The instigation
While considering an art classroom strategy book “Studio Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education” by Lois Hetland, I had come across a customer’s review which stated that though this particular art pedagogy book was “a great resource” it was “not an honest representation of the arts programming in this … country” and this reviewer would “do [their] own research on the poor, disenfranchised communities that need the knowledge of the 8 habits of mind…” I have had similar reading experiences regarding classroom management. Most often, the examples or classroom cases seemed too ideal or are the classic representations that support the solutions while never seeming to resemble to the spectrum of exceptions or real-world examples. So what was this 8 habits of mind that this reviewer mentioned? I have heard of the vastly marketed habits of successful people but what is this mind stuff habits with regard to education? We have habits. Habits get us through the day –like drinking a cup (or a few more) of coffee– or helps us manage a task quickly–like tying our shoe– so we can get to what we want to do. Sometimes the habit may not be a benefit but be our obstacle like smoking or looking at your phone. So what is the definition of the academic habit and how does it work in a classroom?
There are habits that get us through the day. Every morning after I get out of bed, I set a kettle to boil water for coffee–I am not fully awake but I accomplish the process of grabbing the kettle, turn on cold water, fill this kettle, set it on a particular stove top ring, and turn the heat to boiling enough water to fill a french press, have enough coffee for four cups of coffee, and not burn myself or spill the water. That is a lot of actions for one goal so is this a habit or set of habits? Before I go outside, I place my feet in some protective shell that we call footwear. To wear a shoe, I have the habit where I evaluate what I will wear based on the weather, the comfort and the attire. The next step of that habit concentrates on how to wear this footwear. If I have not just slipped my foot into a loafer I must tie my shoes. I do this complicated act of knot construction quickly without thinking, and it has been done well enough to stay knotted the entire time. I have a lot of habits while driving. When I maneuver my gas-powered 5-speed manual vehicle, I concentrate on and react to the road and obstacles but there is little to no focus on steering wheel manipulation in combination with the clutch/brake/gas/stick control during this process. When I start a drawing or print, I work through the visual metaphor’s composition and all of its stages that requires hours if not days of accumulated work. Does any of these example a habit? What really is a habit?
Exploring to understand
Or, what is a habit?
A habit can be described as an action that has been acquired into a natural reflex, motion and thought within a larger action for a specific purpose. Oxford Dictionary calls this a “force of habit” — the tendency for something done very frequently to become automatic. In other words, an action that does not require concentrated thinking to process and execute. Is this also known as second nature? Habits become a force that determines our ability to achieve a task or as a part of a progress with a productive measure to finish a larger task. This is not to be confused with the marketed ideal distinction of practiced actions as the path to success. The barrage of groups and self-helpers and motivators claim they have the habit set for you to achieve your goals in a consistent manner. Apparently the range of successful habits range from 7, 16 or 50.
Wait. 50?
Wait, wait, waitwaitwait. Wait. Before moving on with this dribbling rant but 50? This list promises too much. First, a person posting this exclamation hopefully did their due diligence. Such a claim would need extreme amount of research and several tests of a large population over a long period of time with several surveys to establish this as some semblance of truth. Essentially one would need solid evidence based on practically research and practice backed by some sense of authority to produce this list. Second, we could argue that the list does not have 50 unique practices. There appears that some practices overlap others, for example : Habits of successful people numbers 12, 37 and 38. Each habit revolves around risk or exploring beyond your usual habit or comfort zone–sure you can argue about the subtle differences but in the bigger theme they generally convey the same message. Also within their message, the author(s) indicated two additional habit lists to follow for success. Why so many from one source? Find or write a unique list that universally works. With these lists of successful people’s habits to follow, there may be some truth to this established belief but then again is the habit general enough to apply to what that person needs for their own definition of success. What if they have followed these habits and after a lengthy period they still have not reached their success? What is the definition of success in the context of an individual?
