What Makes Me Tick?
I've been wondering about the best way to communicate who I am and what I do. And in thinking of those things, I got a little stuck. Because the more important questions are WHY do I do those things? What do I care about? Who AM I? You know. The existential stuff. So that's what you'll get here.
It you want to know WHAT MAKES ME TICK, read on!
I love to learn.
One of the best parts about working at Artreach all these years is that in order to do my job well in the ever changing worlds of mental health and the arts, it is important that I keep learning. That's what jazzes me most. I could be a professional student happily, yet would not be totally fulfilled without some reason to be learning that would contribute to the greater good. Which brings me to point number 2.
I am a heart translator.
It's a strange skill to market, but it's true. I often feel a person's desired life path, even when they haven't discovered it yet - and if they want that information, and ask for it, I love to share what I see. The networking and research I've had the good fortune to experience through working at Artreach has given me access to tools, knowledge, and people. I love to see the connections that would help someone manifest their passion, and share them.
Artreach's Internship program is a place that I've been able to put this into action. Working virtually with interns through Skype meetings and Basecamp, I get to know people from all over the country (and the world. My current website design intern is in India!) Recently, we were fortunate to have a new PR intern. As we spoke, I heard her language about color; about shape; about making posters and flyers. And I asked if she'd considered graphic design rather than writing. As it turns out, graphic design wasn't in her frame of reference. She was so excited after investigating jobs for graphic designers that she changed her major, and is now happily immersed in doing what she loves.
Other things that jazz me.
I love technology, and finding tools to solve problems is really exciting.
One example of this is the project management software, Basecamp.
That's good, because I kill fewer trees. And paper distresses me! Piles of paper might as well be piles of snakes on my desk. Being able to organize large and multiple projects with a project management software has nearly made the cloning complete at Artreach. I can hardly believe how much easier it is to take on new projects when working collaboratively online.
Since 2007, I have been the Executive Director at Artreach. I've loved all of the learning. It was a bit of a painful learning curve for this artistic dancer-type to learn quickbooks, understand what the annual auditing team needed, and develop the structure to make all of that happen easily - but I learned it, and I get how structure = freedom. Once the structures are in place, the river is more open for the artistic to flow.
What I want to do when I grow up! Help people do these things:
It you want to know WHAT MAKES ME TICK, read on!
I love to learn.
One of the best parts about working at Artreach all these years is that in order to do my job well in the ever changing worlds of mental health and the arts, it is important that I keep learning. That's what jazzes me most. I could be a professional student happily, yet would not be totally fulfilled without some reason to be learning that would contribute to the greater good. Which brings me to point number 2.
I am a heart translator.
It's a strange skill to market, but it's true. I often feel a person's desired life path, even when they haven't discovered it yet - and if they want that information, and ask for it, I love to share what I see. The networking and research I've had the good fortune to experience through working at Artreach has given me access to tools, knowledge, and people. I love to see the connections that would help someone manifest their passion, and share them.
Artreach's Internship program is a place that I've been able to put this into action. Working virtually with interns through Skype meetings and Basecamp, I get to know people from all over the country (and the world. My current website design intern is in India!) Recently, we were fortunate to have a new PR intern. As we spoke, I heard her language about color; about shape; about making posters and flyers. And I asked if she'd considered graphic design rather than writing. As it turns out, graphic design wasn't in her frame of reference. She was so excited after investigating jobs for graphic designers that she changed her major, and is now happily immersed in doing what she loves.
Other things that jazz me.
- Honest and simple communication.
- Music, dance, and theater that brings joy.
- Compassion and kindness.
- Communities who agree to be responsible for the impact they have on each other.
- Working on things, especially to be immersed in a creative project with like-minded people.
- Working alone. A balance of teamwork and alone works well for me.
- I am an introvert by nature, who can function as an extrovert easily on behalf of a cause I care about. This means I love to spend hours alone making websites, researching, working on Basecamp to help others fly, etc.
- Being the the "first follower" - the "right hand man."
I love technology, and finding tools to solve problems is really exciting.
One example of this is the project management software, Basecamp.
That's good, because I kill fewer trees. And paper distresses me! Piles of paper might as well be piles of snakes on my desk. Being able to organize large and multiple projects with a project management software has nearly made the cloning complete at Artreach. I can hardly believe how much easier it is to take on new projects when working collaboratively online.
Since 2007, I have been the Executive Director at Artreach. I've loved all of the learning. It was a bit of a painful learning curve for this artistic dancer-type to learn quickbooks, understand what the annual auditing team needed, and develop the structure to make all of that happen easily - but I learned it, and I get how structure = freedom. Once the structures are in place, the river is more open for the artistic to flow.
What I want to do when I grow up! Help people do these things:
- Discover Your Passion
- Find Your Path
- Manifest Your Creative Life
- Develop a Daily Practice to Support Your Life's Passion
- Get Unstuck
- Become Courageous
- Grow Into Your Best Self (defined by YOU!)
- Use Technology to Make Your Life Easier