Uniform of an Art Teacher

As artists we take inspiration from many places. This year I took inspiration from the POTUS. I read an article about President Obama this summer by Michael Lewis and this part stood out to me. 

You also need to remove from your life the day-to-day problems that absorb most people for meaningful parts of their day. “You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits,” [Obama] said. “I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.” He mentioned research that shows the simple act of making decisions degrades one’s ability to make further decisions. It’s why shopping is so exhausting. “You need to focus your decision-making energy. You need to routinize yourself. You can’t be going through the day distracted by trivia.” 

I had often thought about how much simpler my life would be if I didn't have to think about what I was going to be wearing the next day, or as an art teacher, what kind of mess might we make tomorrow and what can I wear for that mess. Inspired further by the simplicity of my grandfather's 'uniform' of a blue chambray shirt and jeans I decided it was time to have an art teacher uniform.

I ordered my uniform pieces from Uniform Warehouse. The pants and the shirt are a poly/cotton blend that I think will resist stains better than the standard button downs and chinos I would usually wear. I also like to wear fun socks, they are one of the only items of clothing that I actually like to buy.

So there it is, a simple uniform makes it easy to dress in the morning and clears my conscious about getting stains on clothes that I might wear outside of work.

What are some ways you have simplified your days to make teaching a little easier?