Making the Journey while Walking it @makingthejourney - Tumblr Blog

Making the Journey While Walking It turned 2 today!

Freedom

“I think every being moves towards freedom, or, to phrase it correctly, moves towards ones understanding of it. Me, you, animals, even wind and fire, every molecule and atom are trying to be free, but bound by forces they produce towards one another.” Tim Gallo, artist

#TimGallo

Staying true to what drives you, your passion and motivations makes success easier. realizing that as your brand makes it marketable.

Accidental Trail Blazers

Some call it ‘luck’ others call it ‘being in the right place at the right time’. I call it being true to who you are even when it isn’t the easiest path.

When I started my career I knew that I had a real interest in designing things. Who knew that would lead me to be one the first woman aerospace apprentices. Who knew how much fun it could be to set up and calibrate a wind tunnel to see if the thrust reverser doors that you helped design could with stand the thrust and addition forces necessary to aid in stopping an air bus. Who knew that would put me right in the middle of a major shift for women entering technical careers.

I didn’t set out to be a trail blazer. It never crossed my mind that I would be the only woman in 95% of my classes or that there would be no bathrooms anywhere near where I worked as they had never had women in those areas before. Or I would have to endure the unsolicited comments about where I belonged or that there were no career paths to anywhere in engineering for women. Or the comment that ultimately began to just grate on my soul… “You don’t look like and engineer”.

I say all this for two reasons. I was touched by the comment that there are currently no career paths to leadership in the not-for-profit (museum) world for those of color. When I observed the student who identified with that potential struggle I saw a passionate, capable individual who would be another accidental trail blazer because she is pursuing who she is and what she is passionate about. It may not be the easiest path but it will be well worth the effort, risks and work. And it is definitely achievable.

Plus there are lots of accidental trail blazers, who recognize how important it is to encourage, lend a listening ear and be willing to stand up and say, “The most important thing to do is what keeps you true to yourself, your passion, who you are, even if that takes you down uncharted paths”.

THE MAKING OF THE EXHIBITION: AN INTERVIEW WITH AMANDA CURRERI Get a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look into the making of an exhibition, and hear directly from artist...

I read, listen, pay attention to everything I come in contact with that talks about art as an influence and instrument of social and cultural change. I absolutely believe art is both. Art speaks to us on a different level.

I watch artists, especially those who tell stories; be they positive or negative, comfortable and beautiful or repulsive and hard to look at. Artists that are visionary and give us the opportunity to see what we miss or what we aspire to be.

I can’t say I would always want to hang them in my living space. Partly because I like my space to be in harmony. Partly because i believe they need to be visible on a wider scale. But I believe they should be shared

iguessimabloggernow-deactivated

Our “rough draft paper sketch” (top)

Our timeline presented on the whiteboard (bottom in red)

makingthejourney

As our group began we chose a starting point and an ending point, we observed and documented the characteristic of the starting point, then began to vision the end point. We found that we had lens to look through (sources), social political, economic, technology diversity/culture... Looking at the changes that got us to the starting point and then visioning the future to the end point we chose gave us the chance to create collaborative future. One with hope and openness, The vision was not naive but the beginning of creating positive change. If we had had more time we would have looked further into who, what and how would be needed to implement the vision.

If we can vision a world with open collaboration, as leaders it is important for us to figure out how to lead the way.

Class #2 exercise of looking at history, what change has caused us to be where we are and then thinking about the future.

The team I was on presented a picture of an artist in 75 years. The exercise brought out a recognition of one of my core values. Things are going to change. That we (all of us) are all instruments for change. We make the change.

What and how we think is so very important!!!

How are you going to affect change, in yourself, around you, in the world? I believe humanity was created good, we struggle with evil, as an outside force, but ultimately we make choices, lots of choices. We create the future or by choice, choose to allow it to happen.

I like this song by Julian Lennon produced in 2011. While it wasn’t a chart popper it has something to say. Even the iconic tree, tree of life, found in some form or another in all cultures reinforces that there are universal truths.

We are the creators of the future

Change is inevitable, how we choose to participate is our choice.

Entity/Practice/Thing

I chose thrust reverses as a thing that was significant in my formation. They represent courage to be true to my dreams, to step up to defend what you believe in, mistakes and stumbling are all part of success and WORK can be great fun!

First class

In our first class we did some brainstorming to bring out how we defined success, what was important, and the vision for the future.

In this process we were refining and bringing our visions to light. That even though I had done a similar intense look at my core values and vision for the future in the beginning, this exercise indeed reinforced that this is a process. That in the process I was being refined and changing, that I was being given the opportunity to dig deeper and look at possibilities and to think about them in new ways,different ways.

For example, I view money as a tool and a way to ensure options, rather than a goal or measurement of success. I have learned that when you are doing what you love with passion and you plan the money will be there. Success is as much getting to do it as it is completing.

First steps

Brainstorming, looking at possibilities, looking deep inside to see what I had to contribute, what my core values are, what I would need and planning, planning, planning. Then building a group of folks who offer encouragement, insights and wisdom on the journey; and a prayer team. By this time in life all of those on team understand that I am not really unbalanced; much, at least, just driven.

The journey so far has been very enlightening and insightful. In hindsight much of the process/journey looks much straighter than has it felt while walking it.

The looking deep inside really understanding what is important and having the courage to follow it has been the hardest part.

The beginning

When I began this transition I recognized similar themes and events that kept coming up, all leading to what looked like a single outcome but with many possible ways to achieve it. So in conversation with a good friend over a cup of good tea I told her it felt like I was going to have to make the journey while walking the path as the end looked pretty clear but the path looked full of options. So I wrote a white paper about the outcome and titled it “Making the Journey While Walking It” and it just stuck or fit like a glove for the process.

The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

Socrates

Making the Journey While Walking It

Figuring it out is a process; sometimes taking longer than we would like. Perhaps giving us time to prepare and to become...

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