Story Content
Rediscovering art, joining the Hornet Family and finding a voice
January 28, 2025
Phillip Altstatt has been making art since before he can remember, but when he was in high school, his art teacher told him he didn’t have much potential. He stopped drawing for 10 years.
By that time, he was a Sacramento State student who was taking an Art Studio class simply to fulfill an elective. His professor pulled him aside and, this time using the word “potential” in a positive way, encouraged him to rekindle his creativity. Altstatt would go on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University.
Today, he works for his alma mater as a videographer, graphic designer and – as ‘Beyond J’ listeners know – podcast host. After a full semester interviewing some of the faculty and staff who make Sac State such a special place, he agreed to sit down for an interview to share his own story.
“Beyond J” producer Jonathan Morales joins the show to ask Altstatt about his winding journey to higher education, how he views his art, his work in the community and the insights he has gained as the host of the University’s podcast.
