Perpetually Curious

Two years ago I challenged my husband to a reading contest: at least two books a month, one fiction, one nonfiction, and my school reading didn't count. 2012 proved tough for both of us, but 2013 has been better. Together, we've read twenty-seven books over the course of the year. We've read more than that, mind you, what with magazines, blogs, our kid's books, newspapers, etc etc, but twenty-seven made it to The List. I thought I'd share the ones I read, and some selected thoughts or notes. January : (F) Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. This is Book 2 of the All Souls Trilogy and, yes, a very guilty pleasure. (NF) Tribes by Seth Godin. There are several authors whose total works I am trying to read and/or collect. Godin is one of them. I also have The Dip and The Icarus Deception sitting on my nightstand. February : (F) Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke. Some of my fiction is of the Young Adult or Juvenile variety. Not going to apologize: my brai...

It's Thanksgiving, and I'm in the middle of thesis paper research, so naturally I'm thinking a lot about who has been helpful and needs thanking. Almost everyone I've contacted about varying topics has been both intrigued by my thesis and generous with their time and energy. I'm especially thankful to: Robert Wildman, my faculty adviser, who has the extremely difficult job of both keeping my passion in check but encouraging my quest when I'm tired of it. He's playing the Sancho Panza to my Don Quixote.  Robert Long, who I emailed out of the blue, but has given me several puzzle pieces and introductions and continues to check in on my work. All of the people who have agreed to be my "sounding board", reading drafts and commenting on what works or doesn't (Byron, Liz, and Bob). All of the folks I've worked with at Americans for the Arts: Clayton Lord, Hannah Jacobson, and, by extension, Professor Roland Kushner. They care about our fi...

Is laughing with people about yourself the same as being laughed at? On Nov 22, I was the special guest for Mr. Diplomat, an improv show held every Friday night at DSI Comedy Theater . The show's set-up is a special guest comes on, tells stories from his or her life, and then the crack improv team makes up scenes based on those stories. "And yes I said yes" by It's Greg, licensed under Creative Commons I was asked to be the guest in a rather informal way: the guy who took my old job is also on the Diplomat team and they'd had a guest back out, so he asked if I was interested. While I may not have any desire to be an actress, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy my time on stage, so I said, "Yeah, sure, I'm down with that." Kit promised I didn't have to be funny, I just had to get up on stage and tell some stories. They would take care of the rest. Having recently listened to Daniel Pink's To Sell Is Human , two of the primary rul...

I'm starting a new theme, of posts about where I see cross-industry applicability. While I'm passionate about the performing arts, I take inspiration from everywhere.  In high school I wanted to go into magazine publishing because I adored the medium. I've always been a sucker for a good article, especially one with beautiful photography to go along with it. So I was pleasantly surprised by this New York Times video about British handbag designer Anya Hindmarch . Done as interview with writer Suzy Menkes , this short video captured my attention, and also held some nuggets that I think apply to theaters as well.  copyright NYTimes Menkes describes Hindmarch's bags as "women-friendly, with an attention to detail and lots of fun." Shouldn't that be theater? We all know the statistic that 67% of Broadway theater audiences are female , and I'm sure that holds true across nonprofit and non-New York markets, as well. Are we finding ways to make ...

Yesterday, the Deep Dish Executive Board took me and my husband out for a farewell dinner. The food was delicious, the company lively, and many complimentary things were shared around the table. The old saying, "I don't regret the things I did, only the things I have not done" applies here. I will look back with fond memories of my time there, but I will always wish I had done more. Worked harder at donor stewardship. Pushed for the marketing campaigns. Written the 'why not' grants. Running a small independent nonprofit theater is not easy; leaving the comfort of corporate retail with its automatic product shipping and management teams and decent paycheck to take on the part-time administration role was a leap of faith. And now, I stand at the precipice again. I feel like Indiana Jones at the third test in "Last Crusade" , where he says "Only in the leap from the lion's head will he prove his worth" before closing his eyes and taking th...

I felt it important to have a few things up here about my thesis paper, as I'm talking to a lot of different folks about this, and, hey, some of them may even do some due diligence and look me up before we chat.  Highlights, in no particular order: overall topic is about how large-scale performing arts venues, specifically newer builds, impact their local nonprofit theaters.  my four research cities are: Mesa, AZ; Modesto, CA; Durham, NC; Appleton, WI intersection of "creative class" writings and city revitalization differences between nonprofit, commercial, and municipal organizations how being a resident company changes the numbers

...about my next gig. Many thanks to Rachel for entrusting me with her baby, Byron Woods for the care and conscientiousness he put into the article, and to Justin Cook for a great photo shoot. http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/a-changing-of-the-guard-at-durham-theater/Content?oid=3762578

Slowly growing my arts admin library. Note: not all my books are on this shelf yet, as I've accumulated a few more as textbooks or thesis research, which are being stored elsewhere. What's your favorite book on arts admin, building community with art, or customer service and building relationships, or fundraising?

Upon checking in at Pittsburgh, participants were given a tote bag full of goodies, including a real paper notebook and a real wood-encased pen. I was pleasantly surprised, as I always feel like the only person in the room not using a laptop to take notes. At our first Emerging Leaders preconference session (with the incomparable Margie Reese and Maryo Ewell explaining our place in the history of community arts), I saw many more attendees using the notebooks provided or--like me--had brought their own pads/paper/writing implements to use. Worlds collide. Being (mostly) Millenials, we also proceeded to pull out our smart phones to tweet the conference session. Folks would jot a note, then tweet the next profound statement, comfortable switching between both written forms. During networking sessions, we exchanged paper business cards, then went and connected with each other on LinkedIn. Throughout the conference, this happy mingling of traditional and newfangled continued. A sess...

I realize six months is a bit too long to go without writing a blog post, even if Unmarketing recommends only writing when you have something worth sharing. I've shared a lot over the past six months, just not here (mostly on Facebook and Twitter). I've also LEARNED a lot in the past six months, which is why I haven't posted at all. It's been an insane period of receiving information, gestating and applying information, meeting people and making new connections, and trying to carve out time to think bigger systems thoughts and figure out what I really want to be doing with my life|career|home|self|family (not necessarily in that order). Now that we're in summer, and I have a brief blessed moment between when I am done with classes but my daughter is not yet out of school (you parents know what I'm talking about), I will be turning my attention to this communication method, attempting to figure out what I want it to be and what my audience wants it to be. Want ...