Full Circle

While I was in Spin class this morning, the instructor kept reminding us to complete the full circle. This is a helpful reminder, as I sometimes find myself pushing down on the pedals, instead of also pulling up, or perhaps favoring one leg over the other, or only using the outside of your foot to generate motion. When I do any of those things, I cut – or cheat – the circle. It’s important to use the full circle so that I can engage every muscle.  If I don’t…I wonder what I’m missing out on?

Where are the full circles in your life?

This ‘full circle’ concept reminded me of an email I sent out to the ACA teams last week. In my mind, I was SO excited for our upcoming season and wanted to hit the ground running.  However, the email I sent did not come across that way.  I’m blessed with a pretty amazing sounding board who told me that, in my excitement and rush to get the balling rolling, my email totally  came out of left field.

After receiving that feedback, I went back and re-read the email. Yikes.

My circle sucked.

In an effort to be to the point and concise (‘cuz I am right brained and can be a little out divergent in my ramblings!) I missed the opportunity to share my excitement with the team and where my vision was.  I missed the purpose behind what I was proposing. The team was completely unaware, and yes, for them, it came straight outta left field.

So, I realigned my feet in the metaphorical pedals, I straightened out my momentum, and I resent the email, this time sharing my excitement and purpose.  Now, we’re all stoked and ready to hit the ground running on an AMAZING 2012 season for ACA.

As a reminder, a post-it with a simple circle drawn on it sits on my computer as a reminder to always make that full circle.

Shannon

Always Learning

“I’d like to think the best of me is still hiding up my sleeve” -John Mayer

Do you ever surprise yourself? You know…after weeks, months, maybe even years of working SO. HARD. at one thing or another, and feeling like you’re never going to get the hang of whatever it is you want, suddenly one day, you take a step back and realize, “Whoa.  There it is.” Have you ever done that?

I was in a brainstorming meeting the other day: three organizations trying to make art more of a visible, tangible, meaningful, and accessible part of our community.

In the world of collaboration (and the art world is chock-full of it!), it’s so important to truly understand and respect the missions, and the wants of all with whom you’re collaborating.  Without that understanding or respect, collaboration quickly reduces to compromise, leaving someone in the dust, and the mission unfulfilled.  However, in art, as well as in life, we’re used to fighting and defending what we want and what we believe, thus making life sometimes…how do I say….a little territorial.

As an individual, I’ve always been one to collaborate. I love making something different with others’  input. What I’m learning is collaboration with organizations is a little like controlled chaos sometimes…it can be scary, because it means standing behind what matters for your organization and sticking to it, while honoring what others want for their organizations, too. It’s saying “What I want matters, so I’m going to tell you what that is.  Then you’re going to tell me what matters to you, and we’re going to work together until we find the means to make it work.”  Collaboration takes guts, and it takes trust not only in yourself, but in the people you’re collaborating with.

So this time, I did something differently.   I put everything on the table, and said, here is what Arranmore Center for the Arts wants.  How does this sound to you? What do you want?

And then, it happened.  The step back; the shift.  There it was.

It was just in my wording—how I opened the conversation. My intention has never shifted, but my approach certainly did, and from that shift came collaboration and forward movement as a team towards a common goal.  And isn’t that what we all want?

These little moments of discovery and understanding amidst this fast-paced life are so humbling, and I’m so grateful.  I’ll be holding onto this one for a long time.

-Shannon

Post-It Believers

Ok, so last week was a crazy week…good, but crazy:

• Ongoing gathering of funds
• Working with the consultants about the feasibility study – which basically meant teaching them EVERYTHING about ACA in one day
• Tech team meeting and updated site launch

In the middle of that crazy week, I went out to get the mail.

In Wednesday’s mail was the sweetest note, that immediately took me from being overwhelmed and exhausted, to energized and moved.  Check it out below…

I have to say, that “I believe” meant the most.  It just hit me.  For so long now, ACA has been an idea — a vision. Now we are having events and it’s something…something for others to believe in, too.

I have a quote from John F. Kennedy on my desk…

“The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities.  We need men and women who can dream of things that never were.”

I look at the quote all the time, and I am so appreciative of Vivian and others who believe alongside us.

-Shannon