Art does not exist in a vacuum. It is a conversation among artists of different backgrounds and disciplines. It can be easy to silo oneself off from other art forms and only focus on one’s own craft, but it is important to branch out and experience all different kinds of art.
Going out and interacting with other art forms not only inspires and heightens one’s own artistic endeavors but works toward building a larger artistic community.
“Look into other disciplines and see how people are inspired,” said Alexis Cabrera, radio-television-film graduate student. “That’s very important for filmmakers, for musicians, for painters, for dancers, for actors to be inspired.”
Building a community is one of the most important parts of life at university. Studying, class and tests are just a small part of what makes university so important. Every student on campus has their own story and something to learn from.
“We have to go to other art forms for … things because at the end of the day, we exist because of one another,” said Mayra Estrada, radio-television-film senior.
Every semester, UT is home to dozens of artistic showcases, from literature to sculpture to film. Making time to go to a musical performance or dance recital is not always easy as a busy student, but the benefits of trying something new and supporting the arts are incalculable.
“A lot of the movies that a lot of film students praise, they’re not inspired just by films,” Estrada said. “They’re inspired by a lot of different paintings, pieces of music.”
When artists stay within their own bubble away from other disciplines, their projects can become stale, having only been inspired by other artists in their own department. Looking at other art forms allows artists to expand their ideas of what they can achieve through their work.
“Sometimes when people direct films, especially at a student level, I feel like they don’t look at composition as much,” Estrada said. “Paintings really help me examine composition a lot more.”
Every UT degree plan has electives built into it. Students should make use of these electives to try new things that their school or degree can not offer them specifically. A film major could learn blocking from a theater class, while a music major could learn story structure and drama from a literature class.
“Try to pause and look around you,” Cabrera said. “Maybe something magical will happen.”
No matter how confident and educated you are, art can always surprise you. Artists across campus, Austin and the world are innovating and creating new things. All you need to do is seek it out.
Hay is a radio-television-film senior from Bryan, Texas.