People is a Verb
- Brian A. Kavanaugh
- Jul 22, 2025
- 2 min read
“People is a verb.”
It’s a phrase that doesn’t sit still. It doesn’t follow the rules. But it does something more important - it invites motion.
To be human is not just to be, but to do. To interact, to respond, to try, then try again. Especially in the face of the unknown. Because the unknown is everywhere: in new materials, unfinished ideas, unfamiliar feelings. And creativity offers a way to meet the unknown with curiosity instead of fear. It gives us a strategy for action - something we can do when we don’t yet know what something means.
In supported studio settings, this is not an abstract idea. It shows up every day in real ways - through artmaking, interaction, experimentation, and the small decisions that shape each moment. Here are three ways the phrase “People is a verb” applies to studio practice and facilitation:
Studio Practice is a Training Ground for Response
In supported studios, creative practice becomes a rehearsal space for learning how to act when things are unclear. When an artist encounters a material that behaves unexpectedly - or a project that takes a surprising turn - they’re offered a choice: stop, or continue. Give up, or respond. And over time, many begin to build trust in their ability to respond. That’s the core of creativity. Not just producing something new, but moving through uncertainty in a way that builds confidence.
Facilitation is Quiet Encouragement Toward Action
Great facilitation isn’t about giving answers - it’s about making space for someone to discover their own. That means allowing for hesitation, but not treating it as failure. That means noticing when someone pauses before making a mark, and supporting - not rushing - that moment. It’s about offering materials, time, and gentle cues that invite someone back into movement. Into action. Into doing.
Creativity is a Muscle for Facing the Unfamiliar
Most people are taught - formally or informally - that unfamiliar = unsafe. But creative practice rewrites that equation. It offers repeated chances to face something unknown and find that something good can happen here. That experience becomes a kind of muscle memory - an internal reference point for facing other unknowns. Not just in the studio, but in life. With the right supports in place, creativity becomes a strategy for approaching the uncertain - not with fear, but with interest and care.
To say people is a verb is to remind ourselves that action is where meaning lives. That becoming is always in progress. And that every person, with the right support, can learn to move through the unfamiliar - not perfectly, not fearlessly, but with growing trust in their own way of responding.
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