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?
Even just with my few hours of my internship with Lighthouse Writers I already know that it is going to be a wonderful experience. I’ve started off with a bang. I’ve already learned quite a lot about how Lighthouse itself functions, as well as how it sees itself as an organization. I work with the Youth Program Director Kim, who has been leading me through the first couple of weeks very patiently. As for excitement, the second I stepped into the building for the first time I was very nervous. Working with the youth program I am able to produce work that will actually be used by Lighthouse, which is very empowering and exciting as a creative. Struggles that I face are little to none. I’ve accepted the responsibilities that comes with the title of “intern”, and have become accustom to the monotonous tasks that are sometimes required of me. “Someone’s gotta do it!” I now say. I’ve been able to begin developing relationships with some of my co-workers and I am excited to say that I am on the cusp of knowing everyone’s names (filing has it’s upsides). Although the relationships are mainly along the lines of, “Can you staple this stack of papers for me?” The actual conversations I’ve been having have been productive small talk. As for code switching. The way that I am able to explore the person I am around the group has been easy. I believe that everyone there focuses on being themselves, so it makes it easy for me navigate. I feel very welcomed through every stage of code switching I’ve gone through. This will drive me more towards being myself all the time. (281 Words)
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 experience in working with others at Lighthouse has been wonderful because I know that the things that they have me do and work on actually make an impact. Recently we sent out the January Youth e-news to subscribers, which I worked on and produced with my sponsor. I know that what I do has an impact, and a perfect example of this is the inclusion of a survey on the monthly e-news. An addition which I asked to try out! As for my attitude and my own mindfulness, it is easy to reset each time I come into Lighthouse. The atmosphere is so welcoming, making it easy to shrug off any lingering tension or struggles from earlier in the day or week and start fresh for my shift. My shifts consist of working with my sponsor’s co-workers (my co-workers) to help make Lighthouse a more welcoming environment for all. And the ideas that are throw around, like the survey for the e-news, are positive contributions I have made to my workplace. The work that I do is completed in a timely manner and contain the best I have to offer. And through my co-workers I am able to learn more and more about what Lighthouse means not just to me, but to so many others. They make my time there that much more fulfilling. And working with such motivated and compassionate people really makes my drive as an artist grow every day. (243 Words)
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?
Throughout the interviews I conducted, I was able to learn lots about everyone who I worked with as well as gain a greater understanding of their role at this artistic institution. I was able to interview five of my co-workers, their jobs all ranging between different aspects of running a business. But learning more about their journey to get to Lighthouse was thrilling. Because I was able to relate so much to the things that they were saying, it felt like I was being mentored by every one of them. All of my interviewees went to college out of high school, and through their passion in the arts they eventually all found their way into something to do with writing or reading. Through classes or clubs they told me to seek out what I am interested in, and if it doesn’t exist where I am, create it myself. Genna, the program coordinator of all Lighthouse workshops, advised those who are interested in reading or writing that reading and writing in itself are not money makers, to have time dedicated to money, and time dedicated to creativity. An opinion which I think is very valuable due to the situation of artists at the moment… *cough* Bring Back the Arts *cough*. Throughout all of this however, I was not able to interview a all of my co-workers. I look forward to completing this endeavor if not to share on this blog, then to continue to get to know my fellow artists. (249 Words)
Blog Question #4 – Freestyle blog week. Write your own blog prompt about your internship, then answer it in 200-250 words.
My Blog Prompt: Provide a glimpse into what a day at your day looks like. Do it creatively, you dang artist you!
Lighthouse Writers Workshop is entirely different from my high school, DCIS, and thank god for that. Not to say that I don’t love the emotional and academic roller coaster that high school provides to every student, but I do enjoy changes of pace. This is something that Lighthouse provides. If you’ve got the time, I would very much like to share with you what one of my days there looks like. Yes? Wonderful, let’s begin! A quick drive down 14th to Race street and I’m there, often stopped at the intersection waiting for my light. I gaze at the building, the cracks and wear on the bricks show it’s age, while it’s stature demands attention from those who are passing by or held at a light. The seas of Colfax part, and I am swept up behind it’s wrought iron fence to park my car. Having gathered my things, I always enter through the front door, only to see the haiku, and to follow my favorite line, “…enter at leisure.” Up the stairs I climb, careful each time to avoid the Victorian molding always trying to leave a bump on my head. I fall into place, really wherever I can because all that matters is that I’m surrounded on all sides by this place which I’ve grown to love as well as the people that I’ve learned from. The work I do pulls me away from my high school life and allows me to feel like a creator; I am empowered by the people and place of Lighthouse to make the best of my time there, and that is what I plan to keep doing. After working to better the community that Lighthouse serves, I pack up for the day, dodge the molding once more, and exit at the snail’s pace I love so much. Each time I look back at the dusty windows, only dreaming of what may happen next behind those walls. Another day finished. (327 Words)
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?
