As my mother neared her death she wrote to me: “Getting older is a humbling process: you realize how insignificant you are in the cosmic scheme of things.” Basing professional arts teaching on the premise of one’s insignificance may seem counterintuitive in an industry that tends to elevate narcissism, but my experience suggests that humility produces more sustainably powerful, autonomous, resilient, successful creative professionals.
My approach to instruction, assessment, mentorship, and curriculum design begins with a presumption of aptitude and competence in the learner, many aspects of which are often latent. Identifying and developing latent abilities requires presence and attention, listening and observation, compassion, honest communication, and a quiet mind.
In trying to offer these things to my students, I hope to prepare them for the reality that creative professional development does not unfold in a linear way. Strength and weakness are in constant flux. Life circumstances change without warning. Opportunities arise and vanish. Colleagues can be unpredictable. Our goals change and evolve. Success and failure can co-exist in the same moment. By helping students understand that these non-linear experiences are points along a lifetime arc of development, rather than steps closer or further from some fixed destination, they can learn to recognize the importance and value of any outcome or experience, and to live alongside uncertainty.
Ultimately I work to create an environment in which students feel it is safe to be authentic, and in which they feel seen and accepted in their authenticity. In this environment diversity, innovation, and inspiration can all emerge naturally and truthfully. Passion can grow because ideas and initiatives are charged with personal meaning. The intuitive voice becomes clearer and stronger. Templates and scripts become irrelevant. Individuals can learn from each other. The futility of competition is revealed. Teaching and learning become porous.
A recurring priority in my teaching is for students to understand their unique qualification and obligation to advocate for the power of art and creativity. The anxiety around employment opportunities is a constant theme of discussion with my students, and so I often position their self-advocacy work as one of the most critical skills needed to generate employment. Students are often initially surprised by the notion of creating work through human relationship-building, identifying mentors, and clear self expression, rather than by scouring job postings. One of my greatest joys as a teacher is to see a student astonish themselves with a success they feel to have manifested out of thin air.
I strive for my students to become my colleagues, for them to become stronger than me, and to come to know the seriousness of their power as creative people to be the guardians of meaning and coherence in our world.
Toronto, May 2026