Progress

First thing, dear Readers. Many of you have complained about the comment verification thing. I will attempt to dislodge it. I did add an easy feature, kinda like 'liking' on Faceborg.

Well. I did it. I sent my resignation letter. Even that made me anxious. I cannot wait 'til June 13. I believe I made a good decision, but I cannot help but worry about it. What can I say? I am a worrier.

The title of this post is 'Progress'. I believe I am making progress toward Plan 1: "Figure out what you are NOT going to do, make it happen, and move on."

-I have put my acting on hold for now. I can come back to it someday, but now is my time.

-I have set an end date for my arts volunteering. I may continue to serve, but not on the board.

And, on the positive side of my plan, I have settled into a nice writing place. I have been hard at work editing, simmering ideas, and strengthening my work. I have written a short play, a few short stories, and keep on working on the novel. Additionally, I have attended a writing workshop, and am part of a newly formed writing group. We just had our first meeting on Friday, and I got some good feedback.

I will admit, I am a little worried about this summer. The Boy is done with school at the end of May, and that means my 7.5 hours writing a week will be gone. I am scheduled to teach 5 weeks this summer, and during that time, I will make little or no progress on my novel. Before the end of June, I need to re-write a short play, and create a new melodrama... from scratch. Writing it will be... but not what I want to be doing. I am torn, frankly. I want to teach this summer-- it is my best earning period-- but I also kinda find myself hoping that maybe one class won't make.

Which brings me back to the last outside activity that steals my time and mental energies. Teaching. I love the teaching-- it keeps me in the theatre world, and challenges me. But, one of the pearls of wisdom I gathered from my writing workshop was this: Make writing a priority or don't.

Should I jettison EVERYTHING to give this my hardest effort? It would not be a bad thing to get this finally off my plate, and see if it is worth my time. Hell, if I could sell it in the next year, it would certainly come at a good time. My husband and I just agreed to rent our house for one more year, and that would get the Boy through his last year of preschool. If the book sold well enough, it could help us afford to buy what we are holding out for: a modest home on 10+ acres. (10, so the Husband can hunt, and I can garden.) It would be nice to be able to buy a new car (or two) since our cars are both approaching fifteen years...

I will have to think on it. In the meantime, I need to work on the 'move on' part of shedding the arts council. I woke up at 2AM this morning, and didn't go back to sleep until after 5AM.

Move on.

What I Am Not

Today was a hard day.

Now, it is Spring Break, and that means no break from the Boy. Not the end of the world, but I do value my 7.5 hours a week without him. Truth be told, I actually was looking forward to doing some fun stuff with him-- playgrounds, maybe a museum or two, the library, and playdates.

Today, the first day of Spring Break, I had to attend a meeting for the studio tour, and so he got to go, too. It was supposed to be done within an hour or so, and there is a great playground nearby. I packed a fun snack, and promised the Boy if he was good, we could go to the park after I was done.

And the meeting slayed me. Literally. Now, it was long and drawn out as usual (described as 'soul sucking' by one of my good friends), but, I realized that my association with the arts council is slowly but surely damaging my own reputation in the arts community.

I realized as I was finishing up that people with whom I have had very strong relationships--professionally and personally-- have been pulling back from me. And this wasn't just today. I had noticed the change, but I chalked it up to schedules, and life interfering. They were friendly enough today, but the tone of our conversation and their body language changed when council business came up.

When this occurred to me, I was floored. The arts council is actually hurting me... I already knew that I spend more time defending the board than promoting it. Every conversation I have about my work on that board, I feel like I do nothing but complain. The occasions that I actually enjoy my work for the council are quite rare now.

I am barely a professional artist in theatre. I am not a professional arts administrator. I have never held a job at a NPO. I have no educational credentials to claim for my work in the arts community. However, I know my worth to this community.

I work hard, and fulfill my obligations. I put time, effort, and money into everything with which I am associated. I speak eloquently about the role of the arts in our community, at many public and private events. I have written several grants which have earned quite a lot of funding, and I have administered the granting program for the arts council. I have helped shape policy, expand the role of the arts council, and forge many valuable relationships with business, art, and government contacts. Finally, I have served on the Executive Committee for the arts council for most of my time on the board.

And now, I find myself damaging some valuable friendships. I thought at first that perhaps I am no longer as useful to know as I once was. This isn't a bad thing, I guess. I am almost finished with my final term on the board. I am not part of the inner workings of the newly focused council, and am considered part of the old guard. But, I spent time thinking about it today. These people were friendly to me before I was Little Miss President. They liked me before I even joined the arts council. And they are still friendly to me now... until I bring up something council related.

I figured this all out, this sad little epiphany, and understandably felt rather upset. I persuaded the Boy that we should just go home, and play with his friends in the neighborhood. He liked that idea.

I didn't, because I realized that once again, the arts council had dragged me down, and interfered with my family life. My poor little boy had patiently sat through that long ass meeting, and I was too upset to take him to the freaking playground. I gave up over ten hours this weekend to work on promoting the arts council at a public event, dragging both the Boy and the Husband into it, and I DON'T EVEN LIKE IT ANYMORE!!!

