Idea Transcript
Teaching Philosophy Bratislav “BaTo” Cvijetic
My goal in teaching is to inspire students to create and visualize their life experiences through art. Our life experiences have a large impact on the art we create and it is those experiences that make our art stand out and bring out the uniqueness that each artist so desires. Our life experiences and our interpretations of them generate and cultivate our creative nature. For me, growing up in a tumultuous time of war in Bosnia contributed to my art style as well as my creative intellect. In my graduate work I depicted my altered worldview, which occurred as a result of my childhood living in a time of war. At an early age, reading comic books inspired my art. My pre-war notebook was filled with sketches of beautiful environments and powerful heroes. Then war came into my life; it was no longer a fantasy in a graphic novel or comic book but something occurring right outside my window. I was twelve at the time and with the war came pain, desperation, and devastation. My art now reflected the new reality in which I belonged. It is true that our experiences, especially the ones that change the course of our life, have the potential to change how we view the world. One teacher, Dr. Alessandro Imperato, has had great influence on me during my graduate work at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He is a theorist/practitioner in the field of visual arts and new digital media. Dr. Imperato approached the class from a fine art perspective and placed great emphasis on concept development, visual research, and experimentation. This was a pivotal point in my thinking as an artist because it is then that I realized how teaching art is not only important, but also how much it enriched my life. Without judgment, Dr. Imperato guided me to express myself using my life experiences and explore my creativity. He critiqued my work with such precision and descriptive feedback thereby contributing to my development as an artist. This is when I started wondering if I could do the same and help someone realize their potential. As an art teacher, I see myself evolve as an artist and rely on the knowledge and skills I have learned to impart them onto my students. I also hope to learn from the students and their experiences and absorb that in my art. I would like to influence the students to critique their colleagues and their own work as well as mine. Honest critique, not unconstructive disapproval, will help one to grow as a successful artist. I understand critiques are hard but they are necessary. My teaching philosophy is that all students can express their creativity in a nurturing, supportive, challenging, and inspiring environment. In such an environment, students and teachers are cocreators of learning experiences that nurture technical skills, visual analysis, intuition, and critical analysis of their own and others’ works. In such an environment, I support students by giving them the means to move from an idea to a finished product.
My goal is to teach students to capitalize on their experiences that make them unique. An initial spark along with support and dialogue are all that is needed to create a work of art. Not giving up is the key to becoming a full time artist. This mentality of not giving up needs to be embedded into the way our students think. I want to help my students realize that imperfection is the fuel that drives us to excel; to strive for the most ambitious result and know that they will not be disappointed at the results. I believe in mentoring students to enable them to excel. This benefits them and helps with their creativity and skills necessary for success in life after college. Art is not just a talent, it is a way of life. It helps the shy express themselves. It is often said that, “Practice makes perfect”, but sometimes due to time constraints we seem to disregard that phrase. I intend to emphasize this throughout my teachings because without consistent practice, talent can fade. I would also encourage the students to freelance as this helps with “practicing” their art. In five years, I see myself teaching and practicing art as well as exploring different mediums, projects, short films, and comic books. This appeals to young minds and, hopefully, these art forms will attract students’ interest in pursuing art as a career. Helping students find creative process and preparing them for the real world and hopefully some financial stability is something I strive for. I want my students to make a career out of their talents. I would like to also work on collaborating with other departments in the university as well other universities. The technology is integrated and arts plays a big part in it. Game development requires artists and programmers, the web needs designers and coders, and if the departments work together we can create a workforce ready to face the world, while in school. It is my goal to help each student become an independent exploratory and creative thinker.