1. In just a few sentences, please tell us about your current job.
I have two jobs: I am a practicing artist and I am a professor of the practice (PoP) here at the SMFA (or what I still like to call the Museum School).
As an artist, I devote at least two days during the work week (and sometimes more on the weekend) to my craft, research, and administrative tasks (such as applying for grants or residencies). It’s a joy to work in the studio, but it requires serious discipline for continued success. It’s a job that requires me to work all year round
As a professor, I teach two classes per semester, participate in many faculty meetings and service, which includes curricular development and committees that oversees some of the operational and pedagogical needs of the school and greater University. As a full time professor that has tenure parity, I am part of a fantastic group of colleagues who are committed to meeting the current and future needs of our students while honoring the rich traditions and labor of our culture. I am proud to teach at a school where I learned how to become an artist.
2. How did your academic track and non-academic activities influence your career journey?
My education has absolutely been instrumental to my livelihood in my studio AND in my non-art life. The skills that I learned in class were obviously vital to me understanding the technical and conceptual demands of being an artist. However, Review Boards has shaped me in ways that I did not realize until after I graduated. Aside from learning more about my work by listening about my production at the end of each semester, I also learned how to speak up on my behalf AND talk openly about my thoughts, experience, and research to a different audience every semester. One thing that I love about Review Boards is that softens the hierarchy between faculty and student. I felt more comfortable advocating for myself and articulating deeper questions about what I was seeing or making because of this leveling. I also learned that I only gained what I put into the review board, which motivated me to not only push myself harder in the studio, but question more about what I really want from meeting with my peers and professors during a review board. With respect to that, I learned to honor the Review Board Process by taking it just as seriously as a student that sat on boards. The pedagogy of the SMFA helped me to understand how community building and engagement is vital to success as an artist and cultural producer.
With that in mind, because I challenged myself to elevate my approach towards Review Boards, I found that I had developed a skill that translated outside of a studio practice. Self-motivation and having a dynamic critical skillset works in any field. As a result, I was able to get many jobs outside of art while I grew my practice after school. These were jobs that required a sharp eye for aesthetics but not necessarily the same skillsets that I was acquainted with. I’ve worked as a boat builder, a cabinet maker, a real-estate stager, a faux finisher, and as a studio manager. Each of those jobs are different but also intersect with the arts. I was hired for those jobs because I understood how to communicate my skills and demonstrate my ability to adapt to unfamiliar situations. Review boards were a huge part of my establishing a foundation for success outside of academia.
3. What advice would you offer to a student who wants to pursue a career path like yours?
I would give three bits of advice. Two are from myself and one is a quote from an artist.
If you can, get a job in a creative or skilled base field whenever possible. It will likely provide you access to resources that would be otherwise hard to acquire on your own (such as a work shop or free materials). It’s a great way to keep the creative muscle in your brain strong.
Any day in the studio (or wherever your creative works space is located) is a good day. Even the frustrating days are ok. Showing up with regularity will help you in the long run.
I heard Matthew Brannon say this once about being an artist, “Don’t get in your own way.” There are many forces that make it challenging to succeed as an artist, don’t let yourself be one of them.
