This School of Art graduate holds two master’s degrees and just completed a prestigious residency in Germany.

In those times when Brandy González might have struggled a little to believe in herself, it didn’t matter because she had Texas Tech University professors who believed in her enough to make up for it.

As a result of that unwavering support, González earned two master’s degrees from the School of Art in the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts and then launched a successful art career. After completing her master’s in art education, Texas Tech faculty were instrumental in encouraging her to pursue her master’s in fine arts.

“They helped me believe that I could do something more rather than just stopping after my educational degree,” González said. “Without their support, I don’t know if I would have pursued my MFA. They believed in me in such a fierce way.”

González was already a successful art teacher, and she had a stable career with a secure income, but Texas Tech faculty believed she could accomplish more. They challenged her to take the plunge and look for ways to share her artistic gifts with the world.

Talk about a scary proposition. 

Faculty members like Ghislaine Fremaux, associate professor of painting and associate director in the School of Art, Sangmi Yoo, a professor of printmaking & drawing, Future Akins-Tillett, a former faculty member in the School of Art and Terry Morrow, former professor of printmaking who passed away just more than a year ago, were among those who helped equip González. For her, they opened ways and means of seeing the world through a lens of possibility.

“I walked away from Texas Tech having a new mindset and greater confidence in newer and harder technical skills,” González said. “I was also inspired by the support I felt and that the ideas I had were worth being said.”

Her vision and talent were recently affirmed once again when she landed a prestigious spot as a Contemporary at Blue Star Berlin Residency Program/Künstlerhuas Bethanien International Studio Program in Germany. González began the three-month residency April 15 and completed it earlier this month. Her work focuses on printmaking, public art and community engagement and has been exhibited nationally and internationally.

The residency is highly competitive with González being selected from among hundreds of applicants. At first, she wasn’t sure about applying, but colleagues encouraged her to pursue it.

“I have a coworker who has been in the arts scene for a long time, and he is my local mentor,” González said. “He told me, ‘You have got to do this; it’s right up your alley.’”

At the time, González saw herself as an art teacher, but as she talked through the process with people she trusted, the opportunity gained appeal. Finding out the residency accepted families turned out to be a significant plus.

“Part of me is already built like I would rather jump and fall than never jump at all,” she said with a laugh. “My personality is such that I was already leaning that way.”

So, she applied and waited. Months later came that moment González learned she had been selected. The residency director called to inform her of the choice during her conference period at school, and the news caused her to erupt in tears of joy and gratitude.

As it turned out, González’s inspired words in her application caught the committee’s attention, and they were moved to give González the opportunity to see what she could do.

“When you have a family, you have to manage your time and be grateful and conscious of the small amount of time you have to work,” she said. “I was consistently making quality work, but not at the scale or pace I was used to doing, so I wrote in the letter, ‘Give me time and space and watch what I can do.’ I just wrote the truth.

“And that’s what got me here.”

Well, it was a little more than that. González completed her first master’s in 2013 before earning her second graduate degree three years later. She has been teaching at middle school, high school and college levels for the past 20 years. Today, she is the dual credit instructor for art appreciation at Clark High School for Northwest Vista College as well as an adjunct professor at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio.

“Once I finished my MFA, I went on to teach, and I really implemented the skills I learned at Texas Tech,” González said. “At the same time, I was applying to exhibitions and staying active as an artist. That’s the big thing: Even if you’re not producing in a large way, showing your work speaks to the dedication you have for your practice.”

At the residency, González has spent time being inspired by Germany and other European locales. She has time to be creative and also to travel and have her family see in person some of the sites many others have only read about.

The only residency-stipulated obligation González must fulfill is a visit to Darmstadt, Germany, the sister city of San Antonio, which sends four people each year to be artists in residence. González also has a solo show scheduled for the summer of 2027, which takes the bulk of her time.

“Three months is a short time, and it goes by very quickly,” González said. “I have the solo show, so I brought work, and I have some large things I want to finish while I’m here and have the space to do it.”

She and her family lived in a flat a few blocks from the studio, and everyone except González returned to the U.S. early, giving González two-plus weeks to zero in and focus on work she wants to make sure is completed before she returns.

“Everything is really set up for families,” she said. “It’s an artistic community, and the area we were in is the arts capital of Berlin, so being in that atmosphere has just been life-changing, not only for me as an artist, but also for my family, and for us to be here together has changed us in a way that I can’t even put into words.”

González not only sees the path ahead more clearly than before, but she also has traveled far enough to share advice with other aspiring artists.

“First and foremost, document everything,” she said. “You never know what exhibition, project, collaboration or achievement is going to fold out into the future. Record everything, and that will strengthen any applications for grants, residencies and other opportunities.

“Second, stay open to how an arts education might shape your future because success does not fit into one single definition of being an artist. There’s no one, right path. I have maintained an active studio practice, but I’ve also built a very fulfilling role as an educator, so be flexible and willing to define success on your own terms.”

To learn more about González’s work, visit her website.

For more information on the Texas Tech School of Art, click here.