Latest Posts
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Remembering past lives
Reincarnation: There are many compelling cases of children who recall past lives. They are able to provide such convincing accounts and details of events that are not easy to dismiss. One such case is that of James Leininger, a young… Continue reading
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A kinder, grumpy old man
How kindness can help you lead a more fulfilled life: As I get older, I find it harder and harder to be kind. Grumpy old man’s syndrome, or irritable male syndrome, is a real phenomenon for me. I seem to… Continue reading
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My beautiful, time travelling, adventurer
A time travel short story about a soul lost to time: Priya paused before putting the sleek, black headset over her weary, hungover eyes. A sudden surge of reflux engulfed her mouth, no doubt a residue from last night’s ill-advised… Continue reading
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The kindness conundrum
How kindness can become your human superpower: Kindness is linked to improved happiness and a reduction in stress, anxiety, and feelings of isolation. There’s hard science to say it boosts mood, compassion, empathy, and self-esteem. But why are we kind?… Continue reading
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Emotions in the driving seat
Far from being a weakness, your emotions may actually be a source of strength: All of my life I have been labelled as an emotional person. “He’s moody.” “He’s a sulker.” “Cry baby.” “Whinger.” “Moaner.” Later in my life, work… Continue reading
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Microbe Series 2
Microbes 2 – pencil on paper. Another very satisfying transfer of digital drawings into traditional media. There’s something beautiful about this subject matter combined with the process of drawing. #drawing #microbes #scienceart Continue reading
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The will to live
What is the mysterious force that pervades all things and drives all of life on Earth? How knowing it can help us lead richer lives: Throughout recorded history, thinkers and natural philosophers have commented on the innate, energetic spark that… Continue reading
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What should life be like?
An analysis of life in the 21st century. What you should expect from being alive: What should life be like? What can we reasonably expect from our existence? I’m not referring to those ultra people, with extreme lifestyles, who live… Continue reading
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Draw Like a Boss
In this interview, author Ashley Edge and Paul Carney explore the purpose of drawing and learning to draw, including explicit instruction. Ashley Edge is a Lake District based artist and the author of the Draw Like a Boss series of… Continue reading
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It’s Life Jim!
How the building blocks for life may be scattered around the universe : Some scientists now believe the chances of life emerging on Earth by itself are too remote. In a very honest, refreshing, (but complex), scientific paper, Robert Endres… Continue reading
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Finding God in an age of reason
What is the evidence for a Deist Creator and how can this belief bring a sense of purpose to our lives? What evidence is there that God exists? In my opinion, the likelihood of the universe springing into existence by… Continue reading
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The Blob
An evolutionary short story that illustrates the origins of complex life forms: The blob floated mindlessly in the darkness. It had no eyes, or senses, save the ability to touch. To feel. It had no explicit conscious thoughts as such.… Continue reading
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One in a billion
The incredible unlikeliness of our existence, and why our universe should not exist at all: In the Big Bang, when the universe was formulated, there should have been a blinding flash of radiation as these opposing forces cancelled each other… Continue reading
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Welcome to the spirit world.
A ghostly short story. It had been another excellent meeting, Wendy thought, as she tidied her props away into her handbag and picked up her phone. Her back was killing her from sitting on a hard seat all night, but… Continue reading
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Reality is a load of balls
What do the world’s greatest minds say about the metaphysical nature of matter? It is easy for imaginative humans to slip into science-fiction, or non-evidence based beliefs, simply because they fit our own world view and yet the reality is… Continue reading
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Stephen Hawking: Is there a God?
What did Stephen Hawking believe about the nature of God? “One could define God as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of as God. They mean a human-like being, with… Continue reading
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Beyond Words
How do the limitations of language affect your existence?: All of our thinking is through words, all of our actions, all of our science, all of our literature, all of our history, all our technology, all our kingdoms and empires.… Continue reading
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Pure awareness is heaven
What will life after death be like?: What are your thoughts on life after death? Where do you think we go when we die? Perhaps you think you’ll live eternally in a heavenly paradise surrounded by your loved ones. Maybe… Continue reading
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How to find truth in the chaos of modern life
How do we form our beliefs? We all construct our own truth, a personal, world-view mindset that we feel is right and just, from our own experiences, thoughts, happenings and memories we collect over our lifetime. Our beliefs are shaped… Continue reading
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Has feminism destroyed the traditional family unit?
