To be awake means to have active attention, particularly the attention to carry a project into effect and execute a plan (Greene, 1977). Additionally, to be wide-awake requires a level of consciousness that provokes reflection and awareness in the quest for meaning, which can in turn contribute to the formation of self and ability to make sense of lived experiences (Greene, 1977). After 7 years of teaching middle school Visual Arts, the author had a moment of awakening. She realized that she and her 6th-grade students had been "lulled into a slumber" as a result of uninspired projects that lacked the characteristic individuality and spunk of the middle school-aged student. In an attempt to spark her students' creativity, she began giving open-ended assignments that promoted choice and flexibility. While these assignments were met with enthusiasm, her students would quickly come to a halt when they were unable to generate an idea, let alone an idea they were excited about. In this article, reflecting on her own moment of awakening, the author wonders how Greene's concept of awakeness might apply to her middle school visual arts classroom: (1) How can she awaken her students to authentically engage in and persevere through the artmaking process? (2) How might this state of awakeness contribute to her students' understanding of themselves? and (3) How might this benefit her students beyond the visual arts classroom?