Transcript
Speaker: Hello everyone, and welcome to the Able Voices podcast.
Speaker: I'm Dr. Rhoda Bernard, founding managing director of the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education and the assistant chair of the music education department at Berklee College of Music.
Speaker: and I am proud to present this podcast featuring disabled artists and arts educators.
Speaker: We are inviting artists with disabilities to be guest hosts for the Able Voices podcast.
Speaker: Today's guest host is Brianna Rauchy.
Speaker: Brianna is a Connecticut based artist specializing in film and digital photography, writing and design.
Speaker: Brianna also happens to have multiple disabilities.
Speaker: Over the years, Brianna has self-described as a photographer,
Speaker: photojournalist, writer, graphic designer, UX and product designer, social media manager, artist, et cetera, but feels none of these titles fully embodies the creativity she is constantly trying to express in new ways.
Speaker: After in-depth creative exploration, doing both full-time and freelance work for over 13 years, Brianna is now freelancing full-time, utilizing all of her creative abilities.
Speaker: Being a multi-passionate individual, this has allowed her to balance all of her creative endeavors and to add a few more.
Speaker: Welcome, Brianna.
Speaker: We are delighted to have you as our next guest host of the Able Voices podcast.
Speaker: It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker: Thank you for having me.
Speaker: So delighted.
Speaker: I would like to start off by asking you to tell us your story as an artist.
Speaker: How did you start as an artist and how did you get to where you are today?
Speaker: Great question.
Speaker: So my journey as an artist is a beautifully intricate web of designed by my need to incessantly create
Speaker: and express myself in different ways.
Speaker: So ever since I was a little kid, I was always interested in art.
Speaker: Even in elementary school, art was my favorite class.
Speaker: I remember any time we had to write what we wanted to be when we grow up, it was always an artist.
Speaker: And then as I got older and went to high school, I fell in love with photography.
Speaker: I didn't have a musical bone in my body, but I was obsessed with music.
Speaker: So I would take my camera and go to concerts and listen to my friends
Speaker: and take pictures and I really fell in love with that.
Speaker: And so I was like, great, I'm gonna be a photographer.
Speaker: I'm gonna go to school for photography.
Speaker: I went to school for photojournalism.
Speaker: And then after I graduated from there, I explored being a full-time photographer.
Speaker: Then I realized I needed to learn more because I always have this insatiable desire to learn.
Speaker: And I ended up getting my master's at Quinnipiac University in interactive media and communications with a concentration in user experience design.
Speaker: So I started to take on new skills like graphic design, user experience design,
Speaker: all sorts of different creative aspects, marketing, all of that.
Speaker: And then through different jobs, I also picked up other creative skills, which kind of led me to where I am today.
Speaker: I've taken all these creative skills that I've learned over the years and put them into one bundle.
Speaker: And yeah, that's where I'm at today.
Speaker: So it's been quite an adventure.
Speaker: It sounds like it.
Speaker: I mean, what I hear is that your identity is you are a creative person and you're going to learn and discover and explore and find whatever ways it is for you to express your creativity.
Speaker: And so putting a box around it or a specific name on it
Speaker: doesn't really do it justice.
Speaker: Yeah, it really doesn't.
Speaker: I tried to fit myself into certain boxes.
Speaker: I was always told to niche down and focus on one area.
Speaker: And I genuinely tried.
Speaker: But my interests, like I said, are just constantly evolving.
Speaker: And I just want to figure out the best way to create.
Speaker: I think as a disabled person, I think a strong suit that most disabled people have, whether they realize it or not, is their creativity.
Speaker: Because you have to be
Speaker: inherently creative to overcome the obstacles of living in a able-bodied world.
Speaker: So you have to be creative.
Speaker: And yeah, I've definitely, definitely taken that to the fullest extent with my artistry.
Speaker: Fantastic.
Speaker: You gave us the segue to my next question, which is for you to talk about your experiences as a disabled person.
Speaker: Yeah, so being a disabled person is the hardest thing I've experienced, but it's also the only thing I've experienced.
Speaker: So, you know, my experience has been challenging in ways, but I think even the hardest of challenges have forced me to grow and become who I was meant to be.
Speaker: So a lot of the reason that I am now freelancing on my own is actually because of my disability.
Speaker: So I
Speaker: I worked tons of nine to five jobs.
Speaker: But a lot of times, unfortunately, when I needed an accommodation, I was met with issues like, you know, you don't look like you have disabilities, even though I would present, yeah, documentation, like from my doctors, it was, it was always something.
Speaker: And to me, this was discouraging, because I knew I had all the creative skills, I knew I was up to par with everyone else.
Speaker: But
Speaker: It just seemed like whenever I needed an accommodation, it caused conflict.
Speaker: So I was like, let me take full creative, creative, what's the word I'm looking for?
Speaker: Control maybe?
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Creative control and also learn how to work around my disability.
Speaker: So I think when I was working a nine to five, a lot of the times, you know, I have tons of appointments that I go to on a weekly basis.
