Main Responsibilities Of A Visiting Assistant Professor As An Artist

My main responsibilities in my current role have been wide and varied. I was brought into the AGPM context because there's a larger movement in the PPD program of fusing and blending games, performance, play spaces, and immersive spaces. This movement is shaped by and touches media and game culture.

I think my work encompasses all of these areas. I was brought in as a full-time visiting assistant professor to help with curriculum revision during this transition. This meant I was part of the committee that helped structure that.

Additionally, my role involves fostering other people's creative processes and encouraging them to explore new ideas. I structure curriculum and teach classes in a way that is helpful to students, but also authentic to my perspective on the world and its changes. This aims to prepare students for the new era of interactive media we are entering.

On a day-to-day basis, I send many emails and interface with TAs. I also engage with my peers in the program through faculty meetings and discussions. My role as an artist is also a significant part of my responsibilities.

Faculty in arts programs often choose this path for financial stability, which allows for more experimental projects. That's why I chose this path. So, I also apply for grants and residency applications.

As an artist in this culture, you essentially have a second job at all times. I am always having to go into deep creative spaces to develop unique ideas and build the worlds I want to explore through my work. This involves executive functioning tasks like dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's to ensure classes run smoothly and have the necessary support.

It also means ensuring projects are funded and that I can make logistical progress in my work with institutional support. As an artist, you also have to descend into a space, or rise above it all, to reach for ideas that are harder to find when you're solely focused on the grind.

Being an artist means holding space for daydreaming, for messing up, and for failing in interesting ways to find new and more compelling approaches. I try to balance all of this on a day-to-day basis in my roles.