Feminism is a force for good: I heard a young US woman talking recently about how Feminism has destroyed the traditional family unit. She called herself a Trad wife, which is another new term to me, and she said that… Continue reading
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Part of something greater
Is the universe alive? If the Earth were a hydrogen atom, and I looked out from my window at the electron whizzing past in the air above, I might be tempted to think that this was all there was. After… Continue reading
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What is the purpose of our existence?
How can you find more happiness and meaning in your life? For the majority of the world’s population, God is the purpose of their existence. According to the 13th-century Italian scholar Thomas Aquinas, the ultimate goal of human existence is… Continue reading
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Loneliness of the long distance space traveler
Why you’re unlikely to ever see your loved ones again if you went into deep space. I’m a huge fan of Sci-Fi programmes such as Star Trek where they travel from star to star, trekking the universe in search of… Continue reading
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Believing in Something is better than Believing in Nothing
Why believing in implausible things can be good for you. Learned people tell us that there is nothing to this world, save that which can be observed, measured and recorded. They state quite firmly that we must savour things in… Continue reading
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Hand of God?
Is there a Divine Hands moulding and shaping your life? Many years ago I had a marine fish tank which took a lot of hard work to keep. I had to make sure it was always at the right temperature.… Continue reading
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The Spirit Within Me
How important is spirituality in your life? I define the spirit as the living essence of a person, which includes consciousness, and the bioelectrical life force within all living things. In this way, the spirit is my mind and my… Continue reading
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Beyond Words
Knowing what lies beyond the limits of language is an incredibly powerful and profound aspect of our existence. All of our thinking is through words, all of our actions, all of our science, all of our literature, all of our… Continue reading
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Valuing our Values
How can you shape your values to help you lead a better life? We live in a creative universe; an incredible cosmic web of galaxies, miraculously derived from an infinitesimally small singularity. By default, the universe produces positive things; things… Continue reading
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How to lead a good life
What are the most important things needed to live a good life?Here are five life lessons I’ve accumulated over the years. I hope they will help you become happy and healthy when you grow up. There are many more life… Continue reading
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Make your head a nice place to be
What fears have you overcome and how? Phobias have been a constant ‘associate’ of mine throughout my life. They have sometimes been so crippling that I have been unable to work and my relationships have certainly suffered. Breakdowns and traumas… Continue reading
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Get away from it all
It’s hard to be happy if you’re constantly looking inward. When we focus on ourselves too much, when we live inside our own heads, or even when our ailments occupy more of our time than they should, we suffer. It’s… Continue reading
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Going where the Evidence Leads
My reason for believing that a Deist, non-interventionist God created our universe, is that, while no evidence for God has been found within the universe, there are enough reasons to assume one created it. This is because: The universe is… Continue reading
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What is the shape of the universe?
What is the shape of the universe? Cosmologists aren’t sure what shape the universe is. And, while this may sound like a pointless thing to think about, it is actually a profound question that has significant implications. Continue reading
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And Still the Weeds Grow
A story about a lifetime with ADHD. My seed was not chosen from the finest organic stock, then gently scattered on a bed of finely tilled soil. No, mine was a mangy spore, spread through the root of an irksome… Continue reading
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An Elegant and Persuasive Power
Why should we believe in something that only adds an immaterial layer to the scientific view, and which takes away the profound, revelatory nature of religion? I’ve set out in earlier blog posts what my evidence is for believing there… Continue reading
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I am that I am
I am that I am. A poem by Mike Flanagan, to be read at my funeral. Continue reading
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Oaths to Yourself
Things to help you lead a more fulfilling life. Continue reading
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More is Different
The phenomena of Emergence is how incredibly complex, profound things stem from humble components and flies in the face of Reductionist science. Continue reading
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What Matters?
Is matter all there is? The prevailing scientific viewpoint leaves some big unanswered questions. Here are my answers. Materialism is a philosophical and scientific viewpoint that states that matter is the fundamental substance in nature, and that all things, including… Continue reading
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Explaining premonitions of future events during dreams
Much has been written about premonitions during dreams, which seem to be a recurring phenomenon throughout human history. My theory is that some people can ‘tune in’ to EMF waves emitted by temporal future events during deep sleep. Continue reading
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Is God an invention?
