In a recent art newsletter there was a John Updike quote that he did not teach for fear it would affect his "art". The newsletter writer wondered if that might be true of studio work. I wrote a reply that might be of use here.
As a teacher, I had to reply. For the studio instructor there
is a different protocol than for the writer. Every artist who was well "taught"
by one artist/instructor or many, takes on a debt that must be repaid by paying
it forward. Those who benefit from your instruction incur the same debt with
the same imperative to pay it forward. I once saw an intelligent description of
a "professional" as compared to a tradesman. A professional shares knowledge
freely without trade secrets knowing that his unique abilities are a part of his
nature and not accumulated knowledge that must be held in secret to protect his
worth. I have tried to follow that philosophy sharing all knowledge with my
students to repay a tiny bit of what my teachers shared with me. I have
benefitted from the process and my art work is considerably more "honest" as a
result. We keep only what we share and the waves we make will benefit
generatons yet unimagined. I make art as a visual communication language with
artists I will never know. It is a way to touch the future and achieve a kind
of immortality not open to any other communication form. To avoid teaching is to
avoid repaying the debt, and we are made less by that avoidance.
JMHO Jon Rader Jarvis