I am doing my research on place and the impact it has on an artist. My own teaching philosophy centers on promoting metacognition, encouraging equal respect for each other, and fostering deeper connections among the classroom community as well as the outside community. Thinking and community are my two main topics that relate to both my research topic and teaching philosophy. I wrote some words that related to my process when reflecting on my art and some words that also relate to my pedagogy n the classroom. There is no formula to viewing or making art, but I aim to interpret how an environment can impact an artist. I find myself asking students to think beyond what can be seen or known. The arts are essential in building confidence, cognitive ability, and critical thinking. In a broad sense, art expands students’ ability to use it as a tool for deconstructing the world around them but to also explore and reflect on individuality and the role they play in the world. I encourage students to learn from the inside out. By contemplating and examining their own personalities, interests and relationships, they may better understand the world around them. This same approach to art making and thinking in the classroom is what shaped me into the artist and thinker that I am today.