When I meet someone new, their reaction to my being an artist is either one of approval, or most often, their need to tell me how bad they are at art. This reaction is so pervasive because, at some point, they feel they have failed and or been defeated as an artist or as an art viewer. Fine art is so far from their realm of comfortable concepts that they need to protect themselves from ever feeling small again when the topic is brought up. So they warn me beforehand in case I dare to ask them to pick up a paintbrush or something. As an aspiring art educator, this is always disheartening to hear. My teaching philosophy is that everyone is an artist: capable of creating something they are proud of with their two hands and their big brain. ​