Speaker: I go to physical therapy, occupational therapy, hospitalization.
Speaker: aqua therapy.
Speaker: I do all sorts of things to keep my body out of pain and healthy and, you know, as mobile as possible.
Speaker: And these things kind of get in the way of a nine to five.
Speaker: So by creating my own schedule, it's allowed me to fully embrace my creativity, do the work I love doing, embrace different skills, and then thrive as a person with disabilities and as an artist.
Speaker: And you're able to set the agenda
Speaker: figure out the deadlines, determine the timing, negotiate what you need because you control the whole environment.
Speaker: Absolutely.
Speaker: I mean, I work for myself at home and then, you know, I also do photo shoots where I go out and stuff, but I plan around my schedule and around my health.
Speaker: And what makes me feel really comfortable is,
Speaker: is learning to work with my body, like I said.
Speaker: So, you know, when you're doing a normal nine to five, you know, you have certain times for everything.
Speaker: And sometimes I'll work in the middle of the night, you know, because I can, I don't have to be on the clock at a certain time.
Speaker: And I can, if I'm tired, I rest.
Speaker: And if I have all the energy, I do all the things.
Speaker: So it's nice to work with my disabilities and incorporate that into the art.
Speaker: I just have to go back to something you said, because it was so frustrating to hear.
Speaker: What I'm hearing you say is that when you would request accommodations, it was as though you were greeted with the attitude of they were looking for some reason not to do it.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker: It was always...
Speaker: You know, there were so many circumstances that happened.
Speaker: I might need you to go back on this one.
Speaker: I have to think about how I even want to say this.
Speaker: But yeah, it was just always a challenge, even if despite the most simple accommodations of
Speaker: wanting to park closer, for example, in the parking lot so that when it's icy out, because palsy on ice isn't very good.
Speaker: It's a little, it's a slippery mess.
Speaker: It's not good.
Speaker: And they would just be like, you don't, you don't look like you have disabilities.
Speaker: And I would present them with the documentation.
Speaker: And regardless, it just seemed like they would ignore the fact that I was like, for me, I didn't,
Speaker: always had a hard time asking people for help.
Speaker: So when I finally got to the point where I was asking someone for assistance, and then they were shutting me down, there was nothing more discouraging than that, because it took me so much to get the gumption to be like, hey, I actually do need help with this, because I skate this fine line, which is a double edged sword of
Speaker: passing as able-bodied as a disabled woman.
Speaker: So a lot of times you're misjudged that like, why would you need an accommodation?
Speaker: You look perfectly fine.
Speaker: And, you know, I can see that from an outsider standpoint, but when you're presented with medical information, then you should take that and implement that for the person so they could be successful.
Speaker: And just the ableist ignorant statement there, you don't look like
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It's just, we could have hours about all the many things that are wrong with that.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I just wanted to take a moment to pause on that because I think it is important to underscore it.
Speaker: And it is extremely frustrating that in today's day and age, this is happening.
Speaker: So thank you.
Speaker: You referred some to your college education, but can you talk a little bit more about the arts education that you received, how you learned how to do all these things and you're still learning.
Speaker: how to do all these things that you do.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So even further back, I'll go before college, there's certain teachers, I think, in my life and professors who've always made such a big impact on me as an artist, but also as a person with disabilities.
Speaker: All the way back to elementary school, my first art teacher really just saw, I think when I was, first of all, when I was younger, it was a little bit more obvious that I was disabled.
Speaker: I had
Speaker: braces on both of my legs.
Speaker: So I was kind of the kid that was made fun of and everything.
Speaker: And my teachers really saw me for who I was, and they saw the creativity in me and really tried to pull it out.
Speaker: So my art teacher in elementary school, Mr. Bernier, he really always recognized my art and was like, you should do more of this, challenged me to join little art competitions.
Speaker: And then I had a second grade teacher, Mrs. Diedrickson, and she
Speaker: I was the first kid in our class to get glasses and she had everyone make fake glasses and parade around the school.
Speaker: So I felt more confident.
Speaker: Oh, I love that.
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: It was the best.
Speaker: There was always a few teachers who really saw me and saw how uncomfortable I was, but saw the potential in me and tried to bring my true self out because I think I hid it for so long.
Speaker: So yeah.
Speaker: As I got older, my photography teacher in high school, he was also super influential.
Speaker: I think all of my teachers and professors kind of saw who I am now in me, but I wasn't fully expressing that then because, you know, social situations growing up and everything, you kind of put yourself into the shell and kind of hide a little bit of who you are.
Speaker: But then when I went to college and I had a photography of
Speaker: Professor Steven Jacobs, he made such a profound impact on me too, because he would just really challenge me to embrace the weird things that I would think about that usually came from disabilities, whether I realized it or not.
Speaker: He would really challenge me to think about what I was creating rather than just creating for the sake of creating.
Speaker: And I think that helped me a lot.
Speaker: And then...
Speaker: Yeah, in my master's degree, same thing.
Speaker: People were just the best art educators, I would say, are the ones that noticed who I really was.
