artist interviews

ella thompson

@ella_theatre, twenty two, she/her

what is your art form?

stage management.

what do you do and why do you do it?

i am a stage manager. i do stage management because it sparks joy. i love it so much.

who/what has inspired you in your artistic practice and why?

i feel very inspired by carrie hope fletcher. despite her not being a stage manager, she does a great job of showing what life is like as an artist. she shows the ups and downs and the way she deals with the struggles really inspires me to push on when things get hard.

what do you think your role is as an artist? has anything stopped you from fulfilling this role?

i believe my role as an artist and as a stage manager is to be the glue. i want to help and fix all the problems, all of the time. sometimes not having enough time in the day to fix all these problems means that i cannot fulfil my role.

what have been the biggest challenges in your artistic journey?

for me, not being burnt out is the biggest challenge at the moment. i love getting as involved in shows as much as i can and sometimes it can be exhausting. i am learning to force myself to get enough sleep, eat enough and have self care time, to ensure i am looking after myself.

do you believe that good art comes from turmoil and suffering, or is that a romantic notion?

i think it depends! yes and no!

how do you feel your age impacts your experience as an artist?

i feel that it can impact my experience as sometimes people older in the industry can look down on young up and coming artists. that we are too young to be experienced and have the skills that are needed.

what about your gender/race/sexuality/disability etc.?

i do feel that being female identifying means that some male identifying people have not believed i am capable as i am a woman.

when it comes to art, what would you tell your younger self?

i would tell my younger self that art is valid! art is enough!! having a career in the arts is good enough! it is a CAREER, you can get MONEY and do what you LOVE!

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