Art and creativity allow people to grow and spread their wings. Creativity pushes the limits of what we think we can do. It allows us to step out of our comfort zone into a realm we aren’t familiar with.  Adam Coulson, photography and graphic design teacher at Highlands Ranch High School, shows us just how true this is.

  Adam Coulson shares his journey as a teacher and as an artist. Growing up, Coulson loved to create art. He made everything from drawings and paintings to graphic design art. He went to college for graphic design.

  There are many key aspects to graphic design and many key skills. “Photography is a major component to graphic design,” said Coulson. Through graphic design Coulson became good at photography.

  Coulson got a job as a graphic design teacher and was asked to be a photography teacher as well. Getting a job as a photography teacher was when Coulson really started learning more about photography. Still, to this day, Coulson is learning new things about photography and graphic design that he gets to share with his students.

  There are many great components to photography and graphic design but Coulson has a different idea on the best part of his job. “Literally, my favorite part is getting to watch students be creative, being able to be a part of their artwork process,” said Coulson. “Students are always more creative than they ever assume they can be.”

  Coulson doesn’t like to be boxed in. “Film is really fun, but it has a lot of limitations,” said Coulson. “I love being able to take a photo and take it to another level in the computer.” Coulson likes to have freedom on what he does, and he enjoys adding his own taste of uniqueness.

  In photography 1 , “Our first project has been basically take pictures of whatever you want, and I think that has really helped me be creative because it’s not really a structured project,” said student Maddie Crea. This is one example of the many students that Coulson has impacted, Crea shows how Coulson has allowed her to be creative and just how much she has enjoyed it.

Lexi Brooke, Guest Reporter