CENTREVILLE, MD — This episode of ArtScene | The Podcast highlights a recent national podcast appearance by Michael Bell, Supervisor of Visual & Performing Arts and School Library Media for Queen Anne’s County Public Schools. Bell was featured on Episode 255 of K12ArtChat, a nationally distributed arts education podcast hosted by Laura and Matt Grundler and published by Davis Publications.
In the episode, titled “Practice What You Teach,” Bell joined the hosts for a conversation about creativity, artistic identity, visual journaling, educational leadership, and the importance of remaining an active artist while serving in leadership roles.
K12ArtChat is one of the nation’s leading podcasts dedicated to art education, creativity, and innovation in teaching and learning. Produced and distributed by Davis Publications, the podcast reaches educators, artists, and creative professionals across the United States and internationally. Laura Grundler currently serves as Chief of Creative Engagement for the National Art Education Association (NAEA), while Matt Grundler is a middle school art educator, Apple Certified Teacher, and nationally recognized arts workshop presenter from Texas.
Throughout the conversation, Bell reflected on a philosophy he has shared with educators throughout his career: that teachers and arts leaders should continue creating alongside the students and educators they serve.
“Somewhere along the way, a lot of us got lost in being organizers of creativity instead of participants in it,” Bell said during the interview. “’Stay an artist’ is something I’ve been preaching for years.”
The episode explored a variety of topics including visual journaling, creative process, arts advocacy, authentic learning experiences, and the role artistic practice plays in sustaining creativity and innovation within schools and communities. Bell discussed how artists and educators can remain connected to the work that originally inspired them while balancing the responsibilities of leadership, program development, and advocacy.
A significant portion of the conversation focused on visual journaling, a creative practice Bell has explored and championed for decades. He described visual journaling as a powerful intersection of imagery, text, memory, and personal narrative that allows individuals to explore authentic creative expression and tell their stories.
“The most important job of any artist is to draw a line from their life to their art that is straight and clear,” Bell shared.
Bell also reflected on the importance of process over product, encouraging both artists and educators to value experimentation, risk-taking, and reflection rather than focusing solely on outcomes.
“We’ve trained people to obsess over outcomes, likes, perfection, and final products,” Bell said. “But some of the most important art I’ve ever made would probably never hang in a gallery. Its value was what it revealed to me while I was making it.”
The discussion further explored the growing need for creative spaces and experiences that encourage connection, storytelling, and personal expression for adults as well as students. Bell reflected on how a recent personal creative endeavor, the opening of his own Cannon Street Studio in Chestertown, challenged him to practice the same creative risk-taking and vulnerability he has long encouraged in others.
“We spend so much time talking about what kids need creatively, but adults are starving for it too,” Bell noted. “And when people are given opportunities to create, reflect, and share their stories, something powerful happens.”
The episode concluded with a message to educators about protecting their own creative identities and continuing to model lifelong learning for students.
“Your students need to see adults who still make things. Who still experiment. Still fail. Still evolve,” Bell said. “You don’t have to become less of an artist to become a greater educator or leader. If anything, the opposite is true.”
Bell’s appearance on K12ArtChat reflects his ongoing commitment to advancing arts education, supporting creative practice, and fostering authentic learning experiences for students and educators alike. In addition to his role as Supervisor of Visual & Performing Arts and School Library Media for Queen Anne’s County Public Schools, Bell was recently named Co-Chair of the Maryland State Superintendent’s Fine Arts Advisory Panel for 2026–2027.
The full episode of K12ArtChat is available on major podcast platforms and is also being featured through ArtScene | The Podcast.