Blog Question #10 :
Has this experience been a rewarding one for you? Why or Why not (keep it positive, if you had negative experiences, focus on what you learned- make yourself look good!)? How has the reality of your internship matched or contrasted with your expectations? What is the most important learning you did during your internship?
This experience has overall been rewarding. I feel like I have learned a lot and expanded my understanding. I got to develop relationships with people and got a taste of being on the other side of a poetry cafe. I was not sure what to expect when going into my internship but it has exceeded the expectations of what I could have imagined. There may have been times where it seemed a little slow or they didn’t have much for me to do, but we would always find ourselves getting involved in engaging discussions. There were a lot of meetings that I was able to attend where I saw how intense the youth activism there really was. I was surprised by the complexity of the open mics and the work that is put into them each month for them to happen. From the features to the musicians to just having to set up, I was able to witness the dedication they have for their organization. The most important learning I did during my internship was that if you want to get to your end goal, it takes hard work. You can’t slack off. You have to be dedicated and you have to sacrifice. But when you get to that place you envisioned, it is all worth it. It is worth it because you get to leave behind a legacy that people can remember. I learned that everybody dies three times. The first is when you physically die. The second is when your soul passes on. The third is when nobody alive remembers you. I learned to do what you can now to leave an impact somewhere on somebody or something, because it matters.
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Blog Question #9:
What have you seen or experienced in your internship that has inspired you the most on your own artistic journey? Has this experience changed your artistic ambitions? How? Have you used this experience to diversify your skill set? What skills have you added?
Before I began this internship, I didn’t realize how diverse and broad the poetry world really is. It is a much larger business than I anticipated. Many people are willing to immerse themselves in something that they know will better their community. What has probably inspired me the most, however, is how active the youth is. They dedicate their time and energy to this organization because they believe in it and that is a beautiful thing to see in this day and age. They seem like a close, tight-knit family but never fail to accept others. They come to bi-monthly meetings and actually left the state to travel to the border of California so they could show support for a woman that was running to be the president of Mexico. They do everything they can to be active members of their community and their leadership skills even carry over to what they do at their schools. This has made me want to be more involved in my community as well. It allowed me to understand that while problems may exist within our society, they can always be fixed. Our youth has the power, ambition, drive and intelligence to do so. I now know that when I am older, I want to have a huge focus on disproportionate communities and what we can do to make them better while continuing to empower the youth. I have used this experience to diversify my creative thinking when it comes to poetry writing. I have felt the improvement in how I write since I have been there because I am challenged to think differently. I understand that when I am struggling to write about an abstract concept, I can connect it to something concrete which can also amplify the meaning. I have also improved my communication skills by greeting people at the front when they come in for open mics and having to constantly keep up to date with my sponsor and the other employees. This experience has helped to deepen my understanding of poetry and how it can motivate people to improve their community, society, and the world.
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Blog Question #8 :
How is your internship project going? Describe the progress of your project. How did the conversation about your project go with your sponsor? (If you haven’t discussed the project with your sponsor yet, how do you plan to do so?) Did they have good insights into how to improve or expand the project? How does your project bridge what you do at your internship and what you like to create for yourself? Has your relationship with your sponsor evolved as you have engaged in a creative dialogue about your project? Are there any challenges you are experiencing planning or doing your project?
