Dream destination

Addison Severs hopes his Studio Art degree will bring him one step closer to landing his dream job.

Addison Severs works to install lights on a ballroom stage.
Addison Severs installs lighting for the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner celebration.

Addison Severs remembers tinkering with his uncle’s DJ equipment when he was in elementary school. He was fascinated with the microphones, cables, and sound boards and wanted to learn how it all worked. His curiosity quickly led to a passion for audio engineering. By seventh grade, he became the student technical director at Lake of the Woods High School in Baudette, Minnesota, where he helped install new sound systems in the auditorium and gymnasium.

“I became the go-to person for pretty much all audio and visual needs,” he said, including “lighting for concerts and audio engineering for events.”

Back then, he imagined himself working as a traveling audio engineer for popular musicians. But after taking a family vacation to Disney World and learning about “Walt Disney Imagineers,” the people who design and construct immersive theme park experiences, his sights shifted.

“I realized that would be really cool, and I was like, ‘I want to do that,’” Severs said.

That was during his senior year of high school, and after graduating, he set a plan in motion to chase down his dream. First step: pursue higher education at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD).

“Nothing’s impossible. It’s just a matter of finding the way.”

A student smiles while working on a laptop under the guidance of a professor.
Students in Studio Art explore a range of media while working in collaborative environments.

With technical knowledge and experience in audio engineering and lighting under his belt, Severs decided to round out his resume with “classical fine arts training.” He loves Lake Superior and has family in Duluth, so UMD seemed like the perfect place to continue his education.

As a Studio Art major, Severs spends most of his time in the newly renovated ceramics and sculpture studios in A.B. Anderson Hall. He said he’s passionate about the projects he gets to work on in those spaces, which have expanded his knowledge of volume, light and color. Beyond the studio spaces, he’s also enjoyed classes like Mixed Media taught by Associate Professor Joellyn Rock.

“She knows what I'm capable of,” he said of Rock, “and pushes me into even cooler and more imaginative things.”

Through diverse coursework and encouragement from his professors, Severs quickly found his degree program to be rewarding, further validating his desire to work in a creative environment. 

“I can never sit down. I'm always working on something.”

A student forms a ball of clay in a ceramics studio.
Newly renovated ceramics and sculpture studios allow students access to safe and spacious work areas.

Severs took his second semester off when he was accepted into the Disney College Program, an internship designed for college students pursuing a career with Disney. He spent seven months working in the Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where he learned more about the world of theme parks. It was another validation to pursue his dream.

He returned to campus the following semester refreshed and ready to dig back into his work. Then he saw a job advertisement for a set designer at the Duluth Haunted Ship, a haunted house-like experience aboard the William A, Irvin, a retired bulk carrier that’s moored in Duluth’s harbor. He applied and got the job, and for the next three years, he put his lessons from the classroom into practice, helping to shape the look and feel of the attraction that was recently named one of the world’s scariest haunted houses by Forbes.

“It was super rewarding,” Severs said. “Seeing all the guests walk through and talk about how cool it is and how they really enjoyed it.”

Now, Severs is working to complete his degree while tackling a new job as a light designer for Sound Central, a production company specializing in live events. When he’s not on campus or at work, he’s pursuing newfound hobbies such as sewing and leatherwork, pushing his creative boundaries.

“I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished,” he said. “My next step is finding my way into a Disney Imagineering internship.”

For Severs, pursuing a dream isn’t wishful thinking, but rather a series of actionable steps that keep him motivated and moving forward. Whatever happens next, he said he’s thankful his journey brought him to UMD.

“Imagination is a pretty wild last frontier,” he said, where “anything is possible.”
 

Addison Severs controls lighting at a live event.
Addison Severs controls lighting at a live event at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.