Creativity Isn’t Optional: Teaching Art, Life, and Problem-Solving

About this episode

Rico Figliolini interviews art educator Kristie Onorato about the importance of creativity in teaching and personal artistic practice.

In this episode of Peachtree Corners Life , host Rico Figliolini sits down with Kristie Onorato , a longtime art educator at Wesleyan School, to explore the intersection of creativity, teaching, and personal artistic practice. Kristie shares her journey from studying art education at Ohio State to teaching across grade levels before finding her home at Wesleyan, where she has spent the past 15 years inspiring students through art. The conversation dives into how creativity is developed, why problem-solving is central to the artistic process, and how Kristie encourages students to embrace imperfection and pivot when things don’t go as planned. She also discusses her own artistic work, sources of inspiration, from travel to everyday life, and what it means to create and let go of deeply personal pieces as she prepares for the Wesleyan Artist Market. Resources: Wesleyan Artist Market: https://www.artistmarket.wesleyanschool.org/ Wesleyan School: https://www.wesleyanschool.org 5 Key Takeaways Creativity is universal—not optional Creativity isn’t reserved for artists. It shows up in problem-solving, communication, business, and everyday life. As Kristie puts it, we’re all wired to…

People in this episode

Host: Rico Figliolini

Guest: Kristie Onorato

Topics covered

• creativity
• art education
• problem-solving
• personal artistic practice

Keywords

• Wesleyan School
• Wesleyan Artist Market
• artistic inspiration
• embracing imperfection

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Wesleyan Artist Market, Wesleyan School

Books & works: Peachtree Corners Life

Places: Greece

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