We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ella Pitman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ella below.
Ella, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
I currently earn a full-time living as an artist and Creative Operations Coordinator. This is a proud achievement earned with over a decade of work and investment in my creative education, training, connections and performance across various mediums. I have always had a deep gnosis of my need to live as an explorative and vocational creative. I have always understood the difficult work it would take to support myself and how many unique obstacles I would be up against – not that I thought I wasn’t capable or that becoming a working artist is any more or less difficult than becoming a working-something-else, but it has long been apparent that US lawmakers, school systems and employers aren’t exactly known for their track record of supporting, respecting, incentivizing, or appropriately compensating creatives. From the word “go”, I jumped into the murky, sometimes uncharted waters of my creative practice prepared to work for what I truly wanted, fight for the world I desired to see, and defend my place in the universe as Creative knowing it would, more often than not, be devalued and unpopular. Because I do find so much joy in my chosen artistic environments today, I think it is important to note that in my years as a practicing artist, my creative circumstances, targets and definitions of success have fluctuated more drastically than I ever expected and I have worked many non-creative jobs that directly supported my ability to continue my craft. Being transparent about the fact that I haven’t always been (and may not always be) a full-time creator is important to me, especially considering the incredible gems of wisdom I’ve gained from other jobs in film and event production, data archiving, marketing and sales, food and drink service, dance shoe fitting, childcare and even animal welfare! I would not have harvested the artistic variety I have today had I not first been willing to surrender my creativity to its come-and-go seasons. My creative path, in ways far beyond my sphere of influence and understanding, always seems to meet me where I am – so I suppose there is an element of faith, trust, and pixie dust! While these may not be prerequisites for making art, a little belief surely does help. Also, I cannot recommend enough keeping a creative outlet that makes you zero dollars and zero cents/sense. Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself nutty trying to weigh the monetary worth of your entire creative life. While earning enough to sustain yourself is obviously a necessity, your artistic value exceeds any dollar amount, period, full stop.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hi, it’s lovely to meet you! My name is Ella Austin Pitman – daughter and granddaughter, sister, partner and dog mom, friend, dance artist, survivor and advocate, lifelong learner, audiophile, and creative administrator. Though the bulk of my formal training is in dance arts and stage performance, I have alchemized my movement experience in my current work as a creative manager. For over 10 years, I have provided a wide variety of arts-related support to companies, small businesses, studios and individuals across the Southeastern US. The majority of these services fall under Creative Operations, including (but not limited to:) event curation, client & donor retention, staff management and policy development, data archival, marketing, social media & app maintenance, freelance writing/editing, private coaching, grant application assistance, and contract/membership management. For the last three years, I have had the distinct privilege of offering this same assistance to Atlanta’s most innovative, intuitive creatives. When I began work as an ATLien, I quickly noticed needs across the board for more efficient administration, more streamlined artist/director communication, and more effective strategies for sharing groundbreaking ideas with the world, even the most abstract, in-flux, risk-taking ones! There is something of a historic struggle within many creatives to somehow take nebulous, maybe even half-baked ideas and incubate them properly so that the outcome is not only satisfactory to the artist and their audience, but the process from brainstorm-y start to final touches is considerate, conducive to growth and filled with intention for all co-collaborators. I have particularly enjoyed being the bridge between a head exploring the clouds and the demand of clamoring feet on the floor below. My goal is never to bog down artists with the nitty-gritty details of their dreams, but to say, “Yes, it can be done!” by uplifting them with practical ways to structurally support their ambitions. Over and over again, I have seen my “administrative wings” take a creative process to new heights while reducing unnecessary or preventable friction along the way.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The entirety of my 20’s has felt like a grand unlearning and restructuring of lessons. An especially harmful idea that needed detangling from my psyche was that “earning” things like recognition, unconditional love, stability, community support, empathy, emotional availability, etc. was more important than actually prioritizing them in my life. I think a lot of women and femmes will feel me on this one – they understand the pressure placed on us to fit an unattainable mold, to reach impossible heights, to be all things for all people at all times. Though I never would have admitted to being in that mindset, my acquiescence and self-sacrifice was awfully convenient for friends, family, partners, employers, clients, etc. who had something to gain from keeping me small and leaving that headspace behind wasn’t necessarily a popular choice. When I began creating as a professional, I had to (expeditiously!) release my dependence on feeling like I had done enough groveling and bleeding to “earn” the opportunities presented to me or else, the inevitable self-sabotage/crippling guilt 1-2 punch. Despite the pain and disappointment of losing that which demanded more of me than I could give, I gained a most compatible community of like-minded artists committed to opposing the idea of continual self-depreciation as the only available medium for creation. If I could encourage blooming artists in one area of their craft, it is this: Your people are out there! Whatever you want to see birthed into the world, someone else wants the exact same thing, or something complimentary to it! But, how will they recognize you if you are abandoning yourself, putting everything and everyone else before what fuels you and your creative life? Self-love is not selfish, even in a career that shares so much with others. In fact, I consider it that much more vital to artists due to the deeply layered and interactional nature of the job. All this might sound a little woo-woo, but I see an abundance of potential in standing firm for your existence as YOU. This commitment, especially when uncomfortable and difficult to keep, has only affected my professional life in a radically positive way.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
There is an aspirational but misinformed notion that creatives must hide themselves away to build their skills to the point of perceived perfection, only bringing their work to light when a singular piece of art is “whole” – tools immaculately sharpened and shiny, their process refined to a repeatable bullet-point list. Though this would be a very clean, protected and inoffensive way to practice creation, it isn’t effective in the slightest and in my humble opinion and first-hand experience, does not produce impactful art. More often than not, I witness truly influential creatives constantly expanding their knowledge base, quite literally, on the job. The most versatile and employable version of myself consistently says “Yes, I DO believe in my capacity to apply my current creative toolbox to this task!” while acquiring new instruments by asking high-quality questions, observing my co-collaborators who excel in areas foreign to me, and embracing a willingness to change my approach when presented with new information. While I am positive this philosophy can be applied to any area of work, it is imperative for the sustainable, lifelong artist to engage creativity as both an ancient study and ever-evolving way of being.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ellapitmancreative
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ella.pitman.9
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-pitman-850856256/
- Other: VoyageATL Interview: https://voyageatl.com/interview/meet-ella-pitman-of-atlanta-ga
Image Credits
Paul McPherson, KVC Photography, Noah Clement