ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Central Question 

My project aims to view the ways that art impacts society by taking a unique approach. I want to determine how we experience art at the individual level first, by having meaningful conversations with diverse artists, before I can use their input and my own research to answer big artist questions like "what is art?" and "why does it matter?"

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Literature

These episodes were largely inspired by “My Brother, My Brother, and Me,” a comedy advice podcast hosted by three brothers. They are experts in the field and have written a book called “Everybody has a Podcast (Except You)” where they share great tips and a starter guide to podcasting. To develop this work, I needed to first understand the techniques for making a Podcast. After covering the basics of the recording process and equipment, they tackled how to approach the audio content. A good insight to “finding your story” was that after experimenting with biographical episodes, they “started to see what made those shows better. A person’s life naturally has a story, which means there is a built-in narrative arc.” (McElroy et al. 47). This was a driving force to my episodes, which showcase the “story” of the artistic journey each guest has been through, connecting and engaging the audience with a personal narrative told through interview. This podcast was not only meant to explore the audio medium, but to discover why art even matters.  In her book “What is art for?” Ellen Dissanayake argues that all art forms are a ritual display of, as she refers to it, “making special.”To put it plainly, “arts evolved as means of making socially important activities memorable and pleasurable, and thus have been essential to human survival” (Dissanayake). Through interviewing artists and non-artists, I was able to explore the ways in which people use art in their life, and found that in many ways they were in fact “making special.” By listening to their responses, I was able to formulate a new idea of what art means to humans at the individual level.

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Methods

My creative process included getting to know each person and their art form before I interviewed them. This way, the dialogue flowed naturally and there was already a friendly chemistry and shared sense of humor that makes listening more enjoyable. To do this, I have some relevant connection to the people I interview, whether they be someone from Arts Scholars, a friend, family, teacher, etc. I ensured that they were people I was comfortable talking with. I found out in advance what topic of art they’d like to discuss, and did my own research into the topic beforehand.  I had the chance to organize and present like a journalist so that I could make the most of my time talking with a guest. I recorded and edited each 30-minute episode in Adobe PremierPro. 

Audience & Impact

The audience is primarily young adults like myself, maybe attending college, who can relate to the topical discussions of youth consumption and experience of the arts. The impact I intend to have is to teach people about unique art forms, and generate more interest in trying new creative art forms. I will lead with a loose interpretation of what is “art” in culture, and promote valuing the arts. During quarantine/social distancing, I hope to also be promoting art and creativity as a form of looking out for your mental well-being.

After completing this project, I have grown by testing a new audio medium that was completely foreign to me as a visual artist. I pushed myself to try a form of public speaking, as well as learn the tools for recording and editing audio. I also have grown in the sense that I feel validated in my own love for art, because I have seen its value through the lens of others.

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References

Dissanayake, Ellen. What Is Art For?University of Washington Press, 1988, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvcwn5k6 ​. 

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McElroy, Justin, et al. Everybody Has a Podcast (except You): a How-to Guide from the First Family of Podcasting. Harper Perennial, 2021. 

Title Photo from Unsplash.com, fair use.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to Arts Scholars Directors Heather and Harold for helping me along the journey. I also want to thank the individuals who let me interview them, Ariel Ronayne, Maria Soboleva, and Isaiah Willet.