Shelf by Kyle Trehern

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:10:16 UTC

A lot of my inspiration recently has been drawn from popular culture throughout History. One of my classes this semester, American Studies, discusses the evolution of American culture from the 1800s to modern day, and I find myself really enjoying this class because its interested to see how media influences people, and how so much of that media remains the same today. I am fascinated by history and I really enjoy incorporating it into my creations and designs, so I find studying the media, fashion, music etc. from a certain time period can really bring a lot to my art.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:17:00 UTC

I grew up in a religious family, and throughout the years have sort of fallen out with the practice and identity of Christianity. In some of my more recent designs I have really enjoyed drawing on that religious background to really explore religion in interesting ways. I think that the aesthetic of religion, I.E monasteries, churches, alters, outfits etc., resonates with a lot of people and can lead to a very impactful and interesting design. The last project I did this with was Frankenstein, and it was really interesting to sit down with the other designers, say what if instead of a scientist he was a religious zealot, and instead of a lab its a church etc. And from that stemmed a lot of fun and unique motifs that we were able to play with and really experiment with.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:18:56 UTC

Drawing from the entry above this one, this is a painting from my favorite artist, Hieronymus Bosch, who for his time was very creative and experimented with the religious themes in his work. I also appreciate his ability to have fun and just get crazy with the art in a lot of unique ways.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:20:44 UTC

This is one of my favorite songs right now. I really enjoy the suave and smooth tone, and it has influenced a lot of my more recent taste in music and fashion

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:27:56 UTC

Collaboration is at the center of every good theatrical performance, and I find it is often more important to maintain than anything else. I really like having discussions and hearing others point of view not just in a creative space but in general. I feel that so much of what I do and what I make is influenced by other people in some way, and I think that is really special. I think that a class like this one that is so discussion based is awesome for that reason. I feel like already I have been able to discern so much about my peers.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:33:22 UTC

For me personally I used to really struggle with finding a personal identity as an artist because I did not consider my area of study, stage management, to be an artistic field, and I think most people would agree with that. I have come to the realization however, that the art of stage management is the art of managing art. it requires a whole host of different skills and tools that wouldn't be considered art by most, but require just as much skill and time as a typical artist.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:36:46 UTC

A vast majority of my identity comes from outside of the artistic world. What my hobbies are, what music I listen to, what clothes I wear. Right now my biggest hobby is probably playing video games. My favorite genre of music is Jazz, and I am really into dressier clothing at the moment. These parts of my identity are just as important as my artistic side, and they often complement one another. I think that it is really easy to struggle with finding a sense of identity, but i think that a good place to start is searching in what you enjoy the most, because that is reflective of who YOU are.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:42:41 UTC

I like this image because it shows all of what I find appealing in music. Its colorful, fun, alternative, and always changing. I try to incorporate these same descriptors into how I act and carry myself.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:43:38 UTC

This article is a great tool for checking in with yourself, and I really like it.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:45:30 UTC

There a billion different values, so I find it difficult to narrow them down. This is a great list and article to read about values and how to find out what yours are

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:48:57 UTC

One of the most important values I try to carry with me is confidence. it can mean a different things to a lot of different people, but everyone knows what it is when they see it. Even when I am not confident in my ability to do something, I try to carry the sense that I do. Keeping a certain level of confidence for yourself is so so so important, and it has really helped me grow as an artist and as a stage manager. A clear lack of confidence can hurt yourself, and it can harm how confident other people are in you, and your ability to do your job. This causes a breakdown in trust and then collaboration and its not good for anyone involved in the process of a show.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:50:25 UTC

This is a really great list of "core values" which I think are applicable to just about everyone. Its a really great resource for identifying exactly what you and your art stand for.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 22:55:54 UTC

If I had to narrow down what I thought the most important value in art is (an essentially impossible task), I would say Exploration. I think that exploration in art is what makes art, art. So much of the personal value derived by artists comes from our ability to explore ourself, the world and society through what we create. That is a very special thing in my opinion. Art in itself is exploratory, always new techniques, new ideas. But it is the exploration of ourselves through art that it becomes something special.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 23:05:08 UTC

One of my favorite aspects of management is the collaborative aspect. I really love working with everyone associate with the show, and its always nice to work so closely with the cast. Its always nice to have that connection with the cast and crew that a lot of other positions just don't get access too.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 23:07:57 UTC

I like to use the analogy of collaboration as a puzzle. I know its pretty cliche but it is true. The bigger picture is only completed if you fit together.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 23:10:34 UTC

Here is a really great video about the difference between cooperation and collaboration. It isn't nuance that I had thought about but it is an important distinction.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 23:43:22 UTC

I think a good community is very much so fostered by a strong team of collaborators. A good relationship among team members can help to create a sense of community amongst cast, crew, design team, and production staff. I think that building a community around a show or production can overall elevate the final product. If team members feel welcomed and accepted as part of a community, then everyone will be happier. This is in my opinion, crucial to any creative process, but especially one that is so people centric.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 23:45:57 UTC

Here is a talk about the idea of community, how it functions and how it shapes us. This is not directly related to the theatre but there are things we can learn from it.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 23:51:12 UTC

An important question to ask yourself is, how, as a group of collaborators, foster a community around our work. This is a difficult question because there is no simple answer. In my opinion, creating a space where people can come and throw out ideas without being judged for them, is the best way to foster that sense of a healthy community.

kyletrehern — 2024-01-25 23:53:02 UTC

The idea and function of a community is to serve as a home for people sharing common values and interests.