Introduction to the Studio Thinking Habits of Mind - Develop Craft and Engage and Persist

Here is a link to a great blog and an amazing art studio. I posted her latest posting here because I think it's very relevant to what I'm trying to accomplish. Teresa has been a great resource for me in starting my studio and I really appreciate her point of view and willingness to offer constructive advice!! Check it out!
http://artatthecenter.blogspot.com/

Growing out of work at Harvard's Project Zero, researchers have developed several frameworks for thinking about how people learn and the traits that contribute to learning. One framework is called the Studio Thinking Habits of Mind. There are 8 characteristics that we can learn in a studio setting. We'll examine two of them at a time over the next few weeks. These habits inform what we do in the studio and guide our thinking about the work/play we do in the studio.The first of the Habits is Developing Craft: Learning to use and care for tools (e.g., viewfinders, brushes), materials (e.g., charcoal, paint). Learning artistic conventions (e.g., perspective, color mixing). The first thing we must do in any situation is to learn what is available and how to use it. So we introduce art materials with basic instruction. And just like learning to play the piano takes much practice, the same repeated use and experience applies to art materials. It takes time to mess about with materials, time to explore, time to explore with specific goals in mind...all steps in learning the craft--the techniques--of specific materials. We believe that children are highly capable and competent. It is up to teachers to tap into those competencies rather than ignore them. Young children are quite capable of learning the proper use of, say, real hammers. It is our responsibility to show them how, instruct them in appropriate safety measures, demonstrate limitations. Then they have the knowledge to use to build whatever their imaginations can imagine.The second Studio Thinking Habit of Mind is Engaging and Persisting: Learning 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. So now I know a bit about using these materials. We've mixed red and yellow and white in various proportions to create a range of oranges. And the challenge set before me (by a teacher or myself) is to use those oranges on a sheet of paper--to cover the paper. I make some marks and begin to create a pleasing assortment of geometric shapes. Then I declare, "I'm done." The teacher reminds me that "real" artists cover the whole canvas--even if it's white, it's painted white. Here's where--as a beginning artist of any age--I have to re-engage with the task at hand and stick with it to its end. We have observed that this step also involves some risk-taking. I know what the picture looks like so far, and I have to take the step of changing it--for better or worse, that's the next step. The willingness to re-engage and persist to the next level are traits that are necessary in all sorts of endeavors--not just arts. Creative problem solvers in the 21st century need experience in relatively low-risk situations so they know they can handle the consequences of their actions--good, bad, or different.