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Three days before I departed for Jamaica, I received an interesting email. In it, I was informed that I would be teaching two classes at the Edna Marley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. You might have thought that someone could have mentioned that to me a little sooner. A little bit of advanced warning could have helped. I had no idea what they wanted me to share. Even though the course was for students interested in murals (a fact I learned upon arrival), not every artist is a teacher. Not every teacher has lessons filed away on a computer at a moment's notice. And, not every arts envoy could figure out what to do for the class with so little warning.
But, they asked me.
It didn't hurt that I had just given a presentation at a teacher's conference that very same week. So, my introduction PowerPoint was already created with no need to change a thing. I talked to the students the same way I talked to the teachers. And, in both presentations, I made a confession. I've spent much more time sitting in the seats at presentations rather than standing up front. With that experience under my belt, I attend with very low expectations. If I get one thing from a lecture that I can apply to my life or my classroom, the lecture is a success in my mind. It hasn't always happen. If I get more than one thing that I can apply to my life, well, that's just like extra dessert.
I love extra dessert.
So, when I begin my presentation, I hit people right up front with two, yes, count 'em, two take-aways. There is no searching for a hidden message and absolutely no waiting. Right there, right from the start, is the most important take-away in the whole presentation with dessert on top of it. In case you are just dying to know what the hidden jewel is that I had to share, it's the word "yes". I say "yes" to every opportunity that comes my way, as often as I can. Saying "yes" has taken me around the world to adventures and opportunities that I never dreamed possible. And, there is no sign of it slowing down at the moment. If you are wondering about the dessert on top, I also give them my website where they can contact me, read about my adventures, use my clip art, and see their photos if they paint with me in the coming week. But, it truly appeared they all had more than one dessert. One of their greatest surprises - and valued desserts - came later when I told them about designing murals and using a chalk line. None of them had ever seen that tool before.
I threw a fairly complete bag of goodies into this lesson. Not every presentation can be stuffed with disasters and adventures like I have had in my life. But, this one was. When I went to Africa to paint my first mural in Namibia, I wrote that it was a "once in a lifetime occasion". One of my friends corrected me. He said it was yet another in a series of Phillip Martin experiences that nobody else seemed to have.
I think he was right.
Throughout my talk, I stressed what saying "yes" had done for me. The highest praise was when the classroom teacher, Greg Bailey, described that lesson as the "sweetest dessert" among a lot of shared desserts. And, a lot of the my stories were woven together in surprising ways. Things that I said "yes" to as far back as 1989 lead me to where I stood in Jamaica in 2019.
-- I said "yes" to the Peace Corps, where along the way I collected and rewrote some African folk tales.
-- I said "yes" to international teaching which lead me to twenty years in Africa, Asia and Europe.
-- While teaching in the Philippines, I said "yes" to a graduate course where my teacher lesson websites, first -- -- about Hammurabi and then about those African folk tales, won top prize in MicroSoft competitions.
-- That exposure led to the creation of my clip art site for students and teachers.
-- I said "yes" when the first mural came my way because someone in Namibia thought my clip art was perfect.
-- And, I said "yes" when someone at a Peace Corps meeting in Columbus, Ohio, suggested I contact U.S. Embassies. He knew they would see the murals as a win-win for everyone involved. And so, I was in Jamaica.
Mr. Bailey told me that he'd never seen his students so attentive. But, again, it wasn't a normal every day kind of lesson. It was a no-holds-barred, knock their socks off, Ripley’s Believe It or Not kind of lesson. I shared experiences that have happened in far corners of the globe, but a lot of it still brought lessons home to the students in Kingston, Jamaica.
In North America, I shared about painting with Little Stevie Wonder at a school for special needs students in Mexico. Stevie was my first blind muralist. I let him feel the wall and then turned him loose with a paintbrush and his own can of purple paint. Parents marveled and said, "You know he's blind, don't you?" Of course I did, and it was glorious to give him that ownership.
