Sometimes failure closes doors, and other times it starts podcasts.
A year after leaving a tech startup job to dedicate her career to art, Madison Beale, a U of M student studying art history, realized just how much she had learnt from the simple act of talking to people.
Looking for a way to share the knowledge she was gaining, Beale created her podcast The Artalogue.
Her project is dedicated to making the information and conversations around careers in the visual arts accessible for everyone.
“I wanted to create a community and platform where people would be able to access the conversations I was having,” Beale told the Manitoban.
With no prior podcasting experience besides the fact that, Beale says, she “love[s] to yap,” Beale set out to fill a gap in the podcast market. The Artalogue is a podcast with a conversational format where established and emerging artists have conversations about their different careers.
Beale chose the podcast format because it offers a way to “chill out and learn something new.”
With ten episodes released, Beale has interviewed painters, photographers, multimedia artists and an art history meme account admin. She connects with these artists through personal meetings, mutual connections or reaching out via social media or email.
Despite what Beale calls “the humbling experience of being left on read,” she continues to learn with every interaction. Beale hopes to feature more artists in the future, including installation workers, set designers and filmmakers.
“I just try to keep it as broad as possible so as to not close myself in. If I want to speak to someone […] why not have them on the podcast?” she explained.
Beale hopes this eclectic collection of artists provides a positive future for art students and battles any feelings of dejection by putting forward stories of different successful and rewarding careers.
For any students who are not involved in the arts yet find themselves curious about it, or for those who “touch paintings when the guards aren’t looking” — Beale hopes to make it clear that it is never too late to switch to something new.
“If you’re on track for what you want, great. If not, take a gander, see what else is out there.”
After the personal experience of leaving her studies at the University of Exeter and, later, working at a tech start-up, Beale found herself worrying that, despite her unhappiness, leaving those spaces would be a failure.
However, a year after making the choice to pivot to art, Beale looks back on that choice in a much different light.
“It’s not so much a failure as it is a change of direction.”
This new attitude towards failure applies to every aspect of Beale’s life. Now studying at the U of M, Beale praises her teachers and professors for their intelligence and for, in some cases, agreeing to come on the podcast.
She applies this resilience to her grades in her classes. They are no longer consequential moments but rather a “springboard for improvement.”
“I see failure as an opportunity to learn,” Beale said.
“I think that everyone is going to fail miserably and fantastically and in so many ways at so many different points in their lives.”
After changing directions in studies, beginning work at a gallery and learning how to run a podcast on her own, Beale expressed feeling happier than she was before.
“I’m a million times happier doing what I love and trying and failing and doing all these things than I was playing it safe.”
The mission of the podcast, Beale emphasized, is to have people involved with art as a whole. From learning how to apply for grants, discovering new artists or even just getting involved with the Winnipeg art scene, Beale wants people to know “it is never too late to get involved.”
To become a “friend of the pod,” search The Artalogue on all major podcasting networks. Keep up to date with the podcast and blog at @artaloguepod on Instagram or at the website https://artalogue.podcastpage.io/
