Marketing and Networking Reflections on Parts 1- 5
Who is all of this for?
I am certain of one thing; when you are a creative type you are not resistant to change. In writing business plan, mission statement, curriculum and other aspects of the Teaching Artist profession, it reminds me of where I have been and where I might be headed in the future. My hope is that future me is open to the possibilities and this document will serve to open my thinking to new ways of using my talents and passions.
What are you contributing and to whom are you offering this contribution?
Again, this seems to be talking to future me from the past since I had begun as a teaching artist, which morphed into my current full time work, and this writing imagines what if…I go back into the realm of teaching artist? Crazier things have occurred in my life. My contribution seems to point to the mission to serve children and offer them my direct belief that the arts can save us.
Who are your conversation partners?
When I have theoretical conversations, it is with the artist within that is dormant, though not dead. I want to go back to creating and presenting work at some point and my spiritual partners in this are my therapist (who is an expressive therapist) and a friend at work who gets me. I think of my spiritual self as being intertwined with my artistic mission.
Who are your communities and constituencies (current/real and envisioned/hoped-for)?
I am in community with parents, teachers and children. Many of my parents are Dominican and many are single parent households. There are families who are homeless and those with a parent in prison. There are grandparents, foster parents and mentors in this constituency. My community has increased since I began directing
the Disney Musical in Schools project. This is a grant-based program for which I applied and was selected. This project has increased parent participation by 30% and it is my dream to produce other performances that will increase middle school parent involvement.
How can you reach these communities and constituencies?
The arts unite us and as I find new methods and performances to produce at our school, I know that I will find an increase in outreach and education in the arts.