I feel like my project can be going at a faster pace and I can have much more done. Right now it is still more of an idea because I haven’t had time to sit down and really create a good plan with my teachers and the administration at school. However, I will not use that as an excuse abandon what I started. I will make time to talk to people and hash out a better plan so that I can bring a poetry workshop to my school. There hasn’t been much progress but I feel like once I get the chance to talk to my teacher, things will hopefully move faster. The conversation about my project with my sponsor went really well. When my internship was first starting, he had already entertained the idea of my project having something to do with an event or workshop, so he liked the idea of me bring one to my school. He was really positive and on board with the idea. At that moment, he didn’t really have much insight for how I can improve the project except that I was on the right path with my idea and I should continue that way. This project bridges what I do at my internship and what I like to do for myself because at this internship, I have experienced their workshops and open mics and I want the kids back at my school to be able to see this and get immersed into as well, just like I am. I am a really community driven person and anything I can do to help or volunteer or learn more about my mine or others’ communities, I like to take that opportunity. I also really enjoy the literature arts, so reading and writing has always been a great passion of mine. If I am able to bring a poetry workshop to an English class in my school, that would be a perfect way to bridge my interests with my internship. I feel like my relationship with my sponsor has evolved even since I first began this internship, let alone since we talked about my creative project. He is able to better see my capabilities and my work ethic as well as my personality in the positive attitude I bring to every shift. I am able to see his outspoken capabilities that led him to the leading position he is now along with his drive to keep his organization strong while empowering those within his community. These are things that have become evident through him allowing me to work with him. The only challenge that I am experiencing is what I have mentioned before; making time for and remembering to initially talk to my teacher about this idea. Once I talk to my teacher, that should hopefully set everything into motion.
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Blog Question #7:
What is your favorite part of working on personal art projects? What challenges do you face on personal art projects? What have you learned about working in a creative business? What is your favorite part of working in a creative business? What is the difference between working on personal art and working in a creative business?
My favorite part of working on a personal project is the accountability I hold to ensure the job gets completed. Since it is a personal project, it is my personal responsibility and I like having the chance to showcase my ability to complete jobs on my own to my supervisor. The challenges that I face are forgetting to do simple steps like talking to teachers or administration. I need to get better at setting deadlines for myself and meeting those deadlines. I have learned that working in the creative business and being successful in it is harder than you think. To have a thriving poetry café, you need to know people and be in a community that is willing to cooperate. You have to think of original ideas to keep your audience captivated every time, and it is useful to be up to date on current events so that you can relate them to what you are doing. My favorite part of working in the creative business is how satisfying it is. You get to do something you love and you still get paid. You get to make others happy through art without boring yourself to death. I have had internships in cubicle offices, and I would constantly find myself checking the clock trying to see when my shift was over because sitting at a computer reading through old statistics and sorting through files for my entire career is not for me. That is why I enjoy the creative industry. It is entertaining. The difference between working on personal art and working in a creative business is personal art expresses who you are, our beliefs, and shows what you can do. It is a showcase of you. whereas the creative business is you catering to others and helping them to see their beauty through your art. It is giving others an outlet through your talents or hobbies.
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Blog Question #6:
How are you doing so far on completing your hours? Do you have the amount of hours complete that you should have at this point in the internship? If you are behind on your hours, what is your plan to make up the hours you are missing? How are you doing with the challenge of maintaining your intern work schedule? Are you using your google calendar to keep track of your intern schedule and homework assignments? Is there any other challenge you feel the Internship Program Director should be aware of at the end of the first half of your internship?
I have been doing very good on completing my hours. I have been keeping up despite thinking that I would fall behind because of my tricky schedule. I have been trying my best to make it work and in result, I have over the amount of hours that I should have at this point. The end of the school year is approaching, and I want to make sure I don’t fall behind. In order to do so I will make sure I am prompt to all of my shifts and grab any opportunity to earn extra hours. Maintaining my schedule is easier than I anticipated. It is just about making sure you are responsible and attending all assigned days. I make an effort to notify my sponsor of days that I can’t make it due to school events, or notify teachers at my school that I can’t make the event because of my internship. It is all about balancing priorities and knowing how to be responsible on both ends while getting done what you need to get done. My google calendar has been very helpful for me. When I first began the internship, I thought I would be overwhelmed and stressed. That, however, has not been the case and a big reason is due to google calendar. It helps me to keep track of dates and events when I can’t in my head and allows me to feel more organized and settled. I can actually feel like I have my life in order and everything isn’t such a scrambled mess. All in all, everything has been going well. I have hope in being able to successfully complete all my internship hours and if there is ever an outside event that prohibits me from coming in, I make sure to notify my sponsor and will find a way to make those hours up. I can’t wait to continue through the rest of this internship and see what else awaits!
