in no particular order. To be clear, the studio habits of mind are not a checklist that one tics off like, “Oh hey, I’ve practiced painting (develop craft) and spent time engaging in my craft (engage and persist). However, none of this involves linear thinking artists are always developing craft, envisioning their ideas, observing their subject, etc. And that involves deconstructing the work and thought process visual artists take to create. As a result, it’s our job to bust these negative mindsets. Yes, some artists are able to do that, just not continually all the time. Those of us who are trained artists and teachers know it’s not possible to always wing it. They’re so hung up on the “product” that’s been created and not the thought process it took to create it. I can say from experience that my students believe artists just wing it. Implementing the Studio Habits of Mind in the Art Room Kids working on developing craft during a sculpture art project. Therefore, they can be hard to separate out as being wholly in the “engage and persist” column or, say, the “stretch and explore” column. Often times, these habits overlap one another in the tasks that students perform. Understand Art World: Learn about art history and ways to interact as an artist with other artists.Stretch and Explore: Reach beyond my abilities and embrace the chance to learn from my mistakes.Reflect: Talk about and access the process of artmaking for myself and others.Observe: Look carefully to see things that might not otherwise be seen.Express: Create works that convey an idea, a feeling, or meaning.Envision: Mentally picture the next possible steps in my work.Engage and Persist: Embrace important artistic problems and develop focus within my work.Develop Craft: Use and care for tools and materials as well as the practices of an art form.The researchers at Harvard’s Project Zero developed these 8 Studio Habits of Mind as a result of studying artists and art educators. They found that these habits help artists improve their craft, tackle hard problems, and give teachers concrete language to those internal processes that happen during art making. What if children understood how artists think and how that translates into what they do every day? Would it help them grow? Be better problem-solvers? Generate new ideas? And in turn, feel more successful? SLO (Student Learning Objectives) or SGO (Student Growth Objectives).Studio Habits of Mind Center Activities.

Implementing the Studio Habits of Mind in the Art Room.I shudder to think of all the wonderful untrained artists like James Rizzi, Laurel Burch, Keith Haring, and Frida Kahlo who, if they operated with the same notion, would not have created their art!Īnd that’s why I’ve invested so much time into creating these Studio Habits of Mind posters for my art room. And they don’t think beyond skills to other aspects of what it means to be an artist. They treat the acquisition of skills as if they have to be born with it.

(Maybe she’s born with it? Maybe it’s Maybelline? I’m saying it’s the Maybelline.) They set themselves up for failure by saying things like, “I have no talent in my family.” Or, “I can’t do that. It’s the bane of my existence as an art teacher. When the chips are down, when one of them is struggling, or when a classmate holds up their amazing drawing they worked so hard on for all to see, you’re bound to overhear the “t” word at some point. Moreover, my students have assigned a label to describe these self-perceived successful artists. The researchers at Harvard’s Project Zero coined them the Studio Habits of Mind (SHOM). These practices help artists in becoming great problem-solvers. Artists cultivate habits over time to help guide and inform their choices. They think they need to be born an artist in order to be an artist, to think like an artist. And that’s simply not true. There’s a myth that clouds my student’s minds. 10 Helpful Studio Habits of Mind Ideas for Art Teachers Studio Habits of Mind posters for the elementary art room.

Studio habits of mind examples