Introducing Brett Hebert

Brett Hebert is a musician and photographer, originally from Kaplan. By day, he is “Mr. Brett” at the South Regional Library, helping the public and performing a long-running music and movement storytime called Bibliobop. He is also a freelance photographer and videographer. Brett’s artistic journey began in the 1990s, after he picked up his dad’s guitar and soaked up the music of the day, as well as delved into the rock music of the 1960s and 1970s. He started writing songs at age 11 and played percussion in the school band. Since his college years at UL, Brett has performed with local rock bands The Nung, People Machine, and Makers Reel, in addition to recording and releasing solo material by himself, friends, and his side project, Proxy, with his wife Whitney Willis Hebert. Brett’s recent credits include performing in ACA’s Spotlight Series performance of Sediment, recording and engineering an album by the Bayou Harp Ensemble, and self-producing an EP of original music, Five on the Floor.  

Who makes up your art circle?

My inner circle these days mainly consists of my wife (dancer and choreographer Whitney Willis Hebert), her brother Reid Willis (New Orleans-based composer/musician), and my wedding videography partner and friend Owen Hebert (of Owen Hebert films). With this trio, there is always some dance, electronic music, or crazy photo shoot or film we’re concocting or discussing. At my day job at the Lafayette Public Library, Amy Strohmer is a big part of my daily art. We are planning and performing Bibliobop almost every week year round, with annual performances at Festival International, Zoosiana, and the Little Gym of Lafayette. Amy and I are constantly finding singable books, catchy kids' songs to put in our rotation, and refining our skills for children’s performances. I am also lucky to have friends, old and new enriching my artistic life.

How do you expand your art circle?

In Lafayette, people are usually so friendly and talkative that you can quickly find yourself with friends and social connections with all types of creatives, even for a self-ascribed introvert and homebody like myself. Two years ago, I recorded an album for the Bayou Harp Ensemble, a local music group in which my mother-in-law has participated for many years, and that has recently turned into me rehearsing with the group for some upcoming gigs. So many rewarding photography experiences have come through simply showing up with my camera to local dance scene hangouts, rehearsals, and performances. Recently, I tagged along with Nicole Curtis and company during the rehearsals and performances of her work Send On The Clowns, which turned out to be an inspiring and uplifting photography experience for me. Then my longtime friend Michael Rung brought me a huge binder of new fiction stories and a novel series he’s been working on. Dancer and local artist Theresa Wasiloski created beautiful cover art for my new EP. This all happened in the last three months. I’m convinced that artists benefit from simply asking for help and guidance. It’s amazing what showing up with a camera, talking to a few people, or simply asking someone if they’d like to create for you or collaborate with you can do for your artistic happiness. I’ve had more expansion of my art circle in the last two years than I ever have, and it feels great.  

What value do you see in having a creative community?

Being inspired and creating have been a part of my life since I was young. My marriage, friendships, and close family ties all have a degree of craftsmanship, creativity, and appreciation for art. In Lafayette, artists have fun. We accept people being creative at any age. What creative person wouldn’t love that? After years of living in this community, I’ve found myself lucky enough to know people who cover so many areas of interesting, artistic practices and processes. As a fairly introverted person, it is great to be in a highly accessible and friendly art community. Lafayette’s population size contributes to that, but it always circles back to our particular way of life down here that creates that welcoming scene, which nurtures all of our aspiring creators. I am so happy to call Acadiana home.  

How does your artistic approach contribute to your community?

That is a tricky one. My musical approach is pretty solitary, whereas my photography approach is more about capturing a stylized version of some event or experience that is more easily shared and related to, if only for the sole fact that many people are usually present to experience the moments that have been photographed. My music approach has always been focused on recording rather than performing, so that is a process that leaves me a little more disconnected from a community, per se, but I find joy in putting music out there, hoping anyone stumbles across my stuff while in the car and finds some intriguing musical passage or lyric in there. I’m just a person who feels a desire to make stuff, and a guitar and a camera are two of my tools. I am inspired by local dancers, painters, photographers, and musicians, and I think all of our work feeds each other inspiration. The fruits of that inspiration are what I believe make the community persist, and that cycle hopefully goes on and on, filling the future with cool stuff.  

Our weekly Art Circle series profiles artists throughout the community and is sponsored in part by Lafayette Visitor Enterprise Fund, managed by Lafayette Travel.