Dear Artist,
“Unschooling” is an educational philosophy and practice that allows children to learn through natural life experiences. Play, games, fantasy, hobbies and social interaction are supposed to take the place of traditional schools. The theory is that current curricula and grading systems are counterproductive to the goal of a broad education. The term “unschooling” was coined in the 1970s by educator John Holt. It’s not to be confused with “homeschooling” where kids are taught standard curricula by parents. Critics of unschooling have concerns that unschooled children will lack social skills, structure, and motivation — especially in the job market. Proponents of unschooling maintain the exact opposite — a self-directed education in a natural environment makes a child more equipped to handle the real world.
North Shore, Lake Superior, 1926
Oil on canvas
40 1/4 x 50 1/8 inches
by Lawren Harris (1885-1970)
Many of us run our creative lives like unschooled kids. We work for joy, go here and there, treat our work as a hobby, indulge in wishful thinking, and have lots of social interaction. The question is — if unschooling is so effective and superior, how come there aren’t more brilliant artists around? More to the point, how come there’s so much substandard art out there? Further, what type of education makes for superior art? Fact is, great art comes from both the schooled and the unschooled. It may have more to do with the old business of “character.” In our game, character is the confluence of four virtues: high motivation, high curiosity, high work habits and high ego force. Funnily, among the folks I compete with, those four virtues are most often found among the unschooled.
Mt. Lefroy, 1930
Oil on canvas
52.5 x 60.4 inches
by Lawren Harris
Another interesting aspect of unschooling has to do with credentialism. Unschooled folks enter the jobosphere uncredentialled. They may have no degree, affiliation or parchment to back up their capabilities. Recent studies in the field of medicine, of all places, have revealed a few surprises. In some cases, the least credentialed doctors had the best human skills, on-the-job learning capabilities, and most success with treating patient maladies. In my case anyway, I’m not quite ready to allow a non-credentialed proctologist to practice proctology on my precious proctor.
Best regards,
Robert
Isolation Peak, Rocky Mountains, 1930
Oil on canvas
42 × 50 inches
by Lawren Harris
PS: “What makes people smart, curious, alert, observant, competent, confident, resourceful, persistent — is not having access to more and more learning places, resources, and specialists, but being able in their lives to do a wide variety of interesting things that matter, things that challenge their ingenuity, skill, and judgment, and that make an obvious difference in their lives and the lives of people around them.” (John Holt)
Esoterica: In measuring yourself for those four virtues — motivation, curiosity, work habits and ego force — you can get an idea how your own chances stack up. Then again you might just become a roaring success by being lackadaisical, ignorant, lazy and without confidence. In the funny game we call art, it’s been done. Regarding ego force, we don’t always like people who have it. If you have it, and need to be liked, you ought to consider letting most of it come out the end of your brush.
Lawren Harris, educated and self-educated, hiking shirtless near Mount Temple in the Canadian Rockies with CBC producer Ira Dilworth. His easel and art supplies are on his back.
This letter was originally published as “The unschooling of art” on May 3, 2011.
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“I myself incline to drift, to accept a lesser situation rather than strive for a greater, and yet, I know that character in life and art is only made by an effort that is quite beyond one’s ordinary everyday acceptance of things as they are.” (Lawren Harris)
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Oil on Canvas
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14 Comments
Love this! Especially the part about the proctologist and the precious proctor.
So do I, Hope! That very comment reminds me how much I miss Robert — but also how grateful I am that Sara re-posts his wise and witty musings here.
Hummm. I’m pretty much self taught, but look hard at images that inspire me, and I am sensitive to my materials. Are we fighting because of my lack of skills, or because this brush or that canvas needs me to do something that isn’t right for me? My few college art classes were real turn-offs.
On the other hand, I had to try to train a home-schooled young man who’d applied for a job as a waiter and it was like teaching a rock. He would just stand there and stare at me when I directed him to do the simplest things, like be attentive to customers, clear tables, pour water. He lasted one night. Heard something from another person who tried to employ him. Utterly unprepared for the real world. So, yes, being willing to pay attention is a biggie.
As a parent of a kid who was unschooled through high school and a leader in the alternative homeschooling community for years, I have to point out that “homeschoolers”, just like traditionally schooled kids come in all matter of personalities and levels of social skills. There are unschoolers and homeschoolers with very outgoing personalities and who are highly curious and engaged, and others whose personalities are more introverted and shy or less engaged with the world around them just as I, myself, remember kids I went to school with. In other words, it probably had more to do with the individual’s personality than how he was schooled.
