Brontë Joseph is a current student at Stetson University, planning to graduate in 2019 with a major in Theatre Arts. We recently asked her to share some of the exciting things she has been doing for our profile series.
Q: What are your plans for graduation and a future career?
As someone who enjoys planning all aspects of her life, I actually don’t have a solidified plan for after graduation. For the past 5 months, I’ve been toying with the idea of taking a gap year between my undergraduate and later graduate studies. However, this won’t be a gap year of “finding myself and seeking my higher truth”. I have always been in love with Disney and California, so I am applying for the Disney College Program in California, as well as a position with my sorority’s national headquarters. I have always wanted to live in California, so I feel as though this will be the perfect opportunity. My end goal is to get my PhD in Higher Education Policy. I want to work on helping to formulate more inclusive curriculum that reflects the actual world’s history, rather than the Eurocentric view that it is molded into now.
Q: Did you ever see yourself doing what you are doing now when you took your first Creative Arts course @Stetson?
Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself where I am. Since January 2016, I have served as the student costume shop manager for the Theatre Arts department, and I have really come to learn that choosing a job you love means never working a day in your life. Now, that’s not entirely true because I am almost always busy with something, however, working with AJ Garcia has changed my life and opened up so many doors for my creative life.
Q: What advice do you have for someone taking their first course right now?
Go in with an open mind, especially if you’re not a CREA major. There are a lot of preconceived notions about what art is and what artists do, but until you are behind the scenes, hands on, and learning, you are only scratching the surface. If this is something you enjoy, just keep taking classes. I love seeing faces in the department that aren’t majors/minors but have found interest in the courses. (I love learning, if you’d hadn’t guessed.)
Q: What’s the best thing you learned studying Creative Arts @ Stetson?
(1) Don’t be afraid to question “authority” (I say this, and I feel like I’m an artist telling everyone to rebel against The Man.) Often, we fall into a rut of what we (artists) think should be created, but challenging the norm is what I believe art should be!
(2) Take critique with a spoonful of sugar. I’m not saying to gloss over it at all, but also ask the person who gave you to criticism to tell you what they found in your creation.
(3) Brain farts happen to the best of us. Sometimes, I cannot think of any kind of costume design aside from what would be the most plain thing possible, and I feel useless. Having that lull is okay! You cannot be going 100% all of time. Look around you and go back to the things, spaces, and people that recharge you as a creative.
Learn more about Brontë Joseph at the following links:
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