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 creative arts teaching on the premise of one’s insignificance may seem counterintuitive in an industry that tends to assert the importance of the ego, but I have found that humility tends to produce professionals that are substantially more powerful, autonomous, and also demonstrably successful.
Whatever the subject or performance context, my approach to instruction, mentorship, pedagogic design, and even admissions begins with a presumption of aptitude and competence in the student, aspects of which are often latent. Bringing latent skills forward requires adapting responsively to diverse learner profiles, understanding variations in aptitude, careful listening and observation, and understanding the many forces that shape an individual’s ability to grow.
All artists possess titrations of both strength and weakness in constant flux; to be fully understood, any individual moment in an artistic process needs to be contextualized as only one point on a larger arc of development. I strive to help students see this larger arc so that their inevitable victories and defeats can be seen with greater objectivity; in doing so, the outcomes of individual turning points become less “mission-critical” and anxiety-provoking.
Ultimately I work to create a space where students feel it is safe to be authentic, and where they also feel seen and accepted in their authenticity. Authenticity is the foundation of diversity, innovation, and inspiration. It underpins intellectual and emotional flexibility. It illuminates the futility of competition. Ultimately, it is what the most the longest, most healthy, sustainable, and satisfying creative professional careers are built on.
A recurring priority in my teaching is for students to understand the importance of advocating for the power of art and creativity more broadly, and to understand how they are uniquely qualified to do so. 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 materialize employment. Students are often initially surprised by the notion of creating work rather than finding it, but they soon realize the feasibility of doing so through strategic relationship-building, identifying mentors, and building their ability to clearly and precisely express themselves. One of my greatest joys as a teacher is to witness the elation of a student bursting with pride in themselves over a professional success that they feel to have created out of thin air.
My work as a teacher is complete when my students feel ready to embrace their cosmic insignificance and become my colleague in pursuit of building a more beautiful world: quietly, confidently, and powerfully.
Toronto, May 2026