Habits, in a vague generalization, are either good or bad. Good provides the motion to achieving your goals, while bad deviates or distracts you from any positive achievements. A good habit could be waking up early to practice yoga as a positive direction for health maintenance and having an early start for the day. A bad habit would be indulging in the additional 1,000 calorie snack of processed foods and then washing that down with a couple of beers while on a cigarette break. Another degree of a bad habit is one too often practiced that then becomes an unhealthy addiction. This habit easily diverts our attention from anything healthy, safe or productive to focus on a single obsession of which we allow for that action to occur because that habit pleases us. Such actions have a large negative effect that no benefits could justify continuing and supporting that particular habit.
There are habits that become routine, or second nature, providing a gain or advantage toward functioning in any particular situation. At a working environment, there are habits that provide a person to effectively do their job toward greater productivity through continued practice over time–the longer the practice theoretically the better the productivity. A person themselves nor others of them should expect a habit within a job to immediately occur or become a primed skill. Think of Lucille Ball. In episode #39, Lucy and her close friend start a new job. Their boss provides the goal and a very brief overview of what is expected along with the consequence for a single mistake. But do they already have the skills mastered into a habit? Here is a spoiler — of course not; her comedy is based on errors. The chocolate confection conveyor belt commences at a manageable pace. They discover their process and develop their stride; they wrap chocolates with ease. To set the stage of overestimated confidence, Lucy states that this is not so bad. At that beat, they start losing their rhythm: some chocolates are poorly wrapped; some are pulled from the belt to be placed at their station for catch-up wrapping; some are simply consumed to rid the evidence of their ineffectiveness; and some move on by them. An expert confection wrapper would have had the habit in their muscle memory to pick up the wrapper, position it in the hand for optimum placement to gather and creatively close the wrapper in a luxurious presentation. That person would have the right habit for the job. Habits are practices learned that eventually allow an individual to accomplish a task efficiently. Both productive and addictive habits are learned. Parents, friends, coaches, mentors, teachers provide an environment to learn habits. So returning to the 8 habits of mind–what are they and how do they apply to students.
(Finally) Getting into the educational habits called the 8 habits of mind
The teacher’s role maintains several occupations. At any given time they are a leader, facilitator, motivator, expert, discoverer, learner, caregiver, supporter, psychologist, sociologist, manager, observer, evaluator and a forgiver (I am sure I have missed more). Simultaneously providing knowledge, the teacher promotes and encourages practice from each student the essence of independent learning. Teachers work to instill the values for the desire to learn. Learning is not a simple task nor is it an easily identifiable single process appropriate for all individuals. Learning is unique to each person. Each of us finds, evaluate, assess and utilize information into and with our own working knowledge unique to ourselves. Our experiences design our learning. People as teachers cannot see each of these individual processes but can only guide with encouragement the energized spirit of this process. Could this independent learning be best motivated by 8 habits of mind.
Are there specifically 8 habits? Goodwin University remarked that Connecticut River Academy trains students to be thinkers and learners with 16 habits. Another group specifically called “The Institute for Habits of Mind” provide a similar set of 16 habits to have the “a disposition toward behaving intelligently when confronted with problems.” What is the limit for the number of habits before it becomes too much? Other education makers like Harvard Graduate School of Education with their Project Zero or the National Council of Teachers of English and National Writing Project suggest that 8 will work just fine. Project Zero proposed habits specifically designed for the studio art learner: develop craft; engage and persist; envision; express; observe; stretch and explore; reflect; and understanding art worlds. Their system held that not one habit starts or ends the learning process nor one should be based from the other. The National Council of Teachers (et al) support an environment of learning based on encouraging curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility and metacognition. This set of habits derive from a developed environment of foundations that foster “the thinking that lies behind the habits.” There is some overlap thinking, but the habits may be designed for specific environments of function or purpose. What sparked this whole reflection was a book review and it indicated 8, and since the book was about studio art, the 8 habits to be explored will be specific to that subject.
