Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Liz Miller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Liz, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
Shonda Rhimes calls it being FOB: first. only. black. This is often my case as a black female in the art world and art education. In Baltimore, it helps because the city is 60% african american so there are ‘less’ spaces where I feel as though I am misunderstood. However, my art practice is social justice based so education and being a trailblazer are built into the profession. As a filmmaker, the stats are against me with black filmmakers being only 10% of the industry and women filmmakers being 5% of the industry. I find it important to band together with others of similar demographics for support and to collaborate on occasion.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My artist statement describes my work well enough:
Liz Miller’s work explores the connection between our roots and contemporary America. Textile, ancestry, and contemporary black culture are her inspirations. Her work takes the form of static installations, artifacts of rituals and/or full-scale performances, films, and social experiments.
Cataloging hair stories since her formative years, Liz celebrates the limitless potential of hair, as it relates to African-American culture. Her sculptural artifacts deployed in her rituals question black body politics while addressing such issues as appropriation, classism, gender, ethnicity, anti-blackness, equity, identity, and commodification. Her performance rituals seek to spiritually cleanse historically traumatic spaces of their energy through the activation of black bodies.
I currently am making a feature film about Nat Turner’s Insurrection which will prove to be the only recording of the oral storytelling traditions in southhampton VA where the event occurred.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Being poor taught me to be very resourceful and to do things without having what I needed.
2. I am an autodidact. Autodidact are capable of teaching themselves things that they do not know how to do by researching, trying, and testing hypotheses. I am able to accumulate skills or at least believe I can and therefore do well in expanding my skills as needed.
3. Dance and the confidence that it takes to be good at it. This is a valuable practice because I look myself in the mirror everytime I go to take a class and critique myself honestly while perfecting a routine. Also, the persistence it takes to be good at something through hours and hours of working hard and showing up time after time.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I think its important to assess how you can monetize the things you love to do. Sometimes we are good at something but do not enjoy it. Try to find what you can do that would make you happy but also pay the bills. Then build on that. Diversify your talents. Then build your empire – become the best in your field – get better credentials and before you know it people are coming to you.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://lizmillerproductions.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/liz_miller_productions
