Creative Changemakers: Lady Gaga
You don't have to be an artist to be a Creative Changemaker. But you do need the mindset of an artist.
Visionaries, people who transform our world, all have the habits that my art programs promote.
By cultivating the Studio Habits of Mind through the process of artmaking, we can become, and raise our children to become, the Creative Changemakers the world needs.
Let's review the 8 Studio Habits of Mind, also known as SHoM.
The Studio Habits of Mind is a framework published in 2003 by Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education. This is a series of 8 “habits” that researchers saw being taught, implicitly and explicitly, in strong visual arts programs. They saw similar habits being used across academic subjects.
The 8 Studio Habits of Mind are:
So what does Lady Gaga have to do with this?
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born March 28, 1986 in New York City. She had an early affinity for music and began playing the piano at age 4. She also had small parts in theatrical productions during her school years.
Lady Gaga studied music in college at NYU and left after 2 years to focus on her career, forming a band and recording with other artists. She dated music producer Rob Fusari, who helped her develop new material and gave her the nickname Lady Gaga, after the song “Radio Ga Ga” by Queen.
Over the next few years, Gaga explored new ways of doing things, incorporating a large variety of music genres and outlandish outfits. She says that constantly reinventing herself is liberating.
Some radio stations refused to play her songs, deeming them “too underground”. She told them, “My name is Lady Gaga, I've been on the music scene for years, and I'm telling you, this is what's next.”
Her debut album “The Fame”, released in 2008, shot through the charts, with the hit single “Poker Face” spending a record 83 weeks on the Billboard chart. From there, her career just went up, winning 13 Grammys, an Academy Award, a BAFTA, 2 Golden Globes, and more. Time magazine wrote that “Gaga reinvented the current era of pop music”, and named her as one of the “100 most influential people in the world”.
Gaga donates and raises millions of dollars for philanthropic causes, such as funds for victims of the Haitian earthquake, Japanese tsunami, California wildfires, and Hurricane Sandy, the fights against HIV/AIDS and COVID-19, as well as LGBTQ organizations and the Black Lives Matter movement.
In 2012, Gaga launched the Born This Way Foundation, which focuses on youth empowerment, kindness, and mental health. Named for her album “Born This Way”, the foundation celebrates differences, and the importance of freedom and equality.
Regardless of how you feel about her views or her raw meat dress, you have to respect Gaga helping Liza Minnelli present the Best Picture Oscar at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Lady Gaga’s uncompromising vision, out of the box personality, kindness and generosity, ability to face important topics head on, and fierce self-confidence are what makes her a Changemaker.
Let's take a look at how Lady Gaga embodies the SHoM
Lady Gaga is a creative changemaker. She sees problems in our world, desires change, gathers knowledge and resources, and works to bring about solutions.
What Studio Habits of Mind (SHoM) do you see in Lady Gaga’s life?
Develop Craft - Gaga is a serious musician, playing instruments, singing vocals, and writing songs. She is constantly collaborating with others to improve her craft.
Engage & Persist - Critics have labeled Gaga “weird”, “depthless”, and “supremely messed up”. Radio stations refused to play her music. A music producer raped her and dumped her on a street corner. Yet she always believed in herself, and shape-shifted her way to stardom.
Envision - Gaga has a clear vision for how she thinks the world should be, and everything she does is a step towards that. She is outspoken in her views and puts her money towards causes she believes in.
Express - Self-expression is the defining tenet of Gaga’s work and life. Her music is highly personal and meaningful to her and millions of fans. She is not afraid of being who she is.
Observe - Gaga counts among her influences David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Andy Warhol, and Princess Diana. She studies her predecessors intently.
Reflect - Gaga is a serious and talented musician, always reflecting on her work and reinventing it.
Stretch & Explore - Lady Gaga is synonymous with stretching past the perceived limits of music, fashion, and life itself.
Understanding Worlds - Exploring music genres from classical piano to jazz (two albums with Tony Bennett!) to hip hop gives Gaga a deep understanding of the music world. Her forays into film, videos, acting, fashion and business further her understanding and influence.
When we embody the Studio Habits of Mind, we can become, and raise our children to become, Creative Changemakers.
The Creative Changemakers Membership opens August 15th.