Habit 1: Develop Craft
Since Project Zero stated there is no starting step for the habits, lets consider the habit of Develop Craft first. This logically makes some sense as all starting artists of any age experience art with the tools and making. Project Zero divided this habit into two thoughts: technique–learning to use tools, materials; and, studio practice– learning to care for tools, materials and space. The artist of all stages (starting, developing, experienced to master) experience this basic and essential habit for visual communication development. The neophyte explores through several accidents and refinements the foundational purpose and range of use for each tool, medium, materials and their working space: pencils and their graphic spectrum combined with pressure; paper quality and texture; the table surface; sitting or standing while working. The developing artist continues with the refinement of their tool manipulation while exploring with a more academic approach the elements and principles. The experienced artists have found their voice and work on stories to be told.
The basic need to be acquainted with the tools and materials allows for a comfort and confidence to set out and to freely explore and develop without impedance. In this habit, the artist has developed a comfortable extension from their bodies and minds that permits them to work through designing the message itself into its refined form as close as the artist can to their own vision using their own aesthetic language. It is the obstacle of unfamiliarity with the materials that hinders the artist’s production which could lead to frustration and eventually the lack of discipline to explore or continue art making. In this, the habit is a familiarity that allows the other habits to occur. If they cannot have the comfort to use the tools then there is no foundation for the other 7 to develop.
Habit 2: Observe; and Habit 3: Envision
To create, they have to have an idea, a concept or an observation to respond and expand upon to portray that message. The habits of observe and envision essentially mean the ability to collect, evaluate and analyze data to develop into a product. The observe habit is “learning to attend to visual context more closely than ordinary ‘looking’ requires, and thereby to see that otherwise might not be seen.” Observation is a concentrated looking with a focus to see the details, the whole and its relationship to its setting. Seeing is simply a clone of what is out there, but observation finds a significant meaning for a perspective and reveal. What does X have and hold along with being that makes this something to seek and recognize? Artists practiced looking to see more thoughtfully with a greater observance. This practice means having more curiosity– to ask questions that evokes a deeper understanding within that experience or further research of that moment. Artists enrich their knowledge to an extent of seeing more of the world beyond its first or surface impressions as well as the vastness of its being with unique perspectives and exposure to its complexities. With this practice, an artist could almost be considered a savant but with the outlet into a visual creation. The more practiced then the better at evaluating the sight and considering it into the visual translation into some aesthetic form and product. That translation could be within a range of an exact replica with hyper-realism detail execution or to the opposite extreme of the spectrum an abstract element that had some significant relationship or meaning extracted from that observation. Ask an individual who does not practice art or observation what they see and they might not have the complete or correct recollection.
Envision is “learning to picture mentally what cannot be directly observed and image possible next steps in making a piece.” Artists dream. Imagination and creativity breaks the expectation of what seeking the tangible world may not provide. This exploration does not exist solely in visual artists but within any person or group that defied the obvious and developed something not considered. Unique ideas are rare or not commonly developed simply because they may have been designed in isolated moments but not never conveyed or acted into being; or the fresh idea did not have the time to ferment into thought due to a focus on refining or adding to previous ideas. Ideas are hard (link to other post of ideas). What it does work relevant to what need must be met. Artists working in this direction explore beyond the expected and convey a concept others have not visualized or expressed. The result is a fresh twist on a message.
Habit 4: Express
An observation or idea kept only holds value for and know by the individual. To share that rich essence the artist expresses the message in some form. “Learning to create works that convey an idea, a feeling or a personal meaning.” Expression collides with three issues, two that have been previously presented: the ability to use the materials; and how to use those materials to equal the message as intended based on what was observed and/or envisioned. This habit has to rest on the ability to use the tools and the habit to thoughtful see or envision an experience; but the expression has to come from the academic exposure, comprehension and appreciation of art making. Visual expression requires the practiced use of elements and principles that define art techniques. Not aware that making a line with a purpose defeats the greater intention of how to make that line hold and deliver its meaning. It is not just the line, but the other elements essential for art to build the visual language into a conversation. These elements then produce alone or in combination by principle designations to further provide authority and authenticity of that production. We could say that an artist intuitively executes the basics but the knowledge of these basics makes the artist more keen with a better purpose and ability to achieve the intention. In a way, the habit becomes due to a habit (a diversion).
