Staff Creatives: Thao Votang

Creativity runs high among College of Fine Arts staff members, both in their day jobs in the college supporting our research and educational mission and in their personal lives. The college has an unusually high number of practicing artists, musicians and performers — many of them alumni — on our teams.

Thao Votang (B.A., Art History, 2008) is a business coordinator in Landmarks, the public art program at The University of Texas.

How many years have you worked in the College of Fine Arts? 

Out of the 15 years I've worked at the university, about a decade of it has been in the college! Amazing.

Describe your creative practice. 

I'm a writer. Right now, I'm focused on novels. In the past, I've written short stories and poems, and micro fiction. I like being able to wander into different lengths when I have the time and ideas more suitable to shorter forms.

How did you get started in your creative practice? 

Shyness brought me to reading as soon as I could. I remember being really proud of myself in elementary school because I had started reading chapter books. That's the kind of kid I was. It wasn't until middle school that I wrote my first short story as an assignment from one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Uland of Huffines Middle School in Lewisville, Texas. But I didn't return to writing fiction until my graduate program. Still, I didn't really commit to writing fiction. I wrote press releases, profiles and reviewed exhibitions. I don't think anyone ever explained how to become an author to me or what that path might look like, so I didn't consider it an option. When I finally did, I had to juggle it with other life needs. What I mean to say is that it's been a nonlinear journey.

What does a typical day look like when you're balancing both your work and creative passions? 

I am a member of an artist and writing group that meets virtually every day. So, I get up at 6:30 a.m. and write before work. We set monthly goals and report back on them. I do this on weekdays and give myself the weekends off. One hour, five days a week builds up a lot of words quite quickly. I like the timing of it because I get to see the first light of the day and have become more in touch with the changing seasons. It also means the first thing I do daily is in pursuit of one of my top priorities.

Any advice for students as they think about their professional pathways? 

You can't know how things will turn out, so learn to trust and believe in yourself. I received my undergraduate degree in art history thinking I'd work in museums, and I've been able to work on several arts-related teams at the university. I'm also grateful that my student debt was forgiven thanks to everyone who fought for this in 2021. I mention that because it's important to build as steady a foundation as possible so that you can make what you most want. I used to put so much pressure on myself for not writing more when I was working really hard to pay my bills. So believe in yourself and keep the promises you make to yourself.

How do you define success as an artist? How has that definition evolved over time? 

Now, I define success as the ability to express yourself freely in the way that you most want to connect with other people. I'd add to that having the time in the first place. Probably, I used to define it by awards or accolades, and while those are good and nice, I am most happy when I learn that someone read my book and found it funny or relatable or it made them think about something differently because of it.