Growth in the creative process depends on being teachable......open to seeing and learning in a new way. There are many different kinds of teachers....and just as an excellent teacher can strengthen and clarify the creative process, a bad teacher can damage, and muddy an artists growth. Art is like any other skill....writing, learning a musical instrument or speaking well. We enjoy doing it and when we enjoy doing it well, it is even more enjoyable to get better. And so we grow and are open to learning new techniques from many sources. Defending our expertise, our style, our level of success because of pride or fear of our reputation gets in the way. The really great artists that I totally admire are always learning, choosing to improve with every opportunity. They do not get stagnant. When we ask we are led.....and the old axiom seems to be true, When the student is ready, the teacher appears."
