Alumni Spotlight: Elizabeth Anne Martin
Film & Media Arts alum Elizabeth Anne Martin (B.A. '13) has become a successful artist in addition to her career in the film industry, both disciplines she studied during her time at Meadows.
Elizabeth Anne Martin (B.A. ’13) is this week’s featured alum in our new Alumni Spotlight series for the This Week at Meadows e-newsletter. Each week, a different Meadows alum will be highlighted for their accomplishments post-graduation.
As much as the coursework and classes students take at Meadows contribute to their educational experience, oftentimes it is the people they encounter that provide an even greater impact on their lives. Though she had initially planned to become an attorney, Elizabeth Anne Martin – known to by her family, friends, and former SMU instructors as Lizzy – made the switch to a more creative track thanks to her advisor, Janet Stephens.
It was Stephens who encouraged her to pursue more art-focused classes like Creative Dramatics and photography, which eventually led Martin to major in Film & Media Arts. Her professors and classmates helped shape the trajectory of her career by helping her find the confidence to tackle more artistic and creative endeavors, even when they were daunting.
“One day, my professor assigned us something we had to do that scared us and I had become knee-buckling, palms-sweating, throat-closing terrified of singing in front of people,” explains Martin of an experience in her Creative Dramatics class. When it came time for her to perform her song, “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid, she found herself paralyzed and unable to remember the words. “Then, one by one my classmates started singing with me to lift me up and help me complete the song. We all sang together, and it was one of the most beautiful and powerful moments of my life.”
Her recovered confidence carried her through the rest of her Meadows experience, where she took countless film classes and worked toward a career in the film industry. To date, she has produced, directed, and wrote for CBS Radio, the Texas Rangers, T-Mobile, and UTA, as well wrote and worked on music videos, short films and feature films. In addition to writing for many universities worldwide, she also currently donates her time by volunteering to periodically teach directing and scriptwriting master classes at Dallas’ Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where her daughter is currently a junior.
“Every filmmaker needs to know four things: how to shoot with a camera, lighting, audio recording, and editing,” says Martin, who still uses tricks she learned in her film classes to this day. “Everything around you is a story, but you have to know how to capture it; I am a born storyteller that has been given the support and guidance to tell my stories in so many different forms.”
Two of Martin's artworks: "777-1" Liquid to Solid Foam, Acrylic, Paper, Resin, Canvas (left) and "Black Heart Gold Chains" Liquid to Solid Foam, 24k Gold, Nails, Screws, Metal, Acrylic, Resin, Canvas (right)
Though her career has been in the film industry, Martin is also an artist. In this professional realm of her life, she channels her storytelling abilities into painting and creating sculptures on canvas. Her works, which are often inspired by the human heart, are structural in nature and play with innovative techniques and materials. While she originally produced pieces for friends, demand for her work has grown and Martin has now sold art all over the world and regularly takes commission requests.
“With the support of my family and my professors, I was able to grow into the person I am and maybe have always been.”
One of Martin’s more recent artistic endeavors was partnering with young female CEO to create the artwork for the labels of their new wine collection called Closure Wine. You can view the wine label below, and view more of Martin’s artwork on her Instagram.
Learn more about the Division of Film & Media Arts here.
