Kim Johnson

Artist, Brainstormer, Care taker, Christian, Designer, Educator/Teacher, Event planner, Idea generator, Life mentor, Photographer, Technologist, World traveler, Writer/Editor

Growing up in culturally diverse and artistically thriving Southern California, I have always loved the arts. It began with the performing arts: singing, dance, and theatre. Spending my entire formative years (age 5- 18) immersed in the performing arts, it was in high school where I also discovered the beauty of the visual arts as well. I always knew my career would be in the arts, and it was in university where I discovered the beauty of teaching when I was given the opportunity to become a Teaching Assistant and empower others to take control of their learning. I have been an educator for over a decade now and I am continually inspired and honoured to educate young people. I believe in the life-changing and life-shaping power of compassion, encouragement, honesty, inquiry, critical thinking, creativity, perseverance, balance, reflection, team-work, and life-long learning. I believe regardless of age, we have a blank slate of opportunities to become more, do more, and positively impact and transform the world and the communities around us, be them on a local or global scale. For me, it is a privilege to have the opportunity to transform the lives of young people. It is an unexpected byproduct of this opportunity that young people in return transform my life daily. Every day, being in the field of education offers new opportunities to be a part of something bigger than myself. I get to be a part of an elite group of people who help others learn they can become greater than what they ever though possible. I get to be a part of a group who helps others achieve their dreams, be it becoming an artist, or simply mastering the art of believing in oneself. I get to do all of this through a discipline I have loved my entire life: Art.

I strongly follow the Duchampian philosophy that art is everywhere and in everything. Yet, in contemporary society, art is so prevalent that it frequently goes unnoticed by the common person. With art being a large part of my identity, it is my goal to open the eyes of those I am surrounded by to once again see and understand art and how it impacts and drives society.

See my Ted Story

Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Apple, art analysis, art criticism, art history, art theory, Dance, Design, Education, Empowering others, Gender Identity, Gender Studies, Google, Inquiry, Newspaper, Organization, Photography, Singing, Teaching, Technology, Visual Art, Yearbook

I have grown up as a dancer and singer training under the top instructors in America. The biggest idea they taught me is "can't is not a word". Going back to the basics can remind us that we can do anything. Often the reason we "can't" is because there is something not quite right with the basics. In dance, If I could not land those four turns, my instructor would take me back to the basics: "Touch-out, sit-down, relevé, and hold". In the foundation we start to see where the cracks are that make our structure weak. Often when I would review the basics I would notice I was leaning too much to the right which was causing me to fall to the side and it was preventing me from landing my turn. From here I could lean to the left, correct my posture. Then I would work my way up: one turn, then two, three, four, and sometimes even five (if I could gain the momentum). You see, often we never realise a foundation is cracked until we open a wall up and explore what is inside, but it's those steps of going back to the basics which allow us to see what is broken, fix it, and make the structure stronger than it was before. What do you need to go back and explore in your own foundation?

People do not know I am good at writing, research, dance, and singing. My role in life is in the background. I typically empower others to empower others. I thrive off of others having self-confidence and watching them begin to understand their potential. Because of this a lot of areas which might bring me to the forefront are often neglected or hidden.