Meet Brett Dyer

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brett Dyer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brett, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My purpose has been shaped by a challenging and tumultuous journey from a childhood filled with uncertainty and trauma. Amidst the darkness and adversity, I nurtured a deep-seated desire to create beauty, spread kindness, and counteract the destruction I had experienced. My teachers, those passionate and caring mentors, were my guiding lights. They recognized something unique in me, offering hope, inclusion, and a belief that dreams can indeed come true. Their influence fueled my determination to pay it forward, to empower others to find and follow their own passions. I embarked on a journey of sharing my art, eventually becoming a professor. It felt natural to impart what I loved. As an adjunct professor juggling multiple jobs, I embraced the challenges and, upon gaining a full-time position, pledged to advocate for students and adjunct faculty, striving to elevate the arts in higher education. My purpose also draws inspiration from the heroes in my life, including my teachers, family, colleagues, and my husband, whose humble and powerful acts of giving back continue to inspire me.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
In the summer of 2022, I transitioned from my role as a professor of art to become the Dean of Gallery, Theater & Live Event Operations at Dallas College, a position I find incredibly exciting. Leading two dynamic teams overseeing exhibitions and events across our seven campuses and multiple centers, including 11 galleries, a large Art Collection, and 8 performance spaces, has been an enriching experience. My favorite aspect of this role is collaborating with our diverse campuses to curate and create events that offer unforgettable opportunities and experiences for our students and the broader community. One of my missions for the School of Creative Arts, Entertainment & Design and Dallas College is to provide equitable experiences and foster the arts across all our campuses and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Despite this new role, I still pursue my passion for art, occasionally exhibiting my work. I recently took a hiatus from exhibiting to focus on streamlining processes, building teams, and creating a unified schedule of events. Now, our campus events and exhibits are more widely advertised, offering more opportunities and experiences for our students and community. One recent highlight was spearheading the On My Own Time Art Exhibit and Literary Competition in partnership with the Business Council for the Arts, showcasing the incredible talent of employees within Dallas College.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, three qualities that have profoundly influenced my journey are an unwavering desire to chase my dreams, an unyielding sense of responsibility in the face of adversity, and a commitment to staying positive and inspiring others, even during the darkest times. My advice to those at the start of their journey is simple: never stop, view every experience as a step forward, and find joy and beauty in even the smallest of things. Cultivate gratitude and let go of expectations while working passionately and charitably rather than for personal gain. Become an expert in learning, growing, creating, and self-improvement, and support your community with loyalty and pride in your chosen path. Always carry kindness, even when you must stand firm for yourself, and remember that success can be a solitary road where distractions abound. Don’t be swayed by the allure of what’s popular; trust your own judgment, because what’s right isn’t always popular, and what’s popular isn’t always right.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I firmly believe that it’s better to strive for being well-rounded rather than going all in on our strengths. Life is a dynamic journey, and being open to new experiences, embracing change as an opportunity, and viewing challenges as chances to learn and grow is essential. Even if a particular skill or area isn’t your natural strength, working on it can only broaden your horizons and make you more adaptable. Personally, my diverse background, from farm work to food service, retail, and teaching in various capacities, has equipped me with a multitude of skills and perspectives that I now draw upon in my role as a dean. These experiences taught me leadership, the ability to see tasks from multiple angles, and the value of providing quality service. So, my advice to those starting their journey is to embrace all opportunities, work diligently even in areas you may not initially enjoy, and remember that the diverse skills you acquire will ultimately make you more resilient and capable in the long run.

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