Speaker: I'm trying to think of a better way to explain that, but they really saw me for who I was and saw my potential and really helped grab that out of me and try to extrapolate that and help me emphasize that on my own.
Speaker: I think that's the most powerful thing a teacher can do is to really see someone and really understand their potential and then help them to see it.
Speaker: Absolutely.
Speaker: I'm thinking about your teacher with everybody wearing glasses, like let's normalize wearing glasses.
Speaker: Beautiful, beautiful thing.
Speaker: And then for people to see your incredible creativity and your talent,
Speaker: and to see big things for you that you weren't even ready to see for yourself.
Speaker: I think there's something very powerful in that.
Speaker: That's pretty cool.
Speaker: So I'm curious what advice you would give to a disabled artist.
Speaker: That's a great question.
Speaker: I would say embrace your creativity.
Speaker: It's going to be the most cathartic outlet you'll ever have.
Speaker: And it also is the thing that you're probably strongest in, like I said, without even realizing it, because you're forced to be creative because you're forced to be a problem solver when you have disabilities.
Speaker: So follow that creative nature, even if you don't think you're an artist.
Speaker: you know, and you just have disabilities, create art.
Speaker: Just, you don't have to be good at it.
Speaker: Just pick up a pen and paper and scribble, whatever it is.
Speaker: It's a great outlet.
Speaker: And I really do think it helps heal.
Speaker: I think it helps heal, to be honest.
Speaker: And I would just say, keep creating and really stay true to yourself.
Speaker: Because I think a lot of times, especially these days, like people want you to fit into some box or, you
Speaker: Be someone you're not.
Speaker: And I think it's really, really the most important thing as an artist is to truly be yourself and find what makes you unique and emphasize it.
Speaker: And some people will like it and some people won't, but you know, your art isn't going to be for everyone and you just have to make it for yourself and keep going.
Speaker: That sense of integrity and authenticity that you're describing is super important.
Speaker: It's a huge lesson for everyone, right?
Speaker: you need to be true to yourself and who you are and believe in that person.
Speaker: Absolutely.
Speaker: That's a beautiful message.
Speaker: So I know that our listeners would be very interested to know what you're working on today.
Speaker: What are some of your current projects?
Speaker: So I kind of work because I have so many skill sets that I've gathered over the years.
Speaker: It's for a while, it was hard to market myself because everyone was like, well, you do everything.
Speaker: What do you actually do?
Speaker: So I've kind of created three different silos.
Speaker: One of them is a creative services team.
Speaker: So instead of like hiring, if you're, you're a brand or,
Speaker: like a small company or an individual looking to brand something.
Speaker: I could be like your creative team of one.
Speaker: I could do the research for your audiences, figure out how to best brand your products, do the web design for you, help you build a website, do the copywriting, SEO, marketing, social media, photography, the whole works, like a little creative agency, essentially.
Speaker: That's one silo.
Speaker: The second silo is I personally, I have something called the visual snow syndrome, which is basically like old static on a television.
Speaker: That's how I see.
Speaker: I didn't even realize I had this till I was 30 years old.
Speaker: I thought it was normal that everyone kind of saw with grain.
Speaker: But as a photographer, I was always interested in film photography and I described film as
Speaker: a memory, whereas digital photography to me looked like an impression of reality.
Speaker: It didn't look real.
Speaker: So come to find out film grain looks more real to me because that's how I see.
Speaker: So I love film photography and I focus on small weddings and elopements for that silo.
Speaker: And then the last one, which is my favorite, is the disability advocacy and creating art to create
Speaker: create awareness around disability.
Speaker: So I have an art blog where lately, you know, I've been focusing on writing some of the implications of this administration's
Speaker: views on disabilities and how that affects people.
Speaker: I try to educate people so that they can feel like they're not alone and they have some hope of what to do.
Speaker: And I just want people to feel empowered to be themselves in a time where it might feel hard to do that.
Speaker: So, yeah.
Speaker: Wow.
Speaker: Thank you, Brianna.
Speaker: All really interesting.
Speaker: Please check out all of Brianna's work online.
Speaker: What is the URL for your website?
Speaker: It's briannaracci.com.
Speaker: So B-R-I-A-N-A-R-A-U-C-C-I.com.
Speaker: Awesome.
Speaker: And I want to thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.
Speaker: We are really looking forward to the upcoming episodes where you will be our host.
Speaker: Thanks so much.
Speaker: Thank you.
Speaker: Able Voices is a production of the Berkeley Institute for Accessible Arts Education, led by me, Dr. Rhoda Bernard, the founding managing director.
Speaker: It is produced by Daniel Martinez del Campo.
Speaker: The intro music is by Kai Levin, and our closing song is by Sebastian Batista.
Speaker: Kai and Sebastian are students in the arts education programs at the Berkeley Institute for Accessible Arts Education.
Speaker: If you would like to learn more about our work, find us online at berkeley.edu slash B-I-A-A-E or email us at B-I-A-A-E at berkeley, that's L-E-E dot E-D-U.
