By Annalise Walker
Both my parents work in creative industries, so it’s no surprise that I turned out the same. Growing up I was constantly surrounded by my Dad’s passion for video and my Mum’s love for sewing and photography, which I also relish. I like to dip my toes in all things creative, and university has been an incredible place to dabble.
I’m currently entering my third year (of four) in a Bachelor of Communications (Media Arts and Production) and Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation at the University of Technology, Sydney. In my time so far, I’ve made short documentaries, worked on short films, written a few scripts and learnt so, so much about the complexities of the world we live in.
I grew up on the Central Coast, which as much as I love it, was not ideal for attending university in Sydney with a commute that was two hours each way.
I’ve always had a big place in my heart for theatre, so when I was cast in UTS’ first Queer Revue at the beginning of 2019 I was over the moon. I spent three months rehearsing and writing with new-found friends, preparing to perform to three sold-out crowds in April 2019. The moment it was over I was bursting to get involved with another show, however I simply couldn’t balance rehearsals, uni and work with the amount of time I was spending commuting between the Central Coast and Sydney.
Two weeks after Queer Revue wrapped up I had a lease on a flat in Sydney’s Inner West with a friend I made in revue. This move would not have been possible for me to make if not for the continual support of Brisbane Water Legacy and AVCAT. I am so grateful to have had the means to be able to accept the opportunities that have come my way as a direct result of getting involved in student life.
Moving to Sydney gave me so much more time to pursue the things I loved. I began doing bucket loads of volunteer graphic design work for different clubs at UTS, worked on UTS Backstage’s major musical Dogfight as a costume designer, was cast in UTS’ Main Revue and am currently directing the 2020 Queer Revue with my flatmate. I’ve taken on executive roles in clubs, such as Graphics Director for Backstage and Creative Junior for UTS Society of Communications in 2019 and Creative Director for UTS Comedy Revue and Performance Society (C.R.A.P) in 2020.
As a young creative it is so empowering to know there are people invested in my future, and the support of Brisbane Water Legacy and AVCAT drives me even more to make the most of the creative outlets that are available to me at university. I can’t thank them enough for their continual faith in me. I’m so excited to work on whatever creative projects 2020 throws my way.
Annalise was awarded an AVCAT Brisbane Water Legacy Scholarship in 2018.
Visit Annalise’s Instragram project ‘Private Online – an online documentary about Instagram usage – https://www.instagram.com/private.online/
The two videos below are:
- Vertigo Moment – an interview with a contributor from UTS’ student magazine
- Maltese Falcon – a vampiric reimagining of a scene from the 1941 film of the same title