In South America, I shared about painting with Claudinei in Brazil. His story was especially impactful in a room full of artists. Claudinei had cerebral palsy. He couldn't physically hold a brush or pencil, but he absolutely loved art. He painted with a special hat that had an attached brush. And, he jumped for joy in his wheelchair when he had the opportunity to participate with the mural.
In Oceania, I talked about how I sought out cultural experiences. I wanted to try a local drink called kava. So, when the person I met in a souvenir shop said he'd take me out drinking if I joined him after work, I did just that. From the horrified expressions I witnessed in class, I gathered you really shouldn't go to parts unknown in a taxi with strangers in Jamaica. You probably shouldn't do that in Fiji either.
In Europe, I discussed gratitude. And, the old fart in me thinks that a lot of entitled youth need to remember this. I painted a mural with orphans in Romania. The two oldest brothers shared one pair of shoes. They alternated days on who went to school. I've never known any other children who faced that dilemma. And, if that wasn't enough guilt, my interpreter sat me down. He said he knew that these past few days were just another in a series of wonderful Phillip Martin experiences. And, he was right. But, for those orphans, painting the mural was the best three days of their lives. I've never been anyone's three best days before. It was very humbling.
And, finally, in Africa I talked about my experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I spent my ten days there crossing an intersection between my guesthouse and the orphanage where I painted my mural. In that intersection, my friend Fils worked in a kiosk where he sold time cards for cell phones. He warms my heart every time I see his face. After all, he came over to paint on my mural on a couple occasions. But, he also haunts my soul. Fils looked maybe eight or nine years old, but he was twenty. He had severe malnutrition as an infant. I always thought you just outgrew that once you started eating right. That is not the case. The effects stunted his growth and would eventually shorten his life. Yes, the truth was haunting.
If that wasn't enough, I threw in an art lesson. When the class ended, after three hours or so, none of the kids left the room. Nobody raced out for a break. Every single kid remained to work on their art. I'm not sure if that ever happened before in the history of education. It certainly impressed their teacher. And, Greg Bailey is certainly impressive in his own right. He's establishing a name for himself in Jamaica as quite a painter. He's already had his work displayed in the national gallery. I knew the truth and I told him, "I'm never going to have my art displayed in a national gallery." But, Bailey didn't miss a beat when he replied, "I wish I had my art displayed around the world in Africa, South America, Europe and North America."
Okay, touché, and dessert was had by one and all.
But, they asked me.
It didn't hurt that I had just given a presentation at a teacher's conference that very same week. So, my introduction PowerPoint was already created with no need to change a thing. I talked to the students the same way I talked to the teachers. And, in both presentations, I made a confession. I've spent much more time sitting in the seats at presentations rather than standing up front. With that experience under my belt, I attend with very low expectations. If I get one thing from a lecture that I can apply to my life or my classroom, the lecture is a success in my mind. It hasn't always happen. If I get more than one thing that I can apply to my life, well, that's just like extra dessert.
I love extra dessert.
So, when I begin my presentation, I hit people right up front with two, yes, count 'em, two take-aways. There is no searching for a hidden message and absolutely no waiting. Right there, right from the start, is the most important take-away in the whole presentation with dessert on top of it. In case you are just dying to know what the hidden jewel is that I had to share, it's the word "yes". I say "yes" to every opportunity that comes my way, as often as I can. Saying "yes" has taken me around the world to adventures and opportunities that I never dreamed possible. And, there is no sign of it slowing down at the moment. If you are wondering about the dessert on top, I also give them my website where they can contact me, read about my adventures, use my clip art, and see their photos if they paint with me in the coming week. But, it truly appeared they all had more than one dessert. One of their greatest surprises - and valued desserts - came later when I told them about designing murals and using a chalk line. None of them had ever seen that tool before.
I threw a fairly complete bag of goodies into this lesson. Not every presentation can be stuffed with disasters and adventures like I have had in my life. But, this one was. When I went to Africa to paint my first mural in Namibia, I wrote that it was a "once in a lifetime occasion". One of my friends corrected me. He said it was yet another in a series of Phillip Martin experiences that nobody else seemed to have.
I think he was right.
