Embrace the Shake

In art school, Phil Hansen developed an unruly tremor in his hand that kept him from creating the pointillist drawings he loved.

Hansen was devastated, floating without a sense of purpose. Until a neurologist made a simple suggestion: embrace this limitation ... and transcend it.

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Learning Goal: Self-Assessment

Grades: 9-12 | Activity Type: Extension | Status: X Original | Remix

Be Good People Curriculum © St. Croix River Education District

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The way he tells the story: (A) He

learns he has permanent nerve damage that won’t let him do the type of art he’s done for years. (B) The neurologist advises him to “Embrace the shake.” (C) That night, he tries out a new kind of art.

Were you surprised at how quickly he seemed to adjust to such a major change? Why or why not?

He suggested that the lesson

he took from this is, “Embracing a limitation can drive creativity.”

That sounds like something that might be easier said than done. Do you think that advice might be difficult for someone to accept? Why or why not?

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When he said he felt, “Paralyzed by choices,” on a scale from 1 to 10, how much did you relate? Have you ever been in a situation as a writer, artist, or even just in life where the amount of options you had felt overwhelming?

What did you notice, wonder, or think about when he was sharing the art pieces he made?

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How do you think his life might have been different if he hadn’t learned to “embrace the shake” and embrace his limitations?

He explained that he learned to

embrace his mistakes. Once he stopped trying to make everything perfect, he was happier and more creative.

What advice do you think he’d share with students who are struggling to begin a task because they’re worried about making a mistake?

Nice work! To recap, we learned more about: