On a slightly chilly afternoon in a room with an incessantly whirring air con, I had the opportunity to interview Judy McFall – a freelance consultant and a senior moderator and trainer for Trinity College London's Arts Award, as well as the participation and pathways lead at Voice.
Way back in the more summery month of May, I met Judy in my college's art department for a program called Shropshire Young Reviewers with a few friends of mine. At the time I remember thinking how jovial and friendly Judy was and I never would have imagined, almost a year onwards, that I would still be involved in Voice, overcoming fears I didn't know I had or better yet that I would find a strong professional bond through Voice and a shared passion for the arts.
As a part of my journey with being a Voice Contributor, I was tasked with interviewing someone in the arts or related to the arts and cultural sector. When Tom Beasley, editor of Voice, asked me to carry out an interview, the first person that came to mind was Judy. In all honesty, I had already been meaning to ask Judy about her role in Voice and her previous experience because I was interested in pursuing something similar for my own career. I also wanted to gain perspective on the arts from the point of view of a facilitator – a person who helps young people find their voices. So often, you look at the artist, but what about the people that help the artist?
It could just be me, but I feel it’s not the norm to ask about other people's lives unless we need to know about a certain aspect of it or if it's a passing comment made within a conversation. Asking people about their lives is a nerve-wracking thing for me to do and, at the time, I was so terrified of the idea of interviewing someone that it distracted me from the realisation that you can learn so much about a person and their experiences by just talking to them, asking questions, and listening with intent.
Judy said to me early on in the interview: “You’re asking them about themselves and they’re the expert on themselves so they’ll just happily chat and tell you.” She has never been more right. People just want to be asked about themselves, within reason, and listened to. However, it’s strange to think such a basic level of interaction is becoming a luxury to partake in, for the plain reason that we don’t have the time to do so, even with those closest to you.
Going into the interview with the intention of asking Judy about her role as an arts and cultural facilitator for young people, it turned out that Judy was also an artist herself, with the visual arts as her medium.
“I did an art GCSE and then a A-Levels in art and textiles. In secondary school my art teacher really recognised my skills which was lovely,” said Judy. “In my day, art was perceived as an "easy" subject or just something people that weren’t that academically gifted should do. It was never up there, but I did it because I loved doing art and luckily my mum could see the passion and skill I had for it. Though my dad was always like: ‘What are you going to do with art? What job are you going to do?’. I love reminding him of that now because I can be like: ‘Tah-dah! Look at me now, ha ha’.”
Judy McFall says it's very difficult to make money from artwork, some do succed like Banksy
(Credit: Dominic Robinson) From there we talked about her journey that led to her being the participation and pathways lead at Voice and the struggles and joys she faced and found along the way.
Judy said: “I did my degree in contemporary crafts and then it was like: what do I do now? Because in all fairness, when you do your degree, they are preparing you for being an artist who sells artwork. But being an artist is really hard. It’s enjoyable and you do loads of wonderful things, but actually making a living out of just art can be very hit or miss. You either find that artists go into selling artwork and they become famous, like your Banksys, and potentially getting commissions and so on. Or potentially they run workshops teaching other people, young people or adults, and pass on their knowledge or skills. Or they might do their art work alongside delivering workshops with other people, all still doing their own creative practice.”
Talking with Judy about her experiences as an artist and a facilitator really highlighted to me that there are many routes that life, not just for those in the arts, can take. Not just that, but also how vital it is to have people who can support, guide and encourage you down those avenues as well.
“I must say when you work in the arts and cultural sector … you have got to love it because it's your life" said Judy. “One passion I have is creative learning for young people, because I only had one or two people who really recognised the value of the arts when I was younger and, without them, I wouldn't be where I am today.“
Close to the end of the interview, I had asked Judy about her favourite point in her career and she said “there’s so many” before giving a great summary of why the arts provide so many opportunities.
“As a freelancer and an arts and cultural practitioner, I have had multiple avenues, journeys, projects and side routes and it can take you anywhere. … We’re not in a world where you get one job for life. It’s about being adaptable, about being resilient and moving with the times … Maybe it's not one particular highlight but the overall highlight of my work, seeing people's journeys and feeling like I had a little part to play in that. I think that's really rewarding because you do feel like you're making a difference then.”
I myself am a person in the arts, particularly the singing side of things, and one thing I absolutely love when talking to others within the arts is how you can visually see and hear in their voice the passion they have for the work that they do. They truly find joy in what they do despite the hardship and trouble they had along the way.
As Judy put it: “If you don't love it, you shouldn't be doing it. Because actually you could have a negative effect on someone else, especially in areas like teaching. You could have a detrimental effect on a young person if you're not happy. You’ve got to love what you do.”
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