“Painting and the Psychology of Creativity”
The photos depicted on this site were taken by San Jose City College Webmaster Foster McElroy. They were taken at the San Jose City College Art Gallery at a reception for Jim Potterton on March 3, 2005.
The photos show examples of his recent paintings completed during a sabbatical leave in 2004.
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Questions and Answers from Jim Potterton, Ph.D.
When it came time for your sabbatical why did you choose to explore painting and how did it relate to your academic fields?
I like the agricultural meaning of the term sabbatical, originating in ancient Judea, referring to a seventh year when the fields are left to rest, when nothing is grown. The picture of wild and weedy fields left purposely unproductive is a deeply satisfying image.
So that’s how it was for me while on sabbatical. It was a time for renewal, for refreshment. I had a chance to explore the psychology of my own creative process with minimal obligations to a daily routine. painting and drawing encouraged a presence of mind that helped me inquire more deeply into the natural order of things.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow had a way of talking about this. He called the creative process “the art of being happily lost in the present moment.” I teach the psychology of personal growth and I place a good deal of emphasis on helping students cultivate awareness of themselves in the present moment. Art making is one way to deepen this kind of self awareness. A sabbatical spent in this way helped me to further “practice what I preach.”
How was it different from you academic field and why (if) did you consider these differences important and useful?
A lot of academic psychology can be dreadfully dull and removed from the experience of daily life. In order to make this field relevant and to entice students to consider psychology as a field of study, I like to seek out novel connections between various academic disciplines. My recent interests in the psychology of happiness has led me to pursue the connections between creative pursuits and the elements of a happy life. This is a relatively new area for psychology which has, since the days of Sigmund Freud, focused on unhappiness and dysfunction.
What is the general advantage of working outside of ones usual boundaries?
Students come to our college searching for more than just units to satisfy degree requirements. On a more profound level they are taking notes from us as faculty members on ways we navigate the waters of adulthood. I know some important life choices I have made were influenced by the examples modeled by professors that inspired me. As humans, we all have the potential to lead multidimensional lives. That richness, which makes us interesting and brings us joy, is worth sharing and celebrating.
How does this experience help you teach?
Structured spontaneity and the ability to improvise are hallmarks of excellence in teaching. I get to exercise these same qualities when I paint. Looking at a blank canvass and meeting a class for the first time are both creative challenges. Each call on me to draw from a reservoir of experience and technical expertise and apply them in fresh and imaginative ways. Painting helps me exercise my “creative muscles” and I find that it impacts all other domains of my life - especially my teaching.
Very much related, how does this experience help your students?
Dull teaching dampens the spark of enthusiasm that most students have for topics in psychology. I’m proud to say that our psychology and art faculty use a number of innovative approaches aimed at cultivating the spirit of experimentation and disciplined inquiry. My sabbatical work in painting was done in collaboration with my art department colleague Eve Page-Mathias. We had a chance to learn from each other and as a result our students gained from our combined learning adventure.
Academic Background:
BA, Politics, Webster University
MA, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
PhD, Confluent Education, University of California Santa Barbara
Professor of Psychology and Labor Studies at San Jose City College since 1980
Currently teach: Psychology of Stress Reduction, Psychology of Personal Growth and Adjustment, Marriage and the Family, Social Psychology. Labor Studies: Leadership and Communication
Biographical facts:
Born in Brooklyn, NY, 1948
Married (25 years) to Maria Elena Mattioli, Professor of Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapist, John F. Kennedy University in Campbell. Maria is also an artist with a painting currently on exhibit at the Arts and Consciousness Art Gallery of John F. Kennedy University in Berkeley CA.
Besides his City College teaching, Jim is a meditation teacher and presents mindfulness meditation stress reduction workshops in workplaces and community settings throughout Northern California.
Jim and Maria together offer workshops for the general public that combine self-exploration, guided meditation, and art making.
For more information about Jim’s work contact him at: james.potterton@sjcc.edu or (408) 288-3734.