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Blog Question #5:
How do you feel like your internship is going so far? What are the highlights? What are the challenges? Do you feel like you are making connections with your co-workers? Are you using your internship inspired project as a creative connection between you and your supervisor? What can you do to improve your experience?
So far, my internship is going very well. It is a different experience than I expected, but in a good way. Internships generally get the stereotypes of sitting at a desk filing papers all day. While that is part of it, that is not all I do. The highlights are how each week and event is different. I get to do different tasks at open mics and I always get to see different people and different performances. The only challenge is that sometimes it is hard to find something for me to do since I am only here once, sometimes twice, a week and there is not much I have been professionally trained to do. However, I am still grateful of the chance to see the workings behind a organization like this. I feel like I actually am making connections. I have been trying to push myself to break out of my shell and work on my communications skills. I find it easier to have conversations with my co-workers and I believe that we are able to effectively communicate with each other. I have just began planning my internship inspired project, but I believe that it can be a way to have a creative connection between me and my supervisor. It will allow me to independently plan out and ascertain important details while making sure I am effectively communicating. In order for my project to work, I need to ensure I am talking to the people that I need to talk to and making sure each person involved in the process fully understands, which means I will need to make sure I am nurturing and maintaining a connection with my supervisor. To improve my experience, I can make sure I am staying proactive and informing my supervisor and co-workers of when I may need something to work on. I have to get better at not waiting for them to assign me something. There is no harm in asking and, although they may look busy at the moment, I am sure they will still be able to find something that I can help out with. Working on this can enhance my internship experience even more.
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Blog Question #4:
Freestyle blog week. Write your own blog prompt about your internship, then answer it in 200-250 words. (Do you feel as if you are getting a well-rounded experience of your internship? Are you happy with the work you have been given? Have you been completing it as efficiently as possible? If not, what can you do to improve? Do you feel like you can continue to push yourself more? What else are you looking forward to?)
At Café Cultura, from what I have seen, I feel like I am hitting some pretty major parts on what they are about. I have been to the open mics and got to see the different variety of artists they feature. I am happy with what they have been asking me to do. I feel like it is encouraging me to actually cooperate and communicate with others while opening my eyes up to people that are really dedicated to working on social issues. I believe I have been completing it as efficiently as possible because no matter how tired I am or what may have previously happened, I always try to bring my best self. For example, I was asked to facilitate the camera which consisted of recording each artists’ act while also taking pictures. I could have complained about having to stand behind the camera the whole time, but I was enthusiastic to show off my ability to follow directions and operate a camera. I can still always improve and throughout this internship, I can continue to work on my communication and innovation skills along with my ability to effectively communicate my thinking to others. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone at Café Cultura better and to experiencing more of their events.
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Blog Question #3 :
How do your actions affect your workplace? Are you able to be mindful and bring a good attitude when you come to your internship? Do you contribute positively? Do you feel like you have a good work ethic so far? How do your co-workers actions affect your internship? Are you beginning to develop any work place friendships?
My actions greatly affect my workplace because my decision to either be positive or negative can affect the entire group dynamic. The things my sponsor, Ara, tasks me with are important to the workplaces’ flow and if I go in with a negative attitude and mess up what is given to me, that means somebody will have to come behind me and fix all of my mistakes which will not leave a good impression or leave Ara feeling good about having me as an intern. I am able to avoid doing this by always coming happy and willing to help and doing everything that is asked of me without complaint. I was able to help fill out thank-you notes, scan cards, and help out at a diversity convention by showing Ara and the other employees that I am trustworthy and will do what they ask. I feel as if I do have a good work ethic because when they task me with something, I have instilled in them the hope that I will get it done or at least try my hardest to do so. The fact that my coworkers are so welcoming with me makes me feel better about being there and allows me to complete my work at a more efficient pace because I will feel more comfortable about being there and not always have the fear of messing up. I feel like I am beginning to grow closer to everybody there because we are learning to know who each other are and what we do. We are finding out about our hobbies and people are beginning to know who I am which also allows me to feel more comfortable and welcome.