Are religious people deluded? Do we simply invent Gods that don’t exist in reality? Evidence shows that religious belief is actually a natural state of human consciousness. This may actually prove God’s existence, rather than disproving it. I argue that… Continue reading
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Evidence the Universe was created
A scientific summary, from an agnostic viewpoint, as to why I believe the universe was created. I’m not religious, or an atheist. I am agnostic, but I am coming to the increasing conclusion that the universe was created. My reasons… Continue reading
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Does evil exist, and if so, who or what creates it?
An agnostic’s analysis of the big question: is God evil? One of the biggest questions philosophers and theologians ask about our universe is: if there is a Creator, how could He/She possibly create a universe with such evil and suffering… Continue reading
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What is a flower?
If you want to know what a flower is, be mindful of who you ask, because this will determine the answer you get. Continue reading
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The hard problem of Paul
What is it about us that makes us, us? What is it that makes our conscious experience? Scientists and philosophers battle it out to try to define it, but in the end, we just have to sit back and enjoy… Continue reading
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What in the World…
Why do we exist? Where do we come from? Science tells us that everything is made from particles and forces, but this does not tell us why these things exist or where they come from. Continue reading
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Am I going bananas?
Alethea thought she was going mad. When she awoke that morning, she went downstairs for breakfast and her banana started talking to her! It said it wasn’t really real. It told her it was just a shadow on a cave… Continue reading
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The Great Creative in the Sky
“I often wish (God) would manifest himself a bit more. He limits himself to once in a million years if we’re lucky.’ Peter Cook ***** I’m not an atheist – I don’t disbelieve in God, but I’m not religious either.… Continue reading
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The Electric Life Orchestra
How bioelectricity shapes the whole universe and every living thing. Why is life so incredibly persistent, energetic and determined? Where does this vitality come from? What is it that makes us alive? Wherever it is encountered, life is imbued with… Continue reading
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Where do we go when we die?
Where do we go when we die? I’ve been thinking quite a lot about spirits lately, and what happens to us when we die. Unfortunately for me, the spirits are the out of body kind, not the alcoholic kind, as… Continue reading
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A Potted History of Art Pedagogy
‘Pedagogy, most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as an academic discipline, is… Continue reading
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Art is dead. Long live AI
Art is dead. Surely, artists are redundant now that we can just pop a few prompts into an AI engine and get a stunning piece of art? Artificial Intelligence software can produce new images based on a set of parameters… Continue reading
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Creative Choice
Some teachers believe that we need to master skills before we can be creative. They say that creativity cannot be properly realised without the skill to express it. So, they might narrow the creative activity to focus on mastering a… Continue reading
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You CAN teach creativity
By Paul Carney http://www.paulcarneyarts.com Some very knowledgeable people say ‘you can’t teach creativity’. You can. As a creative teacher, I teach people how to be creative all the time. I can teach you the historical processes by which inventions and… Continue reading
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Developing imagination in learners
Imagination is the foundation of all inventiveness and innovation. It is uniquely human, and with it, we have been able to think, design, conceive, construct and develop our whole human society. Imagination is a powerful tool for learning and with… Continue reading
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Schemas
The term schema refers to the cognitive structures we have to describe various categories of knowledge about the world. Theorist Jean Piaget introduced the term schema, and they are linked to his theory of cognitive development, which said that children… Continue reading
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Artistic development in Children
By Paul Carney This blog post contains extracts from an essay by Anna Kindler – Art in early Childhood “One man may sketch something with his pen on half a sheet of paper in one day, or may cut it… Continue reading
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Sequencing learning in art and design? Don’t ask the DfE!
Schools all over England are being judged by Ofsted on their ability to sequence learning and progression in the subject, despite the fact that the national curriculum for art and design in England isn’t properly sequenced and it’s progression of… Continue reading
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Art and Design Process
Making art is a complex, diverse process that can take many forms and be shaped by a wide range of factors. I’ve attempted to outline the main ones in a series of graphic organisers that could help teachers plan activities… Continue reading
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Drawing to Learn Anything
Drawing to Learn Anything is a collection of ideas and explorations into how simple, non-skilled drawing can help you learn more effectively in subjects across the curriculum. It shows you how even crude, stick people style drawing can help you… Continue reading
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Digital drawing
I am a lifelong artist, especially in the field of drawing, aged 57 years. I feel comfortable working in a variety of styles; literal or abstract, I work across a wide range of mediums and on a variety of scales,… Continue reading
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It’s patently clear what the UK’s creativity problem is…
The UK has been ranked as the 6th most innovative nation in the world by the Global Innovation Initiative in 2020. There is a lot we can be proud of. But if we are to improve our global position then… Continue reading
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Memory is human. The Hidden Half of Pedagogy.