Throughout my talk, I stressed what saying "yes" had done for me. The highest praise was when the classroom teacher, Greg Bailey, described that lesson as the "sweetest dessert" among a lot of shared desserts. And, a lot of the my stories were woven together in surprising ways. Things that I said "yes" to as far back as 1989 lead me to where I stood in Jamaica in 2019.
-- I said "yes" to the Peace Corps, where along the way I collected and rewrote some African folk tales.
-- I said "yes" to international teaching which lead me to twenty years in Africa, Asia and Europe.
-- While teaching in the Philippines, I said "yes" to a graduate course where my teacher lesson websites, first -- -- about Hammurabi and then about those African folk tales, won top prize in MicroSoft competitions.
-- That exposure led to the creation of my clip art site for students and teachers.
-- I said "yes" when the first mural came my way because someone in Namibia thought my clip art was perfect.
-- And, I said "yes" when someone at a Peace Corps meeting in Columbus, Ohio, suggested I contact U.S. Embassies. He knew they would see the murals as a win-win for everyone involved. And so, I was in Jamaica.
Mr. Bailey told me that he'd never seen his students so attentive. But, again, it wasn't a normal every day kind of lesson. It was a no-holds-barred, knock their socks off, Ripley’s Believe It or Not kind of lesson. I shared experiences that have happened in far corners of the globe, but a lot of it still brought lessons home to the students in Kingston, Jamaica.
In North America, I shared about painting with Little Stevie Wonder at a school for special needs students in Mexico. Stevie was my first blind muralist. I let him feel the wall and then turned him loose with a paintbrush and his own can of purple paint. Parents marveled and said, "You know he's blind, don't you?" Of course I did, and it was glorious to give him that ownership.
In South America, I shared about painting with Claudinei in Brazil. His story was especially impactful in a room full of artists. Claudinei had cerebral palsy. He couldn't physically hold a brush or pencil, but he absolutely loved art. He painted with a special hat that had an attached brush. And, he jumped for joy in his wheelchair when he had the opportunity to participate with the mural.
In Oceania, I talked about how I sought out cultural experiences. I wanted to try a local drink called kava. So, when the person I met in a souvenir shop said he'd take me out drinking if I joined him after work, I did just that. From the horrified expressions I witnessed in class, I gathered you really shouldn't go to parts unknown in a taxi with strangers in Jamaica. You probably shouldn't do that in Fiji either.
In Europe, I discussed gratitude. And, the old fart in me thinks that a lot of entitled youth need to remember this. I painted a mural with orphans in Romania. The two oldest brothers shared one pair of shoes. They alternated days on who went to school. I've never known any other children who faced that dilemma. And, if that wasn't enough guilt, my interpreter sat me down. He said he knew that these past few days were just another in a series of wonderful Phillip Martin experiences. And, he was right. But, for those orphans, painting the mural was the best three days of their lives. I've never been anyone's three best days before. It was very humbling.
And, finally, in Africa I talked about my experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I spent my ten days there crossing an intersection between my guesthouse and the orphanage where I painted my mural. In that intersection, my friend Fils worked in a kiosk where he sold time cards for cell phones. He warms my heart every time I see his face. After all, he came over to paint on my mural on a couple occasions. But, he also haunts my soul. Fils looked maybe eight or nine years old, but he was twenty. He had severe malnutrition as an infant. I always thought you just outgrew that once you started eating right. That is not the case. The effects stunted his growth and would eventually shorten his life. Yes, the truth was haunting.
If that wasn't enough, I threw in an art lesson. When the class ended, after three hours or so, none of the kids left the room. Nobody raced out for a break. Every single kid remained to work on their art. I'm not sure if that ever happened before in the history of education. It certainly impressed their teacher. And, Greg Bailey is certainly impressive in his own right. He's establishing a name for himself in Jamaica as quite a painter. He's already had his work displayed in the national gallery. I knew the truth and I told him, "I'm never going to have my art displayed in a national gallery." But, Bailey didn't miss a beat when he replied, "I wish I had my art displayed around the world in Africa, South America, Europe and North America."
Okay, touché, and dessert was had by one and all.