to subtly roast things - like a sign that says
That’s classic Vonnegut. The way he used quotation marks to subtly roast things - like a sign that says
“fresh” fish
“fresh” fish
as if to say, “Well… allegedly” and he absolutely shaped how writers use irony in print. It’s a tiny typographic dagger. Totally hilarious, but when used in the wrong place (like describing my genuine lifelong teaching instinct), it stings instead of sings.
as if to say, “Well… allegedly” and he absolutely shaped how writers use irony in print. It’s a tiny typographic dagger. Totally hilarious, but when used in the wrong place (like describing my genuine lifelong teaching instinct), it stings instead of sings.
And just to document - a “side-eye in 12-point Times New Roman” is my way of describing how something reads as skeptical, tongue-in-cheek, or subtly sarcastic just through how it's punctuated or phrased in plain text.
And just to document - a “side-eye in 12-point Times New Roman” is my way of describing how something reads as skeptical, tongue-in-cheek, or subtly sarcastic just through how it's punctuated or phrased in plain text.
Imagine a sentence like:
Imagine a sentence like:
She brought her “famous” casserole to the potluck.
She brought her “famous” casserole to the potluck.
That use of quotation marks around “famous” isn’t celebrating it: it’s casting shade. It’s the literary equivalent of a side-eye. No emojis, no all-caps. Just a quiet typographic smirk… in good old, default-font Times New Roman.
That use of quotation marks around “famous” isn’t celebrating it: it’s casting shade. It’s the literary equivalent of a side-eye. No emojis, no all-caps. Just a quiet typographic smirk… in good old, default-font Times New Roman.
Writers like Kurt Vonnegut, David Foster Wallace, and even Lorrie Moore have used this kind of wry signal in their prose... it’s dry, often hilarious, and absolutely intentional.
Writers like Kurt Vonnegut, David Foster Wallace, and even Lorrie Moore have used this kind of wry signal in their prose... it’s dry, often hilarious, and absolutely intentional.
and worth a shout out here in my blogosphere