Learning by Art-Based Practice
In a time where the constructs and systems we’ve built in society are failing us, we are challenged to re-consider life and what our humanity means. I dedicate my practice to visualize knowledgable and practical stories out of the studio’s and ateliers bringing on the table strategies, methods and tools from artistic process that remain often unnoticed in the final product. I believe they actually have a potential to balance an individualistic and consumer-based, online society. The work of art as the reflector on humanity in all its facets.
“Art practice intrinsically consists of fundaments for community values: People working together, working on the premisses of equity, taking time to study and having emphatic conversations are a few qualities of the (performing) artists’ practice”
Anne-marije van den bersselaar
There is more: Artistic practice has the potential to bring knowledge and experience together and therefore concretize ideas into action. Artistic practice also brings people together in situations where the outcome is unknown. This is the perfect playground to explore endless possibilities and unconventional solutions to any problem. Art practice belongs within our lives, not solely reflecting from the outside on uur lives.
I offer project-based working methods to embrace the following components, all related to building a more sustainable work setting. I take these conditions and values seriously in my project activities, with respect to the current situation:
- Content-driven work setting
The origin to start projects for the sake of improvement need to be content-driven. My strength lays in engaging and connecting people by inspiring projects, based on a vision and driven by a collective passion. For me this is a basic principle that needs to be underlined these days by the great weight of finance-driven motives to re-organize institutes, communities and organizations. This is driven by courage, more than by management competence if you ask me, because it indirectly forces us to stand for a vision, a belief, our ideals and dreams. And I have no problem functioning as an example for this.
- Process-based focus
Projects request a different time urgency. Work needs to be performed in a limited amount of time with a clear assignment from the start defined. I get inspired when the learning process of a project team as well as the development goals for the client or organization are taken into account. Therefor I prefer to to work in collaborative, co-creative setting, where the committed people define together the goals they want to achieve and by what standards, ideals or approaches. This opposed to a result-based, product-based or task-driven project methods where the focus is on the delivered products only. In my vision the process-based approach embraces more sustainable values for designing a work setting with people. To invest in people and make them owner of what they are doing and how they want to do it can only contribute to the health of an organizational work environment as well as engaging the actual delivered products to a social network or community.
- Self-directed attitude
I prefer bottom-up managing policies to lead people in their work and projects, especially when it concerns a re-organization assignment in an existing organization. I trust the potential of people in any kind of organization. It is just a matter of finding a way to invest, inspire and educate the people that are engaged in the project. Therefor, it is of great interest to define a managing frame for facilitating new project activities within a company beforehand. This needs to be prepared and integrated in a project plan. For me this connects to an inclusive approach towards working together: Form and content, policy and execution as well as defining professional roles and acknowledging individual talent belongs together within the facilitation during a project. The only way to facilitate that is by listening to the engaged people, gathering people that match well in working together like this of course, and delegating responsibilities towards people to gain trust in themselves, the team and therefor the project.
Conceptual Work Methods
Many artists work from a single idea to make it into a successful project of any kind, in any form and implementing many perspectives on life, society and our own behavior. One core quality of the artistic process towards production is that it delivers unexpected, highly analyzed, conceptually designed products based on authentic principles and socially engaged co-creators. In other words, the artistic making process contains many treasures that could benefit (learning) communities and society, not only the production of artworks. As many other existing beautiful initiatives by artists to make their practice accessible for different disciplines and sectors, I like to offer my dramaturgic, educational expertise to design and develop projects for organizational change, educational programs or an ‘artproof’ identity.
1. Creative Methods & Strategies
Dramaturgy is a relatively new profession in art history that guards, analyzes and develops these working frames for or with artists in the theatre and performance sector. Depending on the collaborative contract with artists, the dramaturge takes responsibility in facilitating, consulting and conserving ideas that are created in the research and rehearsal period. These tasks request dramaturges to adjust flexible to any occurring situation, empathize with involved people and contribute to internal communication lines. All to predict or visualize the future potential of that single idea into creative methods & strategies.
2. Analytical & Reflective methods
Besides, dramaturgy also offers multiple perspectives on performative roles, within society or organizations. By analytical methods dramaturges are trained to dissect a working process or situation instantly. They need to be able to zoom in or to overview a process in order to bring people forward to their set goals. Focus on learning development of people is crucial here. By coaching & facilitating techniques dramaturges recognize existing behavioral or intellectual patterns of people that limits the learning curve.
3. Coaching & Facilitating Techniques
So whether an artwork, an educational program or organizational structure needs to be (re-)created, I am convinced the dramaturgic perspective can contribute to a new design by the broad approach, strategies and principles of the profession. Artistic strategies can help building strong branding storylines. Creative work methods open up existing behavioral habits to increase the learning potential of a professional community. All these opportunities can be conceptualized into concrete plans with regard to the timing of a situation and personal needs.