So. Here I am. I wrote my resignation letter today. I will finish my remaining obligations, but as of June 13, I will be off the board. I have not emailed the letter yet. I want to let it sit a few days, and make sure I have said what I need to say. I am saddened to be leaving the arts council on this note-- this experience has been such a life changer for me. I have enjoyed so much of my service and gained so much valuable experience; and to be leaving as I am now--bitter, hurt, frustrated-- makes me wince a little.

So, back to my Plan 1? What am I NOT going to do? As of June 13, I am NOT going to be a board member on the arts council anymore.

I hope tomorrow is better.

January Report Card

What have I accomplished in the last month, looking at my 3 Plans...

Plan 1: Okay, I think I am making some progress.

Writing- I have gotten into a routine and am writing pretty regularly... accounting for the freaking snow days. I have signed up for a writing workshop (attending in March). I also met with a nice gentleman who is going to read the first 3 chapters and (hopefully) give me suggestions, and has given me some good ideas about where to go, and what to look at in my work.

Acting- nothing... but I wrote a blog entry about it, kinda spelling out what is going on in my head. I turned down the opportunity to act in a college reunion show, since I had scheduling conflicts and also since I live in freaking Virginia, now. I think, sad as it makes me, this may just have to go on the back burner, in favor of other projects and roles (ha ha) that are further along. Just for now.

Board/ Arts Volunteer- hmmm. I wrote a blog entry about this too. I think I will be taking a LOA until March (at least, once I finish the darn minutes and get them sent off). I think it would do me good. I do need to figure out why I feel compelled to finish out my term, if it makes me miserable. Am I finishing for a good reason, or just so I can tell myself I didn't quit? 'Cause, it kinda seems like to me, that no matter how I protest, I have mentally decided to quit. So, if I am NOT going to do it, then I need to make it happen, and move on...

Art Model- I have a 4 week gig starting tomorrow.... A Tuesday night gig in February.... (smacking head)

Theatre teacher/director- Okay, lots of planning was done this last month! I am excited. I have two classes to teach this spring, and two camps over the summer. Oh, and I have to write a brand new, LoCo based melodrama. The theme will be cows! I cannot wait to share the dialogue... once I write it.

Plan 2: Okay, this one is easy. I have been going to the gym and using the treadmill, twice a week... except last week, when we had the freaking ThunderSnow. However, I think that is okay, since I shoveled approximately seven thousand, four hundred and twenty two pounds of snow. In addition to the visits to the gym, I have been dragging the Boy and the Dog out for walks every day the weather has not been unreasonable. I feel good about counting this one as successful. I have some concerns about February... February being the traditional month for the weather to go to hell in hand basket. Snowpocalypse of 2010, anyone?

Plan 3: Well, I scheduled one recharge break in January. Considering that is up 100% over previous months... I am pleased. Additionally, I took advantage of opportunities to do play dates, freeing me of the Little Prince, so I had time to write. Not precisely what I had planned, but hell, I am reasonably pleased with my progress here.

So. Report Card grade for January 2011? I am gonna give myself a B. Maybe a B-. Excellent progress on Plan 2, good start on Plans 1 and 3, but lots of room to improve.

Yay, me.

Boards and Zombies

So, I am an arts volunteer. I also serve on a board. I do a lot of work. I attend lots of meetings. I write and review grants for arts organizations. I read and answer (and ignore) lots of emails regarding the arts. Hell, I have even lobbied for the arts. I feel good for volunteering in my community, and for putting my skills and knowledge to good use. After all, we have no souls without the arts.

See, that explains a lot about me. I believe that without the arts, we are just mindless zombies. And, for those of you who think the arts are just opera and indecipherable paintings... think about your day.

Listen to the radio? The music you listen to is art. Oh, you only listen to the news? Well, who the &#$@ do you think creates the background music, or designs the ads that PAY for the news? Artists. Who reads the news? People whose voice IS their art.

Oh, so you don't listen to the radio? Watch television or films? Art! Read magazines? Books? Oh, don't waste time with that stuff? Well, do you think the guys who designed your computer were only thinking function? They were also thinking about making something that you might actually want to look at when it was not on.

Anyway... I could go on and on... and I think kinda just did.

This rant is to remind myself why I keep working on it. I am an artist. I support artists. I have to remind myself that what I am doing is worthy of my efforts. And I have to remind myself that the show must go on.

I begin to wonder, however... perhaps the show will go on without me.

I have been serving for almost six years on this arts council. I am tired. There has been so much change. There has been unpleasantness. It hasn't always been fun. My term on the board ends in October... and I want to finish it. The end is in sight.

But, will I crawl back under my log at that point? I didn't grow up with volunteerism. As I am a lapsed Catholic, the guilt to give to others, to be selfless, is strong. This is my service.

However, this is the year of deciding what I am NOT gonna do, remember? Do I finish my term, and call it even? Do I continue volunteering in the arts community, or allow myself to get shangai'ed into another board? This weighs on me.

I have decisions to make. If I am only doing this for duty, then I have become a zombie in spite of myself. And, just now, as I write this and postpone doing some arts volunteer related work, I kinda feel like this. Both the zombie... and the poor bloke running from the zombie.

So, this zombie sadly signs off, to go eat some brains... the brains being my own. Sigh.

(wah wah wah, poor little whiney-butt)