Nobody realizes  that some people expand enormous energy merely to be normal
Albert Camus

google image/special education student art

Steven Wiltshire, Autistic Artist

As I was looking for a quote to share with you this one struck me.  Earlier in the blog I highlighted an artist that had autism, and I have spent a career in teaching others with disabilities of many kinds.  From physical disabilities to mental ones, children and people are challenged around the world just to achieve what some do without thought and so effortlessly.  I can remember the years I had special education schools part of the week and regular education the rest of the week.  I had come to respect my special education students so much that I was impatient with normal kids who took for granted the most basic of things and would not try.  My special education students worked so hard to accomplish the simplest task...holding a crayon, making a mark on paper, focusing on their work, making a sound to let me know they understood....I remember reading recently on an art site about an artist with a servere mental disorder he had had all his life, and how difficult it was to emerge from the fog of depression to create.  Below is a photograph of the famous artist Ying Ying.  She has struggled with mental illness her whole career and life. 

Ying Ying has long struggled with mental illness thought being a highly successful artist
google image

special education student loving art class/google image

 I cannot tell you how much better a person I became because of the those wonderful students and  people in my life, they taught me so much about life and what is truly important.  We can be as intellectual and snobby about art as we want...we can be avid critics, we can only admire accomplished artists, or we can look at art and the joy of color, line, texture, expression and honor what ever human being does to express their existence.  I encourage you highly, no matter your position or talent, to do the latter.  Open your heart, Open your mind....let art shine from every source!