Love this, particularly the Lawren Harris paintings! I’m a fan of his beautiful works!
Inspiration for artists comes from all kinds of places. And self-education makes use of many more resources than books. Often it is the heart that instructs, and personal intuition. As Robert mentioned in this letter, some ego (which I read as self-confidence) is necessary to drive the ideas into physical form, as well as dedicated work habits. My own schooling in the arts did not wholly prepare me for what I am doing now. My current work is a result of a kind of “feeling out” of life and what is important to me, as one might follow the light of a candle in crossing a dark room. May that light never go out.
I believe Picasso said, “…we learn the rules so we know how to break them…” Well, that’s the way I heard it.
Don’t you just love it!? The likely successful artist’s “character is the confluence of four virtues: high motivation, high curiosity, high work habits and high ego force.” Were you surprised? As much as I work to have my ego force come out through the end of my brush, I always keep a little back to push me through a tough day or a particularly difficult stretch activity, like doing interviews and show openings and specific scheduled gallery visits with new-to-me art collectors. There is no room for my shrinking violet during these moments!
As for the unschooling of art, I am not so sure. There is a driving curiosity to learn in my artist’s character that is definitely self-directed and doesn’t require the seeking out of a formal degree process. But is it unschooled? My degrees are in other areas (Sociology and Gender Studies) and though valuable and have served me well, even within the schooling system, that curious part of me thrived the most and derived great satisfaction from endless critical questioning. This refined ability to research, assess and explore definitely carried over into my more self-directed art study through community and college and private art classes that continued from youth in a selective fashion until about 14 years ago. Then, I taught painting classes for a few years after this (which we know is where some serious learning must take place to unpack the process for someone else just getting started).
If I had had an opportunity within my reach years ago, I probably would have done an Master of Fine Arts. However, my life didn’t unfold this way and I haven’t found that my unschooling has been much of a barrier so far. I am just not sure it has made a positive difference, even though it hasn’t gotten in the way. Yes, paintings find homes but do they find homes any quicker because my unschooling? Is the work any more unique or powerful because of my self-selected learning? I have no way of really answering these questions and simple need to lean into my four virtues and keep painting!
A great letter as always!
Love this letter, thank you!! I’ve never stopped wondering why we need to flash credentials after we make decent artwork that in itself proves whoever painted it knows what they are doing. Do art collectors/appreciators really stop from purchasing a piece of artwork they are close to buying because they can’t find credentials and lists of education presented by the artist? I don’t think I am unschooled, but I don’t have any diplomas of proof, either, nor do I profess to be self taught. I’m not sure where I fit in, other than in front of my easel that is, that’s where I fit in. I had a hard time writing bios 30 years ago when I really had nothing to flaunt. I still have a hard time with that. Needless to say, I love Robert’s quote ” Regarding ego force, we don’t always like people who have it. If you have it, and need to be liked, you ought to consider letting most of it come out the end of your brush.” Amen Robert, Amen.
Great comments. Totally agree!
Eleven years ago, I wrote a book about the alumni of one of the most radical of the “unschooling” schools, The Jefferson County Open School, in Lakewood, Colorado. The Open School is a pre-K through 12th grade PUBLIC school of choice that has been thriving for over fifty years in a rather conservative school district. If you want to find out about the “results” of this kind inter-directed, experiential kind of education, please check it out. The Open School has no grades or credits and, yes, the kids DO go to and complete college. More importantly, they actually live by the five goals of the school:
1) REDISCOVER THE JOY OF LEARNING
2) SEEK MEANING IN YOUR LIFE
3) DEAL WITH AND ADAPT TO THE WORLD THAT IS
4) PREPARE FOR THE WORLD THAT MIGHT BE
5) HELP CREATE THE WORLD THAT OUGHT TO BE
The name of my book is: Lives Of Passion, School of Hope. It’s available at the Barnes and Noble and Amazon sites among others.
Thank you to everybody who responded to this deeply satisfying and richly engaging letter. A lot to consider here. What a joy these conversations are! Very helpful to a self taught artist who often sees that as a stumbling block. But no longer!
‘An artist who is self-taught is taught by a very ignorant person indeed.’ (John Constable) By ‘ignorant’ Constable means lacking in knowledge or awareness, not discourteous.
Reading John Holt (and Ivan Illich) caused me to drop out of college in the late 70’s to my parents’ dismay! In the end I returned, taking advantage of both school and the school of life.