Carnegie Mellon University: For Susan Tsu, costume design is about more than the wardrobe itself. With an innovative approach to design, her work has appeared on stages worldwide, but it all started with the success of her first project: the original Godspell. “The first production that I designed ended up being a blockbuster hit. It was a great honor to be a part of something like that, but I knew I still had a lot more to learn.”
3 comments:
I had no idea that Susan Tsu's first project was Godspell - though I can hardly be surprised - and I think it's amazing we have such talented people teaching us here at Carnegie Mellon University.
One quote from Susan Tsu in this article that I think is what really separated the great costumers and designers like her from the rest was this one: "We’re not only looking at clothing, we’re looking at the kinds of messages clothing can send." Costume isn't just clothing, its an outward expression of both the person's internal world and the values and conventions of the world around them and can say a lot with just a single glance. Learning to use this to create certain impressions and guide the audience's opinions is something that takes skill to do, and I'm very excited to learn these things from Susan Tsu over the next four years!
Susan is such an inspiring professor. Her attitude towards all things makes her a role model for all of us. I think most people, if the first show they designed turned out to be a huge hit, would get a big head or feel like they've already made it. Susan seems to have viewed that success as a starting point, instead of the goal. Sometimes it is a hard thing to accept you still have a long ways to go when it comes to education. Putting in the work is daunting! But this self-awareness is exactly what makes The Greats so great. The confidence to say, “I have room to grow,” and then actively seeking that development is what it takes. I hope to be like Susan Tsu in that aspect, for the rest of my life!
In just a few weeks here, I have already learned so much from Susan. Her goal to expose us to all form of art from every culture and walk of life is something that I have been able to gain a lot of knowledge and inspiration from. She has introduced me to focusing, not only on the overall message of a piece, but each individual component of it. I have learned the importance of each decision I will make as a designer and artist because they all greatly contribute to the effect my piece will have on an audience. She encourages an awareness of where we are as artists, and a brilliant way she has shown us to do so is to try and detach ourselves from our art and critically examine it as we continue to develop it. This lesson is slightly terrifying and is so complex, but the way in which she has slowly introduced us to the skills of accomplishing it has already begun to have an impact on the way I create things.
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