How Identity Influences a Visiting Assistant Professor's Career as an Artist
Patrick's cognitive difference creates friction in traditional academic settings, where the expectation is to "spoonfeed information," contrasting with their approach of "corroding the boundaries" and creating "confusion in the boundaries of thought." This difference has led to professional challenges, including rejection from roles due to a mismatch between expectations and their unconventional methods, highlighting the need for institutions to value diverse approaches to learning and teaching.
Higher Education, Cognitive Diversity, Non-Traditional Learning, Challenging Institutional Norms, Creative Expression
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Patrick Michael Ballard
Visiting Assistant Professor
Artist
CSU Long Beach (2011)
California Institute of the Arts: MFA in Fine Arts
Fine Arts, Music
Arts, Entertainment & Media, Education
Education
Video Highlights
1. Patrick's experience as a cognitively queer individual has presented unique challenges in navigating his career, particularly within traditional academic structures that prioritize a dominant educational paradigm.
2. He describes his teaching and artistic methods as subverting traditional notions of structure, often leading to friction with those who expect conformity.
3. Patrick emphasizes the importance of finding environments that value diverse approaches and perspectives, and encourages others to find similar settings where they can thrive.
Transcript
As someone who identifies as cognitively queer, how has that impacted how you've navigated your career?
It's been really challenging. A well-structured class is usually built around a dominant educational paradigm, where people are spoonfed information and then responsible for mastering it.
Yet, as someone whose mind and experience are radically different, I also teach and administer in a very different way. I make art differently, always corroding the boundaries that would make something discreet and understandable. I mystify them, creating confusion within the boundaries of thought.
This can create friction for people used to a more structured paradigm. That can be challenging because it can lead to judgment. People may judge my approach, even though I see these important structures as tools for pushing against dominant structures of the mind.
I think what causes friction between us within institutions is when what others expect of us doesn't match what we produce, and they don't see that as a positive thing. Depending on how people have felt about me and the way I structure my actions and business, they've rejected me or told me I wasn't a good fit.
Over time, I've identified this as not necessarily a problem with me, but with the culture of the place. Being a person who experiences the world differently and even cultivates that difference can mean you're out of sync with others. This is unless you can help them understand and feel the value of your way of being or structuring things.
Advizer Personal Links
https://www.patrickmichaelballard.com/, IG: @patrickmichaelballard, Bandcamp: LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-ballard-6742221bb