In the long journey of art, the creator's self-awareness and emotional adjustment often determine the breadth and length of the artistic path.
This week, Assistant Professor Kao Chia-Hung of the Department of Fine Arts at National Kaohsiung Normal University, a member of the Teacher Training Committee, started with the "Convex-Concave-Flat-Hole Marathon" lecture series, condensing three cross-generational and cross-cultural art experiences, connecting artist development, emotional awareness and international perspective.
Through sharing the creative process, the event responds to the core competencies of social-emotional learning (SEL) and invites art educators to reflect on how art can become a force that supports learners in their steady progress.

The Department of Fine Arts at National Kaohsiung Normal University is hosting the "Convex, Concave, Flat, and Hole Marathon" lecture series, which connects professional artistic creation with sharing of artists' self-emotional awareness. The series unfolds a learning path from the cultivation of artists, the social practice of emotional competence, to the expansion of transnational perspectives through three lectures.

First Session | The Path to Becoming an Artist
Artist Li Yu-chen was invited to draw upon her background studying at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the UK, combined with her residency experiences in Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu, to remind creators and educators to bravely fight for their professional rights in the creative process, establish their self-positioning within the cultural context, not be afraid of others' opinions, and set their own "Time Zone" ⏳.
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Second Session | The Path of Printmaking at the Central Academy of Fine Arts
Yingxuan and Yiqi, doctoral students at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, shared their academic and creative journeys. Yingxuan combined painting and spatial installation practice, emphasizing self-awareness and mental and physical care when facing the unknown; Yiqi responded to plant observations and pandemic experiences through paper intaglio printing, and led students online to get acquainted with the environment of the Central Academy of Fine Arts printmaking studio, as well as emotional adjustment when creating in a foreign land.
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Third Session | Lecture on Contemporary European Printmaking
Presented by Italian printmaker Caterina De Nisco, who is based in Spain, the presentation systematically introduces the European printmaking studio ecosystem, residency programs, and competition systems. She also shares her cross-cultural observations during her residency in Tainan and her experience in managing emotions as a professional artist.

The three lectures not only delivered technical and international information, but also resonated with the core competencies of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)—cultivating self-awareness and self-management in creation, deepening social awareness and relational skills during cross-cultural mobility, and practicing responsible decision-making in career pursuits. Art education thus became a cross-disciplinary space integrating professional skills and emotional literacy, accompanying learners steadily and courageously forward in their own creative timelines.