LA CROSSE, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – As we close out August and our time with the La Crosse Community Theatre Artist of the Month, I have to get a little vulnerable. Ashton Hall did something for me with her art that she probably isn’t even aware of.
I am not unique in saying this, but I suffer from imposter syndrome. I believe that the titles that I am most reverent to must be earned, and there isn’t anything in the world that I, Steven Walker, can do to earn those illustrious and respectable titles.
A piece Ashton did “about” me
“You can’t just call yourself a writer! You have to earn that distinction.”
“You can’t just SAY that you’re a director. You don’t ‘direct,’ you make jokie-jokes.”
“You CAN NOT refer to yourself as an artist… that is for others to identify within you.”
Many moons ago, Ashton did a series of color explorations. She reached out to people in the Coulee Region to ask them questions designed to elicit a color as a response. Things like, “What color is the shirt you are wearing… What is your favorite color… what color do you think of…” and so on.
I was honored to fill out the questionnaire, not thinking that she would actually use it…. And then she did! Not only did she use it, but she called me an artist and an actor. She validated these things inside that I wanted so desperately to be acknowledged. She simply relayed how she saw me… as an Artist… and it meant everything to me.
I think that is the crux of her talent. She shows the world how she sees it. She doesn’t mess with that perception. She doesn’t filter it through something else and then back again. She sees magnificence and shares that with the world. She sees the value of a color, she sees the beauty of a moment, she sees the depth and awe of a petal, a fruit, a stroke of her brush. She takes all of that perception, all of that love, and lets it flow out, from her heart to her brush, and on the canvas.
I would be wildly embarrassed if I didn’t point out that she is only unaware of what she did for me, because I have never shared it with her or anyone else. She is a champion of personal growth. She’s constantly telling people that they are the beauty in the world… That they are everything they want to be and more… That nothing is impossible and the world is ready for whatever you have to give it. I am hoping that she is proud that she gave me that gift. I was proud the day I got it from her.
A charcoal drawing that I commissioned from Ashton
That piece hangs in my dining room to this day. It’s one of two Ashton Halls that I own. And, THAT is that other thing that Ashton gave to me. Actually, to be fair, she gave to WI Proud as well. Owning those works, one a gift from my sister and the other a commissioned piece I asked Ashton to create, opened my eyes to the incredible artists right here at home. She showed me that I could hang glorious pieces of art in my home that were created by people I know and have met. I can hang a Dylan Overhouse picture in my home (and work office) after having worked on two short films with him. I can hand a Scott Cheeks piece commemorating the closing of our favorite watering hole. I can have Tiffany Lavender and Cat Dagandesh prints on my wall. I read, see, support, and write about local artists because Ashton opened my eyes to the thriving community of them around me.
I owe a lot to Ashton, and I am so proud to be considered a friend of hers. I am so happy to share her work with any and all who see it. I am happy to have had her as the La Crosse Community Theatre and WI Proud Artist of the Month for August 2025…
Artist of the Month: The artistry of trying (interview pt. 1)
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