The Language of Visual Arts is a graduation project focusing on process-based learning at the intersection of visual arts and creative writing. This project strives to realize qualitative education in visual arts and creative writing by focusing on the creative process. By alternating divergent- and convergent-thinking activities, students are encouraged to expand their ideas and use critical thinking to make selections and develop their written and visual artwork. Integrating moments of reflection and actively making selections throughout the process is vital for the quality of the work and the process.

Creative writing and visual arts are integrated so as to support and reinforce each other. By integrating the two, students can grow and develop their skills and ideas in both subjects, and educators can use their effective learning time more efficiently. In this project, both subjects are seen as languages in which students can communicate and express themselves.

This theory about the creative process and the connection between visual arts and creative writing has led to the development of the activity card deck. Different educational models for the creative process have inspired the design of the Language of Visual Arts, or LoVA for short. The activity cards are divided in four different categories: responding, connecting, creating, and presenting. These four stages of the creative process are based on the American National Core Arts Standards and the SLO Core Objectives.

Throughout this research project, the activity cards were implemented across various settings and with diverse audiences. The feedback, experiences, and reactions gathered from these testing rounds have contributed to the refinement and enhancement of the activity cards. The project strives to realize qualitative education in visual arts and creative writing by equipping educators with a tool to teach visual arts and creative writing in a manner that is focused on the students’ personal creative process.