Page 13 - Harnett Life Fall 2018

in college. The project was a 3D book, a box design that notes are interesting to look at, Johnson said this could help
when the top is opened, a radio and light turns on. The students, because more visually appealing notes would nat-
inside is wallpapered with an old photo of the two of them urally make more sense.
that has been multiplied, one part of the floor covered in
buttons to represent the rough dirt floors in the shed, an- When asked what job she would do if she weren’t an artist,
other part covered in an excerpt of a ‘home away from she said it would be hard to imagine, “Everything I think of
home’ essay written for one of her other college classes, is art related, it would just be heartbreaking” not to be in a
because spending time there with him in the shed was like creative field.
her home away from home. Also found inside are tiny clay
figures of the drill press and a coffee cup, and drawers full An artist’s signature on a piece is definitive mark, some-
of ‘tools’ – safety pins and sewing pins. Johnson said she thing that will ultimately become an essential part of that
has plans of including a project like this in the curriculum person’s work, and Johnson’s signature is no exception. She
of a course she will be teaching at CCCC soon. signs her name and the date on the back of the canvas, but
more interestingly includes a poppy to serve as her signa-
When asked about carrying a sketchbook, Johnson said ture on the front. The poppy may be more obvious on some
hers is not a traditional sketchbook. She once attended a pieces, but may require a magnifying glass to find on an-
conference where the idea was discussed that, inspired by other, part of the fun is searching for the poppy that may be
the works of photojournalist Dan Eldon, the sketchbook hidden. She said this idea came from her time in New Zea-
would become reinvented as a journal. The journal pages land. There is a term there called “Tall Poppy Syndrome.”
would be filled with photographs or newspaper clippings, As a bold, outspoken American living in the more culturally
and things would be added on – paint may be brushed conservative New Zealand, Johnson was once called a “tall
over and around the photos, clothing tags or other labels poppy”, and unknowingly took it as a compliment, but soon
could be layered over that. This journal was the epitome found it was not intended as one. The tall poppy is the one
of mixed media, and the group leading the conference that gets cut down, to bring it in line with the rest of the col-
suggested bringing this idea into the classroom. lective group, the success or achievements of that one are
seen in a negative light. Johnson said this experience soft-
Johnson used this concept in her own classroom while ened her, and has since embraced the imagery of the poppy.
teaching middle school, but said “Blank pages can be It has become a distinctive element within and throughout
very intimidating” and this thought sparked the idea to her works, used to show that being a tall poppy, despite how
repurpose old books to use as journals. The book would the term is intended elsewhere in the world, is what makes
be re-covered and when turned upside down, “the words her and her artwork truly unique.
become a pattern and it’s not a blank page anymore.” The
students could fill the pages with whatever they were able
to find, and part of the creative process is figuring out a
way to attach things to the pages. She said, “People think
to be an artist you have to have a whole lot of money, but
it’s about your expression in who you are you…start with
crayons if that’s all you have. Draw, see what you get in-
spired by and use that to create a work of art.”

Johnson said she is trying to work with other teachers to
promote the idea that there is more than one way of taking
notes, and the journal concept could be used in schools
with other subjects as well. Instead of just writing on pa-
per left to right, “Why not make things visual?” She said
if adults naturally start to doodle on the page in front of
them during a meeting, it’s not that they are not listening
or concentrating, it’s more of having some sort of ener-
gy that needs to be released to better focus on the topic
at hand, and it’s the same with kids in school. By taking
notes, but making something out of it, she said this in-
creases the likelihood of going back to read it later. If the

Harnett Life ~ Fall 2018 Page 13