Education is made up of a wide range of disciplines and delivered (usually) in classrooms to children aged three upwards. No two schools are identical, no class of children the same, some areas are affluent, some deprived. The education of… Continue reading
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The best way to remember something is to make it memorable.
Memory is an emotional, sensory and experiential process. Spaced retrieval is one way we can remember better, but there are other techniques have been shown to be just as, if not more, effective. The first way we remember anything is… Continue reading
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Copying the ‘masters’.
“The artist must imitate one of three objects: things as they were or are, things as they are said or thought to be, or things as they ought to be.” Aristotle 4th century BCE Aristotle’s Poetics Copying, mimesis, or iteration,… Continue reading
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Metabolic Innovation in Biology; Life’s Creative mechanisms
Creativity in nature requires a huge variety of diverse possibilities and an incredible genotype network to support an almost infinite range of options. All life is made up of cells and there are many many different types. Cells work in… Continue reading
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Drawing for Science, Invention & Discovery
This book is aimed at all the scientists, mathematicians, engineers, pioneers and thinkers out there who understand the value of creative thinking in their field. It identifies some of the key cognitive processes that drive innovation, invention and discovery. They… Continue reading
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Syllable Association Drawing (SAD) Memory Technique
To remember complex words and terminology try the SAD technique that uses a combination of familiar, well-researched memory techniques. I don’t lay claim to inventing the memory techniques, only that I have developed a method of combining them into an… Continue reading
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Drawing for Anatomy
I observed a second-year medical students’ practical anatomy session at the school of medical education, Newcastle University in May 2019 under the tutelage of Doctor Joanna Matthan. It was a great honour to be given an insight into this important… Continue reading
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I dont have a creative bone in my body…
“I dont have a creative bone in my body.” I hear this a lot. It usually comes from people who aren’t ‘arty’ types. These people believe that if they don’t make their own craft Christmas cards or attend local art… Continue reading
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Can Creativity be taught? Yes, I do it every day.
Creativity; noun – the use of imagination or original ideas to create something. Inventiveness. Source; Oxford English Dictionary There is a general agreement among scholars that creativity involves the production of novel, useful products,” (Mumford, 2003, p. 110) however hundreds of… Continue reading
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Perfect Child
No two things in nature are exactly the same, yet everything is made from perfect, exact particles. Nature is like some eerie living Minecraft game, where electrons and atoms simulate bricks and build incredible, unique structures. The implication of this… Continue reading
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Creativity Myths
Creativity arises naturally as a result of knowing more The most knowledgeable people aren’t necessarily the most creative. In fact, it’s often the naive newcomer with a fresh pair of eyes that makes a breakthrough. Increasing knowledge means increasing awareness… Continue reading
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Memory & learning blog 3 – MARGE
notes from the pdf MARGE by neuroscientist Arthur Shimamura. Thanks to Daniel Willingham for posting this. Learning is the ability to acquire knowledge from sensory experiences, where learning is perceptual (reading an x-ray), conceptual (linking new facts & ideas to… Continue reading
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Explaining Creativity in education
Psychologist Csikszentmihalyi says we can be creative or Creative. Small ‘c’ creativity he describes as that which does not lead to a change in the symbolic domain of the culture; so small scale, personal acts of indulging in a playful,… Continue reading
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Factual knowledge
Why increasing factual knowledge doesn’t automatically lead to greater creative insight & why simply being creative doesn’t either Psychologist Csikszentmihalyi says we can be creative or Creative. Small ‘c’ creativity he describes as that which does not lead to a… Continue reading
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10 Classroom Strategies for Enhancing Memory
This article is based on an article by Christopher Pappas for the eLearning Industry (Instructional Design -7 strategies for eLearning Professionals) and MARGE by Arthur Shimamura If we want students to remember our lessons we should try to make them… Continue reading
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The problem with Cognitive Load Theory for general learning
This article is my own summary interpretation of the paper; Cognitive Load Theory, what does it mean for learning designers? By Walkergrove 2014. Cognitive Load Theory is a well researched, well proven and generally unchallenged practice of instruction that demonstrates… Continue reading
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Memory & Learning 2: Why drilling isn’t always the best way to remember things.
