Today’s students are navigating a world where it can feel like every grade, internship, social media post and career move must be perfect. They’re constantly comparing themselves to others, leaving little room for failure.
Sarah Angle, instructor II and faculty adviser for ROXO in the department of strategic communication, sees that pressure firsthand.
In her classroom, she’s watched talented students hold back ideas, avoid creative risks and play it safe – not because they aren’t capable, but because they’re afraid of making mistakes.
Rather than simply encouraging her students to embrace failure, Angle decided to start a conversation around it.
Her upcoming art exhibition, The He(art) of Failure, opening Aug. 8-9 at The Pool, A Near Southside Arts Space, co-curated with creative and storyteller Jocelyn Foster, challenges visitors to see and interact with the idea of failure differently. The exhibit features work from eight Fort Worth artists exploring themes of rejection, vulnerability and resilience through art.
“This show talks openly about failure and encourages the courage it takes to fail big, keep learning and keep growing – which is exactly our goal in strategic communication,” Angle said.
It’s the same philosophy she brings into the classroom.
Whether students are building advertising campaigns, creating new strategic communication strategies or pitching new ideas, their best work rarely happens on the first try. Great ideas are often the result of dozens of ideas that didn’t quite work.
“I’m always encouraging my students to fail big, and they’re terrified at the notion,” Angle said. “But we can’t get to great without a whole lot of bad ideas along the way. Failure should be embraced because perfection is a myth – the sooner we can accept that, the richer our lives will become.”
While the exhibit was inspired by conversations in the classroom, its message extends far beyond campus. As perfectionism and “achievement culture” continue to contribute to anxiety and feelings of inadequacy, The He(art) of Failure invites people of all ages to see failure not as an ending, but as proof that growth begins where perfection ends.
The exhibition’s message is simple:
Fail big. Fail loudly. Fail freely.