Interviews with First Year Students: Tayla

Introduction 

Hi. My name is Tayla Myree. I'm originally coming from Atlanta, Georgia, in the U.S., and I've been in Vienna for the past almost four years now. Applying to the Academy was interesting for me because it was kind of a last-minute decision. I have never done art school, but I have been to university, I've done my bachelor's and my master's in history, and I was really scared to transition from something more academic, then moving to something more artistic. I wanted to, do more documentary-based work. And so that's why I applied. And then I got in, which was surprising for me. I'm excited to start. I'm in the Studio of Art and Time I Video (former: Video and Video Installation), which is run by Dorit Margreiter. It's been a cool experience so far and it's a lot different than traditional academic institutions, much more relaxed and at your own pace, which I appreciate and I don't feel as much overwhelming pressure as I did when I went to the other university.

It's nice to work with other colleagues in the class because everyone seems to want to collaborate on different projects. And we have gotten to see work from people who have been in our class for a few years now. So I'm excited to see how I can grow as well, from seeing them.

Luiza: How was the process of applying to you? 

Tayla: I was nervous because I didn't know how to make a portfolio. So I looked up a few examples on Google, tried to make mine, and also wrote an artist statement. The CV was easy because I had it already, but the artist statement was challenging because I had never done art writing. So that was interesting, but a cool process to learn and then pick the works. I had already made one documentary film, so I submitted that as part of my portfolio, and then two short film projects I worked on in my own time.

I submitted a few video projects to my portfolio and that was good. I got selected by two different studios and then we had to do an interview on Zoom. I know a few friends who had done their interviews in person, but I didn't have that experience.

I had the Zoom interview with the two teaching assistants and the professor and they asked questions about my portfolio. I also had to prepare a project for the interview. I didn't make a video, but a proposal. I drew out my idea and scanned it to share with them. They seemed to like it, and I got accepted a few weeks later.

Luiza: How did you choose between the two studios that you got accepted in?

Tayla: I chose the Studio of Art and Time I Video because the other one is more theoretical, I already have a pretty strong theoretical background, so I wanted something more hands-on to work on my artistic practice.

Luiza: The process of moving from the U.S. How was it for you? 

Tayla: I moved here in 2020, during COVID times. It's different now, but it was not a good process of dealing with the immigration authorities. It was very difficult and I had to go back to the U.S., reapply, and then come here again. It was frustrating. My biggest tip is to start as early as possible. The minute you get accepted, don't wait and immediately apply. I applied when I got here, and then I thought three months would be enough. But it wasn't. And then I had to start over, so that wasn't good. You need to have a certain amount of money, so I recommend finding the resources or getting in contact with your studio person, or the student union and asking them for help. Also, be prepared to wait for a while and be patient.

Luiza: When you applied here, expectations you had versus the reality of the program, what were your first impressions?

Tayla: It's funny because I have a few friends who study in the expanded Pictorial Space studio and also one friend who was already in the video and installation studio. They would tell me, that you can be relaxed, don't be so stressed, and take your time to do the credits. Every university I have gone to so far has always been really strict. So I'm so used to hyperstructure. When they told me that, I didn't really believe them and then I got here and it's like it that way. Another cool part about it, is that you can take classes that don't have to do with your studio. For example, I'm taking a live drawing course because I'm interested in drawing. I'm not good at drawing, I didn't get accepted for drawing, but I was still taking the class and it's not a problem. So you can dabble in different mediums and spaces. It's not overwhelmingly structured.