“To lead, one must follow.” Lao-Tzu’s quote embodies the belief
that many 1st-semester students at our institution hold regarding their approach to creativity. Whether working on an essay or
an art project, many have a tendency to imitate a more skilled
person’s work as a way of learning, improving, and building confidence. Conversely, it is not uncommon for their instructors to
push them to generate original ideas and think outside of the box.
These conflicting approaches and other opposing cultural tendencies can lead to a host of challenges for both instructors and
our student artists, especially students from Confucian heritage
cultures. This article shares observations of these challenges and
suggestions for addressing them.