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Blog Question # 2:
What co-workers did you interview? Did your co-workers study art after high school either through higher education or internships/apprenticeships? What recommendations did they have for what you should try to learn as an intern in this field? Did they have any advice on how to begin your creative career? Did you learn anything interesting about your co-workers that was non-work related?
The first co-worker that I interviewed was named Astin Lopez, whom I also got the honor of meeting for the first time that day. Astin, who is currently working at Café Cultura through a work study program, works there as more of the technical genius and the man behind the media. Astin informed me that he is currently a senior at CU Denver Recording Arts Technical College and has had experience in traditional schools. Astin did not participate in any internships or apprenticeships in high school. When he first heard about the position at Café Cultura, Astin told me that he was not sure of exactly what it was when he applied for it. He had went to the interview and had mentioned what he was studying and Ara, the manager and also the founder of Café Cultura, hired him. Astin claims that him landing in this position was “100% luck”. If Astin were in intern within this field of work, he says that his main focus would be to build connections within the industry. This lets me know that I need to make an importance of branching out to people and finding ways to let myself be remembered in hopes of future opportunities. When he first began this career, Astin says that the biggest thing he learned was how to operate with technology after having been thrown into it. This was a good way for Astin to learn because he was able to develop an understanding through experience rather than through being told how to do it. Astin inform me that, outside of his job, he enjoys writing music and even operates a YouTube channel with his friends. It is evident how much Astin’s developed skills in his personal life have carried into his professional life.
After interviewing Astin, I was able to interview Jenny Valadez Fraire, another one of my co-workers. Jenny also works at Café Cultura through a work-study program. She was not able to study art during high school as she went to a traditional school as well. She didn’t get to participate in any internships as a high school student. Jenny was able to find out about Café Cultura when she saw that they needed a work-study student. Her interest in poetry pushed her to apply for the position and she evidently got it. Jenny says that, if she were in an internship in this field, her focus would be on teaching kids how to use poetry as a way to learn and empower themselves. This lines up with Café Cultura’s mission to empower youth and teach them to use their voice, which shows how great of a fit she is for her job. The best thing that Jenny was able to learn since starting this job was the importance of loving yourself. This inspired me and let me know how much of an impact Café Cultura leaves on its individuals as well as the community. Outside of Café Cultura, Jenny is also a barista and enjoys tennis. She is busy all the time but is currently trying to go to med school. I am able to see how Jenny’s motivation as well as her extremely positive and welcoming character will allow her to go far in life.
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Blog Question #1:
What did you learn from your first week at your internship? Did anything surprise you or make you excited? Were there any challenges? Did you make any connections with co-workers? Did you engage in any code switching?
During the first week of my internship at Café Cultura, I learned that they are a really community driven organization. I had of course read this in their description and mission statement, but I never got to fully understand the reality of it until I participated in it. The first day I went was a Wednesday. When I walked through the doors, they had students from the school playing volleyball in the lobby. I was immediately surprised by their ability to make people feel welcome and valued there. On Wednesday, they quickly immersed me in tasks, which I liked, by allowing me to walk around to local schools with an employee named Dulce and hand out flyers about their open mics. I had already got to learn a lot about her during our walk before we got rained out. Friday was more exciting but also more challenging because I got to see how their open mics operated. I enjoyed hearing each participants poem and also got to enjoy an amazing indigenous family band named Scatter Their Own. I got to assist in setting up everything and then was tasked with standing at the door and tallying the people that came in while handling donations and raffle tickets. I was grateful for their willingness to trust me with that important task while also allowing me to immediately be immersed into the workforce. I was also able to get free food, which was delicious. The only challenging part of the week was how tired I was beginning to get due to the late hours and having to stand the whole time. I know that I will just have to get used to those minor inconveniences so that I can fully enjoy the experience.
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