Alumni Stories - Donal Talbot
¨I always felt that an element of play and experimentation was encouraged by the tutors. I was also heavily inspired by my peers in NCAD. The environment that was created by both staff and students allowed me to express myself without fear of judgement and to learn to trust the artistic process.¨
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Name: Donal Talbot
Current Career: Artist and Educator. Working part-time as an educator in YouthReach and part-time freelance artist.
NCAD Graduation Year: 2017
Discipline(s): Photography and Digital Media
Location: Dublin
What career path did you want to follow as a child?
I was always a creative child. From an early age, I had a keen interest in fashion, theatre and the arts. I was enamoured with the world that these things encompassed. It seemed to me at that age that the world of art was boundless. However, I struggled in secondary school. The format didn’t really fit me. I spent most of the time either daydreaming in class or doodling in my notebooks. It wasn’t until the transition year that I began to realise that I could make a career out of being creative. That realisation opened my world up completely. It was the first time in my adolescent life that I knew what direction I wanted to move towards. It gave me the drive to continue experimenting with art and photography, and it’s ultimately what led me to apply for NCAD.
Why did you decide to study at the National College of Art & Design?
From the age of 16 or 17, I knew I wanted to study at NCAD. When I was in school it seemed astonishing to me that you could actually go to college to study art. Art had always been my escape through the difficulties I experienced with studying and rote learning in school, so to have an opportunity to develop my love of art into a potential career was a no-brainer. When the time came to apply to universities through the CAO, I had already submitted my portfolio and NCAD was my first choice. I loved core year, it was a rare opportunity to experiment and try new things. After the first year, I decided to specialise in Fine Art Textiles but then transferred to Media by mid-way through the second year. The best part of being an NCAD student was the freedom to try new things without judgement or too much pressure on having a solid answer. I always felt that an element of play and experimentation was encouraged by the tutors. I was also heavily inspired by my peers in NCAD. The environment that was created by both staff and students allowed me to express myself without fear of judgement and to learn to trust the artistic process.
Career Preparation and Impact:
How did you advance your career to reach your current job or practice?
After I graduated from NCAD in 2017, I applied for a J1 intern visa and moved to New York for a year. While I was there, I interned for a photographer named Ryan McGinley which led me to work at Pier 59 Studios in Manhattan. This experience was invaluable for me, as it helped form the experience and network pool to work in the photography industry. Although I didn’t pursue a career in production, my time as an intern helped inform my artistic practice. I used this experience to document my time living in New York, in particular the people I met along the way. The photos from my time living there were featured in ‘New Queer Photography’, a photobook showing the work of 40+ international queer artists. This photobook displayed my work on an international level and helped the project to be seen by a bigger audience. When I moved back to Ireland, I continued creating art while focusing on the documentation of marginalized communities. All of these experiences led to my current job as a Digital Photography Teacher at YouthReach, where I now teach part-time while pursuing my own practice. As of last year, I have been studying for an MFA in Photography at Ulster University in Belfast, where I continue to develop my work.
Competitions and Peer Review:
What design competitions did you participate in during your time at NCAD, and what were the key lessons you learned from preparing for and reviewing your work by peers and professionals?
It’s not a competition or peer review per se, but… The most fulfilling professional opportunity I have experienced since graduating from NCAD was my involvement in the photographic group exhibition ‘Love, Lust & Freedom’ at Kunstmuseum Brandts in Odense, Denmark. ‘Love, Lust & Freedom’ is a photography exhibition that documents the diverse experiences of queer individuals worldwide. The exhibition is an international display of queer photography from over 40 artists, including myself. I was invited to exhibit a selection of my work alongside some of my biggest artistic inspirations, such as Nan Gold, Robert Mapplethrope and Wolfgang Tillmans. My work in the exhibition shows a selection of portraits from my time living in New York in my early 20s, documenting the people and places that helped to form my identity as well as my artistic practice. The exhibition is currently on show until January 2025.
Extra-Curricular Training:
What extra-curricular activities or additional training did you pursue outside of your formal coursework at NCAD or in the time after you graduated? How have these experiences contributed to your professional development?
In 2022, I co-created the ‘Queer Book Club Dublin’ alongside my friend Eric Byrne. The book club was formed after I had moved back to Dublin. I had been living abroad for a few years and when I returned I realised a lot of my friends and peers had moved abroad and no longer lived in the city. In search of new connections, I thought of the idea of forming a book club. It was a space created for myself and other queer people to meet up in person once a month and discuss LGBTQ+ literature in a casual, non-judgmental way. The book club has been a prominent part of my life ever since. It’s been a wonderful way to meet new people and it’s also informed my art practice and provided a wider context about the type of work I make now. We were invited to present a Queer Book Club experience at last year's International Literary Festival Dublin, which was a fantastic opportunity.
Post-Graduation Experience:
Can you describe your transition from NCAD to the professional world? What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
My transition from a student at NCAD to an artist in the professional world has been quite slow but steady. I started an internship at i-D Magazine the month after I graduated from NCAD, and continued assisting photographers for a few years after that, which was a valuable way to learn more skills. I was lucky enough to continue my artistic practice after my studies ended alongside working in various jobs, and I am still working towards growing my personal and professional practice. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to keep going. It takes a long time to develop a career in the arts, but perseverance will shine through. Try to find your voice as an artist, as well as apply for exhibitions and Arts Council grants, create a professional website and reach out to curators and galleries that align with your work.
Advice for Prospective Students and Parents:
What advice would you offer to current art and design students? How can students make the most of their time in college and after graduation to better prepare for a successful career?
Enjoy your time as a student. It’s rare in life that you can commit the majority of your time to creating art. After college, life can get in the way and it becomes harder and harder to dedicate time to your art practice. Use the resources around you and ask your tutors and peers for advice and guidance. Research things that matter to you and enjoy the process! Once you graduate, I would recommend dedicating a certain amount of time per week that you can give to your art and creativity, allowing space for new projects to grow. I would also recommend engaging with the community and events in your area and connecting with other artists and curators. Networking is an important skill in this industry.
