Allison Walsh and Alexander Martin Speak on Film, Art, Inspiration, and Collaboration

In an interview, Allison Walsh and Alexander Martin discuss how their friendship and art inspired the creation of "The Daily Aesthetics of Alexander Martin."

Nicole Tillberg: What was your main drive to create/participate in this film?

Allison Walsh: This project was a collaboration from the beginning. I met Alexander when we were both studying fine art at Bradley University. I studied painting and Alex studied printmaking, but a few years after we both graduated we were still living in the same neighborhood and we were making completely different work. I was filmmaking and Alexander was getting into performance, so all of the sudden, it was much easier to collaborate with each other.

I’ve always been inspired by Alexander — both their art and who they are as a person, so I was eager to help elevate their story and find some very fun, creative ways to explore topics covered in the film through the actual filmmaking process. We studied Agnes Varda's work (a French New Wave filmmaker) and thought of some very crazy ideas, but ultimately ended up making a documentary that highlights the Daily Aesthetics, a long-term art piece that Alexander created not long before the film was made.

Alexander Martin: To be able to reflect on what my practice is as an artist and who I am as a person and share that with folks in an accessible manner in an attempt to educate, share, and generate empathy.

Nicole: What do you hope this film teaches its viewers?

Allison: The Daily Aesthetics (Alex's art piece) taught me a lot about gender that I never understood. I learned how to reflect and be more confident in the nuances of my gender identity which was extremely liberating for me. After watching this film, I hope that audience members will find more confidence in exactly how they want to express themselves and find a deep respect for those who express their gender differently than them. I think the queer community is so powerful and amazing, and we all have a ton to learn from each other. 

Alex: To see outside of their normal perspective and try to better understand experiences that are not their own, and to lead with kindness first.

Nicole: Why do you feel it is important to create a film that discusses gender and identity?

Alex: Too often the same narrative is perpetuated by the media and representation is so important for LGBTQ+ people. To be able to see aspects of yourself and know you are not alone. And for folks outside of the LGBTQ+ community, it is important to see new perspectives and learn for the sake of empathy and understanding.

Nicole: What was your biggest challenge you faced while creating this film?

Allison: The biggest challenge of creating this film was nailing down all of our creative possibilities into an actual film. When I make films, I like to keep everything on the table, and the two of us thought of so many wild ideas! We filmed some silly stuff at the farmer's market where we actually played out fake scenes of Alexander ordering peppers and being charged different prices for a yellow and red pepper, when they both looked more orange. And a farmer being completely dizzy and confused from trying to put the peppers into binary categories when they clearly didn’t fit into the title "yellow" or "red." But in the end, we stuck with Alex sorting the pepper's themselves in their interview location to keep things more contained in Alex's personal story. We had to let a lot of ideas go to try to make a cohesive film, but we have more ideas to work out someday... so, the journey will continue after this.

Nicole: What is something you personally learned while making this film?

Allison: I learned a lot while making this film. I already loved Alex, but it was really wonderful to work collaboratively with them for the first time. Alexander helped me feel free to push the boundaries of documentary and why not edit two scenes next to each other on the same screen and try to make chemistry between them. I already have plans in the making to work with Alex on future projects and I can’t wait.

Alex: That I understand my own journey and knowledge better than I thought I did. It helped me with confidence and fighting imposter syndrome.

Nicole: What was your most memorable experience on set?

Allison: My most memorable experience on set was the end of each interview — we filmed all of the interviews with Alex in one day and we would quickly turn up the music and have a dance break (my camera operator, Alexis Carballido, and I would join the dance party after a few minutes of filming Alex dance around), and then we’d quickly switch out the colorful backgrounds as fast as we could and Alex would completely change outfits or put on drag. It was a crazy day, but it was a ton of fun.

Alex: Dancing in the studio.

Nicole: What advice would you give someone who is wanting to start filmmaking?

Allison: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Filmmaking is hard, so it's a huge accomplishment to make a film, even if you think it still has some flaws. Keep learning about your work and your voice through watching films and studying what you like about them. It's a wild experiment to try to bring something unfathomable into the world, so it’s good to be comfortable with having good ideas and also ideas that are not so good.

Also, find people to review your work who you trust, who will give you feedback in a supportive way, and who will make you feel confident and talented, even if they’re relaying harsh critiques. I have a few people who I trust that will be honest with me if an idea of mine really doesn't end up working, but I am so grateful that they tell me in a way that doesn’t make me feel like I’m a bad artist — lots of great artists think of bad ideas, but they just follow through with more good ideas than bad ones. Even though one idea might not work out, keep trying the weird ideas because if eventually something works, it's golden!

Nicole: What advice would you give someone who is currently struggling with their gender and identity?

Alex: Listen to yourself, seek community, and navigate it in your own time. When you come out and how you do so, the journey to self understanding is yours alone and should not be pressured by those around you.

Nicole: Are there any resources you would like to share to help those in the LGBTQ+ community?

Alex: Local organizations and communities are so important in building safe space. Find those resources or help to generate community so that you have a system for support and safety.

Nicole: Any final comments?

Allison: Thank you so much to WSIU for giving us a chance to share this story with the PBS Short Film Festival! We’re honored to be included with this year's group of amazing films and we can't wait to watch them all!