三溫暖的一週

This week has felt like a whirl of contrasts, like stepping in and out of a warm bath—at times serene, at others uncertain.

This morning, I found myself quietly observing ancient artifacts while friends around me sketched. At noon, I stepped into the contemporary—a curator’s sharing session at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, featuring a French curator whose presentation unfolded entirely in English, with thoughtful pauses for interpretation.

To my own quiet surprise, I realized I was beginning to grasp fragments of meaning directly—without needing to translate every word in my mind. Though far from fluent, it was a moment of quiet triumph, a sign that the seeds I’ve planted through effort are beginning to sprout. That, I believe, was the most joyful part of my day.

Yet amidst this joy, a sobering clarity emerged. Surrounded by younger minds so fluent, so current, I saw clearly the distance I must still travel—not only in language but in depth of contemporary knowledge. I celebrate their rise, for it marks a thriving future. But I also feel a quiet urgency—a call to pick up my pace, lest I fall too far behind. And so, I press on.

Tonight brings yet another chapter: teaching at the community college. This, too, is no simple task. Art instruction, particularly for older students, is everywhere now. Many classes offer quick results and easy praise, leading some to believe they’ve already found their style, their voice. I find myself questioning how best to teach—how to encourage growth without wounding pride, how to nurture truth without dimming enthusiasm.

Teaching, I’ve come to realize, demands not just skill, but deep empathy. Perhaps even a little psychology.

這一週過的三溫暖的感覺，時冷時熱。尤其今天早上看著古物寫生。中午參加當代藝術分享會。晚上要社區大學教學。

早上的寫生對我而言，只是去看看朋友，中午是我的重點參加了國美館的法國策展人分享會。過程策展人全程英文，中英逐步口譯。我意外發現我的努力有點收穫，對於策展人在談論的時候我已經慢慢可以聽懂英文雖然還沒有辦法在腦裏逐步翻譯。這個應該是我今天最大的喜悅。不過在這樣子場所之下，也更加了解自己的不足，不管是語言還是專業知識其實都已經落後給在場的年輕世代。值得高興的是代表年輕一代的崛起，不過另一個隱憂是自己先前的努力可能要加快速度才能夠跟得上。只能繼續加油。

而晚上的教學課程，又是另外一個考驗。我覺得外面的繪畫教學太氾濫。有些教學為了讓長輩可以快速學成有成就感，所以讓長者產生錯覺，覺得自己非常的厲害，甚至已經認定自己有自己的風格。這個問題我還在重新檢討自己的教學，怎麼調整可以不傷害長輩的自尊心又可以幫助彼此之間的成長。真的覺得教學也很不容易不只要有專業知識還要學習一下心理學。