True Text

In my ramblings around SFMOMA last night I picked up a new book for the classroom called
101 Things to Learn in Art School by Kit White (if you want your own copy you can get it here).
It's published by MIT - which I thought was interesting considering they are not an art school, and goes along in a series of similarly titled works they have published over the past few years - including 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School, which I also have in the classroom.

At any rate, I just unwrapped it this morning and read the titles of a couple of pages, and the very last one caught my eye and made me read the entire page, it states:

"Not every art school graduate becomes a successful artist.
But the training one receives in art school opens avenues to the whole world. Art school teaches one to observe carefully, describe precisely, find solutions to problems through experimentation, keep an open mind to all possibilities, and to accept withering critique in the pursuit of the not yet realized. These are the skills of adventurers, visionaries, and builders of a future we cannot yet fathom."

Now, I realize this - as in LGHS - is not an art school; we all work/attend a public high school, however, many of these things are true for us as well.
I am not looking for you to be the best ever; I am looking for you to be your best. I am looking for you to try new things. To let go of some preconceived notions. To try. To work hard. To enjoy the process. To question in a positive way.

And all of that serious and gushy (yet so true) stuff.

I'm looking forward to seeing what else this book has to say and how I can distill it for you.
Because the truth is, the above statement is so, so true.

And happy Friday!!!