Thinking is something we do every day - however we often mistake simple tasks that require thought as genuine thinking. Questions like 'what shall I have for dinner?' or 'What shall I wear today?' are not digging deep into your thought processes.

In art lessons your teachers will be focusing on developing the two dominant thinking skills, which are CREATIVE THINKING and CRITICAL THINKING.

The better you can develop these two core thinking skills, the better an artist you will become. Use the below links to find activities that will develop your creative and critical thinking skills.

Creative Thinking

http://www.creativecorporateculture.com/11-useful-tricks-to-improve-creative-thinking/

Creative thinking is the ability to think up new ideas, think outside of the box and generate creative processes that lead to effective outcomes.

Try these strategies to improve your creative thinking:

Brainstorm ideas

Doodle/ sketch

Think about several different meanings to a piece of art

Ask questions and show curiosity

Write your ideas and thoughts down, keep a journal

Devise 50 new uses for a spoon

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the process of analysis and evaluation in order to form an opinion or judgement. This is important in art and you are constantly trying to explore methods that suit your artistic nature. We use artists as a research material but more important than the research is the analysis and personal evaluations leading to the influence it has on your own artistic development.

Try these methods to improve your critical thinking skills:

Choose a 'problem' to solve and consider different ways of approaching it

Read an article and create a pros and cons list

Actively participate in group debating in lessons or at home

Share your opinion with a friend and discuss how you might change it

Look at an artist's work and explain the aesthetic qualities.

Inspiration Station

®

Creative Thinking

Critical Thinking