June 9, 2015
2015 Commencement Address at The University of Texas at Austin College of Fine Arts
Hy Hetherington (B.F.A. 1996)
I am humbled to be here today and must first thank Dean Dempster and Dr. Brant Pope, the Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, for inviting me. The fact that this concert hall is filled with musicians, visual artists, and art scholars fills me with much happiness and excitement. Many of you will go on to create amazing music, incredible performances, and innovative design. Although contrary to the dictionary definition, art is a verb, a force within a person that engages their imagination and creativity. You, as artists, embody triumph over fear and the extraordinary ability of personal introspection and the world needs more of this.
Theodore Roosevelt said:
Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
Nearly 20 years ago I was sitting in your seat, about to receive my degree, listening to one of these speeches. I was excited for my academic life to be done, proud of my accomplishment and incredibly scared. I had no idea what the future held, where I was going to live, what I was going to do for a job or how I was to pay my bills. I sat in your seat with no idea what tomorrow would deliver or what the universe had in store for my life. I left feeling unprepared, not even knowing what to do next. I went back to Houston (where I was from), started teaching at a high school in Conroe (that is what an artist does when not pursuing his craft☺), left teaching to join the Alley theatre, went from there to NYC and then took fifteen more twist and turns till today. What I have begun to realize is how each step of the journey impacted the next and how I had to be responsible for my own path.
When I was a freshman at UT, I auditioned for a play. I was going into the audition when a professor I had never met walked by me. He stopped, looked in my eyes, placed his hand squarely upon my chest, kept it there for what seemed like an eternity, and then quickly walked away. My initial reaction was maybe my dad is right; maybe pursuing theatre is stranger than I anticipated. But what occurred was far more powerful. This amazing professor was an artist and he intuitively noticed something about me and my presence in that first encounter. He truly saw me, not just the person that the world saw or even what I saw in myself. He sensed something in me and about me that I had yet to become or know. As our relationship developed, that professor, Jim Hancock, saw much more than what everyone else saw, an average artist who loved being on the stage. He saw a person who could do more, be more, and achieve more. I believe he had that great insight because the artist was at the core of his being; art is a verb.
During my time of artistic exploration, I also trained extensively in martial arts. Byung In Lee is my martial arts teacher who later became Apa, that is my Korean father. He showed me that being generous of spirit does not mean being weak, that strength is from within, and that money does not make one happy. He is the happiest man I have ever met, genuinely happy, whether rich or poor or in good times or during challenges. I believe his insight about strength coming from within and his genuine joy in living results from the fact that his creative, artistic energies are at the core of his being; art is a verb. These are the people who impact our lives. Find them in your own life’s journey. They will provide perspective, guidance and support when needed and will shape the professionals you will become. On that same note of happiness, I travel quite extensively and spend substantial amounts of time in India. To my amazement, the happiest people I have encountered are those with no real material possessions. Think about that, having nothing, existing from one moment to another, but being content in being. Like Apa, these people derive joy and strength from within. In that way, they are living from their creative center. I have also met many rich, sad and miserable men and women who only seek the next dollar or deal but are not content within their own lives or existence.
Jumping forward, I received a call around four years ago from Dr. Pope that he was going to be in Washington DC and wanted to schedule a lunch. I had never received a call from the university before so I thought, someone has done some research, noted that I run a successful business and would be asked to give back, actually a nice way to say we want your money. I was right. I told Dr. Pope at that lunch that yes, we would give back. But he and the University had to do something for me in exchange. The University had to teach the students in the College of Fine Arts that what they learn, the gifts of an artist have far reaching impacts to every other aspect of life and business. Further I stated that what the United States needed was more creativity and imagination to stay on top of the world’s stage. That no one is better equipped to lead than the artist. That you, the creative soul, are the future, imagination is strength, and regurgitation or knowledge of facts was easily found on Google but dreaming so that the world could evolve was the work of a privileged few. Think about this. An artist has to be in the moment, explore the deepest and darkest places within our bodies and minds, react in real time, find truth and express it as we see it, listen, engage and communicate. These skills are directly applicable to business, innovation, law, medicine and every other aspect of life. These are core values that link knowledge with change. Art is a verb.
I did not come to this thought easily. For years I was uncomfortable to say that I had a degree in Fine Arts as I feared judgment from a cynical business world. “He doesn’t deserve a seat at the table, what does he know?” But I did deserve a seat at the table; I did have something valuable to offer, and so do each of you.
An artist can become a great leader and a great entrepreneur. To be successful in business, one must have vision, the ability to execute, the desire to listen to one’s own voice and the voices of others along the way, be directionally correct but always adjust toward achievement. I hire many people with traditional educations in business or law who lack the creativity or imagination to think outside their box. What they lack in creativity, you have in excess and can lead them to places they could only wish to see. Understanding that the education you have received, how you think, your ability to imagine and create empowers you.
Many of you will go on to do something completely different than what you anticipate today. A recent study found that only 27% of you will be working in the field you studied in 5 years and only 33% of you will ever work in the area you studied while at the University. 60 Minutes recently aired an interview where a football coach made the following statement: “An actor goes to school to train to be an actor but if they are not making a living at their craft, they will end up working at Starbucks.” Maybe many of the parents in the audience have a similar fear. Although I appreciate and respect my baristas, I am telling you today, that DOES NOT have to be the outcome. You can own your own businesses, you can innovate world changing products and services, you can lead multi-national companies, and you can be great successes in your craft.
