Professional Practice

Attention Art Teachers! Carve Out 15 Mins of Summer Play Time

Lindsey McGinnis | July 2, 2026

Perfectionism is the enemy of creativity. Here’s how to beat it!

In this Art Ed Radio conversation with Tim Bogatz and Austin Kleon, we dig into one of the biggest creative blocks that art teachers face—the fear of making mistakes. We unpack practical strategies to get unstuck and make more work!

Check out these tips to encourage your students to take artmaking risks:

Focus on quantity vs quality
Use the “mistakes” to make something fresh later
Set a timer
Collaborate with someone next to you

Try these ideas to boost your summer creativity:

Do something completely unrelated to school and art!
Try a hobby, relax, and exercise
Spend 15 minutes per day to create
Work in miniature
Play!

To chat about summer artmaking with other art teachers, join us in The Art of Ed Community!

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lindsey McGinnis

Lindsey McGinnis is AOE’s Media Content Manager and a former high school art educator. She is passionate about equipping art teachers to be successful in their classrooms and firmly believes that art is the best place for students to explore and process the challenging topics and concepts around them.

Attention Art Teachers! Carve Out 15 Mins of Summer Play Time

Lindsey McGinnis

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