Unearthing the L'nuk philosophy through the art process

My artistic philosophy is anchored in the Mi’kmaq (L'nuk) philosophy of non-interference: an Indigenous worldview that engages the learner on multiple levels of how one sees and grows with the world.  This worldview has served me throughout my existence along with gentle nudges by elders, aunties, uncles and cousins, and an ever-expanding community.

I may sum up the L'nuk philosophy of non-interference as thus: follow the process, pay attention to the process, and allow and support what wants to emerge.  This philosophy represents an ultimate statement of respect for Life and Reality.  In an age wherein technology-driven rational dominates and massively interferes with reality has taken over First World thinking, the L'nuk way of thinking has been further marginalized.  It is my intention to reintroduce and infuse the L'nuk philosophy of non-interference in teaching.  Additionally, it is my intention as an indigenous scholar/artist to share that indigenous worldviews, such as L'nuk are also about understanding the history of land, language, and community, and how they are all interconnected.

We live in an age where critical thinking is often mistaken for judgment.  Part of my artistic philosophy is to contest this mistaken notion.  I share the following ideas about critical thinking as a trained and practicing artist.  These ideas resonate closely with the L'nuk philosophy, as well.  Critical thinking is dialogic, which involves co-emergent creativity amongst participant-learners.  It allows the artist and viewer to engage in a dialogue that wants to emerge from the moment when creativity wills the artist to create his/her first work of art.  Working with our hands and our mind is a gift anyone can achieve, regardless of what background we were raised in, if we have a gentle guide that enables capacity building that supports different modalities.  By creating a “safe-enough” space—the first step that a gentle guide takes, the artistic practice is nurtured and looked upon as the “critique of the soul.”  This critique takes the form of channeling and facing our biggest fears and making “something from nothing” in a period that suits our mindset.  Co-incidentally, this also represents L'nuk code of ethics put into action.  Such action, whether in teaching or making art, facilitates life processes whereby interconnectivity of everything becomes perspicacious to the participant-learner.

Approaching each art project with no pre-conceived notions, but with well-prepared minds, the goal of artist is to work with students as their guide towards a journey that wants to unfold.  When you engage in a dialogue with your student, they learn the art of creating simply by talking about their own process.  It is in this manner that my best instructor in my art school at Langara College taught me the beauty of broken pottery shortly after it came out of a kiln.  My short-lived devastation suddenly turned into another way of transforming a work of art.  It was not broken it was a new way of looking at art.  That experience reminded me of what my elders passed on to me when I was younger: to always leave a mistake in the works of art, with which you remember that life is not always perfect.  That teachable moment allowed me to teach sculpture using Indigenous pedagogy and ontology to teach Indigenous worldview effortlessly.  

Knowing these ancient teachings made it easier for me to nurture prior knowledge to acknowledge that things do not always happen as we planned, and that everything is interconnected.  L'nuk non-interference code of ethics is about putting aside your urge to tell someone what to do in contrast to supporting someone with his or her creative process.  Teaching from an Indigenous perspective allows the student to understand and embody many ancient or indigenous philosophies, such as Mi’kmaq’s, in a manner that gently expands their artistic limitations without judgment. Art is a catalyst that moves you between worlds, be it the business world or the teaching profession.  Whatever world you decide to be in professionally, having a background in the arts will allow you to engage the world on many diverse levels