Professor Patrick Ahearn’s path to becoming a puppeteer was anything but linear. He had always had a fascination with puppets since he was a child but it wasn’t a big dream of his until high school. He was deciding between being an arts or music major and chose the latter as an undergraduate.

When Ahearn became a grad student, he took a puppet class at Glassboro State College and liked it a lot. That got the creative juices flowing for his passion for puppets. 

“It was really good because it bridged the gap between performing, which is music, and the visual, which is art, so I can create these characters and perform with them,” Ahern said. “I didn’t even know that kind of thing existed. That was the bridging for me.”

With Ahearn not having the “normal” schedule for a professor or adult, he has adjusted his life in a way to conform to that new lifestyle. He knows that he will be busier in the summer, autumn, and the holiday seasons, so he budgets his life that way. Ahearn also redesigns his previous projects during the slower months of the year, which for him are around January and February. 

Ahearn also talks about the constant irregularity taking a toll on him including not being able to go on vacation, because when people would usually try and go on vacation, those would be when he is the busiest he would be for the entire year. 

“I guess not everyone can do this kind of thing. Even some people working in the arts have some regularity in their job. I don’t have a regular job. Being a freelance artist, I am always looking for the next job to do,” Ahearn said.

Throughout Ahearn’s journey through puppetry, he takes inspiration from Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets and Sesame Street, and Tim Burton. He is inspired by Jim Henson because he was a creative and youthful person along with being a great creator and businessman. Tim Burton inspired Ahearn because of his creativity and the range of abilities he can do with his puppets and storytelling from hilarious to serious.

Art is Ahearn’s way of spreading fun throughout his life. He is all about making life as funny as it possibly can be through his artwork.

“I always say that life’s not a joke, but it is hilarious at times,” Ahearn said. “That’s what you can look at. The things that are humorous or good. I tend to focus on the good stuff that is happening.”

Ahearn takes constructive criticism quite well due to the fact that he sees it as someone looking at the same work he is, just from a different perspective. He talks about how you can be so locked into a piece that you are working on that you may see the work as good if not great in your eyes. With a separate pair of eyes examining your work, they could find anything wrong with it in their eyes. You don’t have to always take their advice but having multiple perspectives looking at a piece of work is beneficial for the creator. 

Ahearn’s advice for artists of all backgrounds and experiences is to be able to take the criticism of our work and use it for your benefit. 

“Sometimes the things that are so revolutionary and great are things that have never been done before. Also, the things that get bashed a lot are things that have never been done before because people are so used to a certain way of doing things,” Ahearn said. 

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