If one is illiterate then they will have a difficult time to express what they see or think or even to understand what they see and think. Without the elements of language, the communication can not be communicated and nothing results; the same can be stated for art making. Knowing the graphemes and phonemes combining all basic structures of the language into a cohesive sentence structure allows the expression of an idea and growth through sharing and collaboration based on exploring that idea. For art, the elements coexist and work considering principles expertly rendered within the medium. Communication is the sharing of knowledge.
Habit 5: Engage and Persist
Ideas can be confusing unless presented clearly. Effort provides the clarity. Effective communication through art making relies on having a meaningful observation or idea and authentic execution from start to the end. The artist has to “[learn] to embrace problems of relevance within the art world and/or of personal importance, to develop focus and other mental states conducive to working and persevering at art tasks.” Focus is a tough habit to acquire, practice and maintain. Pause and reflect for a moment how distracted we can be and most of it is just how interested or not interested with what we are doing. However, if you can keep that focus and see that progress, great results can happens. Once an artist has the abled themselves into an uninterrupted concentration, they experience the flow.
The flow becomes the assembled moments where one has tunnel vision concentrated on that immediate effort. This focus can assure all details of that message are supported and support the message. That artist has the potential to create a meaningful piece of art and to impress upon the viewer their need to engage in that experience. That artist’s need to convince from the viewer their effort was not half-heartedly produced.
Persistence has another hurdle beyond avoiding distractions. Beyond the commitment of focus, the artist has to move forward through mistakes and challenges. A large frustration preventing many from completing their goal is simply the mistake. Making a mistake may suggest that the artist does not possess the necessary skills or abilities to be that person to create. When we hit this wall we allow this obstacle to determine the end encouraging us to quit either the project or the pursuit of art as a whole. This action occurs at any activity, study or practice; the important action is to not let discouragement encourage terminating our motion. We must believe that mistakes are just one type of motivation. Mistakes educate us what we do not know or how well we know what we know. Mistakes should be considered guide rails of how to alter our thinking and actions to achieve what we initially set out to do. Not quitting is one of the essences of engaged learning.
H6 Reflect, H7 Understand Art Worlds
These two habits work with reflecting on what you are doing and to understand what you are doing. First for Habit 7 which is to understand the art worlds, it has two means to create this comprehension. One method is the “Domain: Learning about art history and current practice.” The other method involves living in and interacting with the “Communities: Learning to interact as an artist with other artists and within the broader society.” To know the present you need to know the past because the present exists due to the past. Artists need to be familiar with art history. To suggest they be an expert would mean removing themselves from the process of creating and just the concentration of studying eras and all of the players. This dedication would consume too much time and mental ability to practice as an artist. Their visual direction choice may have been previously approached. Knowing past approaches provides more experiences and push for a newness they can bring to the process and expression.
How to convey that experience means you need to know the vocabulary not just in the visual production sense, but the terms themselves and what they mean and carry. A line is a function of many artistically aspects, but how did your line work within your piece? A shrug of the shoulders and the explain of “it is what it is” shows not enough effort of comprehension risking on the viewer to appropriately interpret the intention. The artist can not function on blind luck and they need to express that function with others in the art world through conversation. Through this conversation, they have recorded their thoughts beyond what and how the viewer interpreted; and, the artist may receive feedback that could adjust their process to be more successful to achieve that goal. The lone genius is a romantic notion. We are influenced by everything around us and we do not work in a vacuum. Knowledge had to have been learned and developed so they can work through their own explorations in a more effective approach.