From the Idiot Brain by Professor of Neurology Dean Burnett Human memory isn’t organised like files on a computer. The brain organises memories with no logic, it cuts them up, adds irrelevant bits to them and organises them in multiple… Continue reading
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Memory and Learning
Short term memory is largely aural – words and sounds. They usually last about a minute. This is why you have an internal monologue and think in sentences. Moving memories from short term to long term memory might be done… Continue reading
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Knowledge first, then skills, then creativity?
Knowledge first. Then skills. Then creativity? This makes no sense to me. What knowledge do you refer to? Which skills and what form of creativity? There are around 17 different knowledge types according but these are more commonly related to… Continue reading
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Are you teaching art all wrong?
Ok I accept this may be a fairly contentious blog post and that not everyone will agree with me, but here’s my two penneth worth. Outcome driven artMost of the art in schools I see is outcome driven. In Primary… Continue reading
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The Art of Questions
This article appeared in NSEAD’s AD Magazine January 2016 When planning and delivering lesson content teachers are continually striving for a balance between ensuring their pupils achieve the intended learning objectives and maintaining their motivation. We can’t place enjoyment above… Continue reading
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Have your students got the G Factor?
What do the scientists say really affects a person’s intelligence? Continue reading
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Key Stage 3 Art, Craft and Design Progression
Key Stage 3 Art & Design Progression Much of what we define as progress is smoke and mirrors. You can’t always demonstrate progression, because more often than not, it isn’t tangible. Often, I’ve spent two hours wrestling with an idea… Continue reading
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Developing different approaches to Art
Develop more interesting and exciting approaches to making and teaching art Continue reading
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Ten tips for improving the quality of your Art & Design teaching
Ten tips for improving the quality of your Art & Design teaching It’s very easy to get lost in the frantic world of teaching. You get caught up in the day to day and sometimes you forget what is at… Continue reading
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The Negative Impact of Assessment
Assessment can do as much harm as it can good. Avoid the minefields of negativity to develop truly positive assessment strategies. Continue reading
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Durer Drawing and Printmaking
A great drawing or printmaking lesson idea for linking traditional practice to the present day. Continue reading
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Picasso Drawing exercise
Whilst looking at Picassos lovely sketches of animals in a single continuous line, it occurred to me that this would make a lovely drawing lesson. Create your own animal drawing using a single continuous line. Lots of art teachers do… Continue reading
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Memory Art
Memory Art I learned this exercise from a session i did at the Baltic Quays gallery, Gateshead. It was in a session done by art teacher Elinor Brass so it isn’t mine, but I’m sure she won’t mind me sharing it… Continue reading
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Progression in Art & Design using revised Blooms
Revised Blooms Learning Objectives for Art & Design that facilitate progression. Continue reading
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Does anyone know of an artist who does . . . ?
Good art teaching comes from the development of planning that opens minds, it doesn’t direct outcomes. Continue reading
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Idea Mining
Idea Mining – This art lesson involves applying the objective or purpose of the idea to different thinking strands, to facilitate the more complex production of ideas. Continue reading
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So you want to study an Art, Craft or Design degree?
So you want to study an Art, Craft or Design degree? Well, there’s some great news! The number of jobs in the Creative Industries increased by 5.5 per cent between 2013 and 2014 to 1.8 million jobs. This was an… Continue reading
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The case for Art: School Performance Measures from 2016
Where previously Art played a minor role in helping students attain the 5 A*-C threshold, the new attainment measures imply that good Art & Design figures will add significant value to pupils progress targets. Far from diminishing the role of… Continue reading
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Looking at Contemporary Art
Ways of Looking Ways of Looking by Ossian Ward is an excellent introduction into contemporary art. He has developed a way of looking art that he calls TABULA where T is time, A is association, B is background, U is… Continue reading
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If you want to improve boys learning, learn what it’s like to be a boy
A lot has been written about boy’s learning that I agree with; lack of self-esteem, poor motivation, weak presentation/organisation skills, female dominated schools and inability to concentrate for long periods of time etc. I passionately believe that the way lessons… Continue reading
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Raising drawing skills or ‘Dumbeldore’s Army’
Dumbeldore’s Army and the incredible dancing bears By Paul Carney In the Harry Potter book ‘the Order of the Phoenix’ the students resort to forming a secret class to teach themselves the dark arts of magic so that they might… Continue reading
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Creative Lesson Planning
One of the ways I see creativity being stifled is when well meaning teachers plan their lessons. Instead of planning for freedom of choice, they plan very controlled experiences. Instead of encouraging risk and exploration they limit the materials to… Continue reading
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