S1E20: Naomi Elizabeth Montoya, Multidisciplinary Artist, and Su Hudson, Filmmaker

Season 1: The Chateau SeasonEpisode 20: Naomi Elizabeth Montoya, multidisciplinary artist, and Su Hudson, FilmmakerIn this episode, I interview the collaborative duo from Albuquerque, New Mexico Naomi Elizabeth Montoya, multimedia artist, and filmmaker Su Hudson. They have been creating site-specific dance films together for the past 20 years.Naomi started with painting and visual art in her youth, began dance in middle school, and has taught for 27 years – two decades of which have been at a performing arts school teaching contemporary dance. She's also performed with an Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian dance company.Su is a filmmaker with over 35 years in the film industry. Their collaborative work takes dancers off the stage and into other locations – diverse landscapes like the white sands of New Mexico (crystal gypsum sands) or domestic spaces like kitchens – creating films that they often bring back to stage for multimedia performances combining film with live dance or installations. Their creative process is location-driven and spontaneous – they might plan extensively but don't really know what will happen until they arrive at a location, as conditions like wind, sand texture, or spatial constraints change how movement unfolds. They're primarily inspired by landscape and space, exploring how diverse New Mexican environments fuel creation, but also work extensively in domestic spaces to explore the female experience – particularly kitchens as the heart of homes where secrets, gossip, and life's stories unfold. Naomi's individual process involves journaling, improvisational movement, and letting ideas sit before developing them, sometimes keeping ideas on the shelf for months or years before completing them. Su handles technical aspects like lighting and equipment.They work around grants with parameters, fitting creative work around daily tasks and paid employment. Their advice to beginning creatives emphasises finding your community of supportive people when family support isn't available, not taking no for an answer, doing what you love so everything falls into place, learning your tools and equipment, applying for grants, doing the work repeatedly until you create something you like, and viewing every experience – even rejections – as learning opportunities. Naomi particularly stresses that creative work feeds the soul and brings happiness even without financial wealth, and that if work feels fun, it's probably what you should do.Connect with Naomi Elizabeth MontoyaInstagramBio Get full access to Musings with Meg at megdunley.substack.com/subscribe