Habit 6 of reflecting sounds similar to Habit 7. Habit 6 requires that the artist “Question[s] and explain[s by l]earning to think and talk with others about an aspect of one’s work or working process.” The artist also needs to “Evaluate: Learning to judge one’s own work and working process, and the work of others in relation to standards of the field.” The artist could understand what they do by understanding the world of art, but the other habit to reflect or judge work and its process can not live on its own without Habit 7 or to understand the history and practice of art. While working, you could ask yourself what and how you are doing just as its own action and evidence by your emotional and mental evaluations and the product itself, but the full essence of your progress can not go without questioning it compared to the practice of art especially in your medium. Do I really know how this color works with this color while not knowing color theory? Does marble convey the contrast of its own delicacy when sculpted into a cube? You could intuitively respond, but academically you would not. To effectively move beyond your obstacles or creative blocks, you must have mastered to some degree an experience through practice and exposure of art in and of itself through the reflection of it and conversation within it.
H8: Stretch and Explore
“Learning to reach beyond one’s capacities, to explore playfully without a preconceived plan, and to embrace the opportunity to learn from mistakes and accidents.” This habit is the best of them all. Learning comes not always doing something correctly or always within what we feel comfortable doing. Risks means we explore and mistakes indicate how not to do it while guiding us how to do it. To paraphrase a popular and friendly artist, there are no mistakes, just happy accidents. The artists’ actions sometimes works within a flow and the full focus may not be on the technical aspect but just the making itself. When something not technically appropriate happens, we must ask ourselves how does this moment work for us and what can develop from it. If we do not explore beyond our comfortable and familiar abilities we do not discover what we do not know and how to grow from that new knowledge. Working from that mistake demonstrates a strong knowledge of our skills and their development. Practice makes us better at what we do, but the exploration of what we practice and the academic fixing of our accidents provides the access to expand our abilities.
Final remarks
Habits provide us the means to produce a solution we need whether it be a repetitive task for a job or a part in preparation for our day. No matter what the habit, it had to be developed through a process of practice. That practice needed some guidance and instruction either through self awareness or by support. Some habits rely on other habits to be effective and some work independently. Are these the true 8 habits of every artist? The practice of art making is as unique as your own voice. Our experiences, how they have been interpreted and how we remember them create our perspective. How we achieve that can also vary. The habits may be a foundation or they may be the support to develop beyond the blocks in our process. In the end, how we have accomplished our work and we can grow from it is the basic need that matters.
References and Sources
Week Plan. August 16, 2019 (viewed June 2021). 50 Habits of Successful People. https://weekplan.net/50-habits-of-successful-people
Hetland, Lois; and others. 2013. Studio Thinking 2 – Studio Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education. http://www.pz.harvard.edu/resources/studio-thinking-2-the-real-benefits-of-visual-arts-education
Book review for Lois Hetland and 2 more Studio Thinking 2 : https://smile.amazon.com/Studio-Thinking-Benefits-Visual-Education/dp/0807754358/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=lois+hetland&qid=1625513495&sr=8-4
Ball, Lucille. September 15, 1952. Lucille Ball – Job Switching, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0609243/
(Video source: https://www.wideopeneats.com/i-love-lucy-chocolate-factory/ )
Goodwin University. November 2, 2017 (viewed June 2021). What are the Habits of Mind? https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/what-are-the-habits-of-mind/
Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, and National Writing Project. January 2011. https://www.ode.state.or.us/wma/teachlearn/commoncore/habits-of-mind.pdf
Harvard Graduate School of Education. 2003. Eight Habits of Mind (Reference link). http://www.pz.harvard.edu/resources/eight-habits-of-mind
( Resource link) : http://www.pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/eight_habits_of_mind%20.pdf
Costa, Arthur L. Ed. D. (viewed June 2021) What Are Habits of Mind? https://www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/what-are-habits-of-mind/