Through the study of media arts and an active involvement in media arts production, I have witnessed the manner by which students learn to broaden their horizons, develop a greater sense of self-awareness, and grow as individuals in numerous and unforeseen ways. They grow intellectually by learning about things they had not previously encountered. They grow emotionally by engaging with topics that are important to them. And they grow socially through artistic collaboration, social cooperation, and collective action. At its best, studying media arts has to do with more than just learning how to make and understand the art form, it involves learning how one might live a conscious, conscientious, and intentional life, both in and out of the classroom. Therefore, I encourage students to think about their practice in the Department of Film and Media Arts as a way to be in conversation with the broader world around them.

Drawing on my diverse set of skills and interests as an artist, I tend to produce a wide range of work across numerous fields and disciplines, including contemporary performance, digital media design, experimental film, video installation, and other modes of expanded cinema, theatre, music, and visual art. As an educator, I incorporate this eclecticism into my teaching by asking students to think about film and media arts in ways that stretch the boundaries of how they might conventionally understand them. I am constantly asking students how film and media arts can be in greater dialogue with other disciplines in order to push our field forward in ways that might allow us to gain a broader under-standing of how an expanded definition of our field can help diversify the audiences we reach, open the door to invite new practitioners, and looking at the broader landscape, increase our overall cultural impact. In addition to this, I often introduce work in the classroom that crosses common disciplinary boundaries as a way to promote curiosity and encourage adventurousness in my students.

Overall, my goal as an educator is for students to understand that being an artist presents them with a practical method for thinking and speaking about the complexities of the surrounding world in a safe environment. My experience as a first-generation college student showed me that universities can often be a daunting and seemingly unsafe environment for students. These formative experiences taught me how to connect with students on their level and communicate with them in a manner that is genuine to their unique perspectives. As a way of gaining trust, I believe in articulating measurable outcomes to students that correspond to well-articulated and practical learning goals for professional and personal development. I provide students with clear and transparent rubrics for evaluating their individual progress. I emphasize the values of clear communication and open collaboration as being a prerequisite for the success of everyone in the classroom—myself included. In addition to this, I share my research and experience with students in the classroom as someone who has stood where they stand now. I try to help them find their voice, without imposing my own particular aesthetics or interests by exposing them to the work of artists I feel might resonate with them, while also challenging them by revealing artists and types of work they have not yet encountered.

Through learning by doing and then reflecting on what they have done, students have the opportunity to get a real taste of what it means to be an artist, and in the process begin to find their own voice. By becoming conversant in multiple disciplines, students can be better prepared to pivot professionally and take advantage of opportunities when the arise. Foremost, I focus the attention of my students on the complexities involved in the interplay between making a work of art and sharing it with the public, since all forms and styles of artmaking include this encounter. It is my aspiration that the experiences students have while studying with me in the Department of Film and Media Arts might enable them to develop into not only exceptional artists but also well-rounded individuals who will make a positive impact in their communities and the world at large after graduation.