Dean continues to apply the myriad of skills that the early years of CalArts so uniquely inspired and supported in a field she never thought would become her destination. She divides her time equally between one-on-one disability-focused advocacy for individuals and families while working on improving public health policy and systems delivery. The pandemic, although presenting its own series of difficult challenges, has actually brought forth greater accessibility for national and international collaborations…including an increase in the employment of persons with disabilities and movements that may lead to greater pay equity. CalArts was the perfect platform from which to learn that no matter what the message, try every single medium you can harness and do not be fearful to combine them in new and unanticipated ways…and never say never. The doors to making a difference are only closed to change if you chose to turn away. Changing the minds of individuals, policymakers, institutions, and infrastructure isn’t always a matter of crunching the numbers and challenging systems, it’s more often a matter of opening up hearts and minds with the use of good old smoke and mirrors. Having had the opportunity to develop a wide vocabulary of transferable skills with access to video, filmmaking, photography, graphic design, music, sound, lighting, animation, movement, performance, installation, experiential learning, visual language(s), critical thinking, innovation, communication, costuming, special effects, and much more, nary a day goes by where more than one of those tools is not somehow brought into play in Nat’s efforts to facilitate change and improve outcomes for others. This…Is…What…Art…Is.