Dr. Pope and I created a program born from that lunch in Washington where business leaders work with the students in the Department of Theatre and Dance to understand how applicable their skills are to areas outside of performance. This program will eventually be rolled out to the entire College of Fine arts, to the business school and beyond. This past semester we held a workshop exploring the skills taught in the arts and their application to business. At the end of the training the undergraduates broke into groups to develop and then present the own business concept to a panel of entrepreneurs, much like the reality TV series “Shark Tank.” These students were not only professional given their training and inherent skills in presentation but also in developing critical thinking through their business ideas. The University is currently working with three of the groups to fund their new ventures. These businesses range from helping the people of Haiti through photography, an ice cream truck joint venture collaboration with Amy’s Ice Cream on campus, and a lost art of beaded jewelry from Rama’ s country, Cameroon, in Africa. All of these ideas originated from the student’s personal passions and all undergraduates at UT in Theatre. One of the students came to me after the second day and said, “I have to go call my mom and dad. I must tell them that being an (artist) doesn’t mean I cannot be successful in other areas or apply the skills I have learned.”
My friend Song Jung is a prominent IP lawyer in Washington and skeptically joined me as a presenter in that seminar. At the end of it, he said, "I came down here to support you. But now I actually understand.” He spent his career (although secretly wanting to be a lead singer in a band) believing that knowledge based education was empowerment came to the conclusion that knowledge combined with non-linear creative thinking will provide more personal happiness and professional success. He has taken the lawyers in his practice through the program as well as his own children. That is a big endorsement for art’s education from an engineer and a lawyer.
Six points I feel every person should keep in mind while studying the arts and will experience throughout their lives:
- Fear exists. I am scared of everything. I am scared daily, fearful of judgment and people's perception. It is ok to fear.
- When we think we have it figured out is when life says, "You don't know or understand anything." It is ok to not fully understand.
- “The essential part of being successful is not being afraid to fail.” It is ok to fail and we often learn more from our failures than our successes.
- Albert Einstein said ““I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” It's ok to dream...to think outside the box.
- The artist’s inability to rationalize. It is so easy to find all the reasons for failure. Each time you feel like you want to take the easy way and blame someone else or something else for failing, look in the mirror and ask yourself what I could have done differently. Self-awareness and self-introspection are hallmark skills of every artist. It is not ok to rationalize.
- My father often said, “Don’t be a cow. Cows follow behind one another and create a rut; you can always see their path.” I ask you today to embrace your differences, don’t follow in the same path as others, and chart your own. It is NOT okay to be a cow!
My father was diagnosed with cancer twelve days before he died in November 2003. He had gone into the hospital believing he had a respiratory infection. The doctor called and asked me to gather my brother and sister in Houston for a meeting. He told us the cancer was advanced and that our father had only a few days to live. He then said that it was time to tell our dad. My brother and I joined our father in the room and we were uncontrollably sobbing. My dad knew the news was not going to be good. His response was true Texan: “boys, cut that shit out” and asked, “Doctor, how long do I have?” The doctor told him that it was a few days to a month. He looked up, smiled and said, “Look at my life. If I die tonight, I have no regrets.” I believe the greatest unknown even for the most faithful is death. Steve Jobs once said, "Even those who believe the most in heaven don't want to die to get there." After my father died, my mom committed suicide two months later. I could not breathe. I could not imagine that the sun would rise. But it did... People still smiled and laughed all around me and it took me years to do the same. Those who cannot risk everything cannot experience everything. Without my faith, my ability to have self-introspection and self-awareness, both of which were compounded by my study of the arts, I would not have emerged from this trying time. The great gift, and it is a gift, of having studied the arts provided me with comfort and strength. My hope is when I face death, I die with no regrets and I hope the same for each of you.
I would like to speak directly to your parents. Some if not all of you I am sure are worried about your daughter’s and son’s futures. Will they make enough money? Will they be able to get a job? My father was openly against my choice of studying theatre. But if he was here today, he would know that one reason I have had success in business is because I decided to train at UT in this college. Your children have extraordinary talents simply by the path they have chosen to pursue. They have explored their fears, learned to listen and engage, and found ways to create from a blank canvas. If they trust in themselves, they are better positioned in this world than many doctors, lawyers or MBAs. Yes, it is true; as they get older they will realize you were not near as stupid as they once thought. However, every person seeks the approval of one’s parents. I am still driven every day to make mine proud. Please tell them today how proud you are of them.
I share with you a quote from President John Kennedy at Amherst College in 1963:
I LOOK FORWARD TO AN AMERICA WHICH WILL REWARD ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ARTS AS WE REWARD ACHIEVEMENT IN BUSINESS OR STATECRAFT. I LOOK FORWARD TO AN AMERICA WHICH COMMANDS RESPECT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD NOT ONLY FOR ITS STRENGTH BUT FOR ITS CIVILIZATION AS WELL.
I LOOK FORWARD TO AN AMERICA WHICH WILL NOT BE AFRAID OF GRACE AND BEAUTY.
After 50 years, respect for artists and what they bring to society has been embraced but still needs evolution and understanding. Be the catalyst for this change.
You, the artist, combine intelligence with beauty and strength with vulnerability. You are the grace President Kennedy references.
Thank you for giving me this gift of being with you today.