Teaching Art

Today marks the finish of a year of teaching at The College of Fine Art, Bangalore. I acted as a Project Guide for final year, Applied Art students. The final year batch of Applied or Commercial Art picks a subject which they research and develop communication campaigns for. They spend the whole year on this project, which in theory is a final intensive boot camp session in ‘applied art’. In reality though, it’s anything but.

It’s funny. About the time I left college I always felt that if I taught there, I could make a huge difference. Of course I wouldn’t, because I can’t handle the teacher’s salary bit… but I just thought that I could use better techniques. It’s funny because that’s exactly what happened. Ten years later I was invited over as a guest lecturer. After a year of guest lecturing, I applied some of my learnings with the new batch the following year. I learnt a great deal, and here are some of my observations.

WTF’s up with Psychiatry?

I’m a graphic designer by trade, someone who has more of an opportunity to wonder about aspects of the mind than many other professions may lend. I mean, when you wonder where that blockbuster of an idea came from and why you cannot have access to that process more often or as and when you want it – sets you thinking. You eventually try to find answers through hypothesis and trial and error. Data that you collect, you cross refer with existing publications or findings to see what the others make of it.

That being my general state of mind, more or less all the time you may imagine that I collect huge amounts of data on the subject. Everyone knows a so called ‘mad’ artist or designer. Perhaps it’s because the barriers of social conduct are much lesser in a bohemian art community that you sometimes see ’strange’ behavior from artists. Some of them actually take themselves so seriously that they need to visit a Psychiatrist. This is tremendously interesting to me because I just cannot comprehend it. I understand the role of advice in interpersonal communication, I understand character, personality and behavioral traits which is all common sense so far. But when the Psychiatrist claims to understand the patients mind based on behavior or other signals it confounds me. It’s like reading the state of a Car’s engine from the smoke emissions or sound… you can take an approximate call but you still need to get under the hood.

It is little surprise then that at least 4 different friends have had their lives significantly altered by the very fact that they have visited a Psychiatrist. Not only are they pumped with all kinds of chemicals, they are also brainwashed into thinking that they need constant help and that their ailments are visible, real and can only be altered by long and deliberate care. This fear psychosis maintains the pseudo profession and ensures that a single patient can be milked for as long as he possibly can before being referred to another colleague who does his bit.

The role of psychiatrists

Sometimes I wonder if psychiatrists are Government licensed findmucks. I came across this article about a modern day ‘casanova’ and his 15 minutes of fame about his exploits. Fair enough, thats his Shtick. Then this psychiatrist comes along and adds her professional insight to the issue. The result?

Enjoy!