At this point, I’ve fallen into a rhythm at Lighthouse that feels very comfortable to me while still keeping the work that I do fresh and engaging. My work has become more focused on working with the youth coordinators at Lighthouse. Monotonous work has even become something I look forward to completing. Something that I always enjoy is tallying the evaluations students leave after attending a class; the way that students observe and learn through the classes is reflected in the evaluations, something that is always a treat to read. Now challenges… I struggle most with alphabetizing everything from files to books. I know my ABC’s, believe me. But every single time I need to figure out what two letters another letter is between I have to sing the whole damn song until I get to those letters– not the proudest thing I have to share. As for my relationships with the people at Lighthouse, I’ve interviewed almost all of them to gain a better understanding of where they all come from, and in this, I’ve grown in my admiration for all of them. Our relationships are very casual while I still focus on learning a lot from each and every person at Lighthouse. My internship inspired project took a new form today as a matter of fact. I was in conversation with the two founders of Lighthouse Writers Workshop, Andrea Dupree and Michael Henry, and we all expressed our appreciation for This American Life, the podcast produced by NPR and Ira Glass. The conversation morphed into how Lighthouse might be able to take a delve into the podcast storytelling area and I offered to take a stab at it through my internship inspired project. So that’s what I’ll be working on in my coming months at Lighthouse, which I’m very excited about. (303 Words)
Blog Question #6 End of the quarter check- in. OK to do 150 words this week. Please do an inventory of your hours completed up until now and make sure your electronic time card is updated coming into the end of the quarter. 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?
As the first half of my internship draws to a close, I have logged almost sixteen hours in the three weeks that we’ve been using the online time card. Overall this sets me at around thirty-to-forty hours so far total. I’ve almost made it half way there but I believe that I’ll still need to put in more time than I am currently. As spring break arrives, I’ll focus on going in as much as possible to put in extra hours, seeing as the workload coming from my high school should be lower during that time. At the moment, I adhere to a two day a week schedule that generally gets me anywhere between 6-7 hours a week. A little weak. Maintaining my schedule is easy though with the Google calendar. I’m looking forward to the rest of the time I have left at Lighthouse, especially the time I spend working on my internship inspired project. (155 Words)
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?
When I have the chance to work on projects my favorite part of the whole process is the freedom I have to create. Whatever I am working on is entirely mine and I have the ability to chose what happens to it. If I build it up, clip its wings, or destroy it for good. All these things are determined by me. However, I face challenges with projects because I feel like my mind flies off in a million different directions and I get distracted with other ideas that, oftentimes, pull my focus away from the creative projects. Looking at the creative work I do, after my time spent at Lighthouse, I recognize that I need to set goals for myself or else I’ll never use the time that I do have to it’s fullest potential. Working at Lighthouse has also allowed me to explore a collaborative culture. I recognize that one of the weakest points I have as a creative is my ability to apply the thoughtful feedback that I receive to further my writing. Working with my coworkers at Lighthouse has given me the opportunity to receive that feedback in a way that is constructive and educational to my experience as a writer. That’s got to be my favorite part so far. On top of that, the hours I’ve spent working at Lighthouse has given me an appreciation of the minutes I get to work on my own projects, furthering my drive to be productive. (247 Words)
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? Art there any challenges you are experiencing planning or doing your project?
My intern project is going very well at this point. Although it doesn’t have much substance to the content, the structure has been fleshed out and I have a lot of really cool things planned for this mini-project. I’m lucky that it will have (for me) such a big place at Lighthouse. I’ve recently gotten feedback from the Program Director, Andrea Dupree, on the proposal I put together, communicating my ideas on the project and explaining what I think I can do. The relationship I am able to have with the two creators of Lighthouse has been one of the coolest things about being here at Lighthouse. I’m going to be having more time to work on the project in the coming two weeks as I work towards that elusive one hundred hours. Working through my own creative project has motivated me to be more creative in every aspect of my life, as I see my own work improving. My sponsor, Kimberly O’Connor, has been one of the greatest people I’ve had the pleasure of working for. Kim lets me work on things that have importance to the youth program which keeps me hungry for more and more here at Lighthouse. My project to create the intro audio bit for Lighthouse where it demonstrates the kind of community based work that the organization does has been the most anticipated thing I’ve done this semester. It’s my way of giving back to Lighthouse for all the opportunities they’ve provided me this year. (251 Words)
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?
One thing that I have done since the second week I started putting in hours at Lighthouse is typing up works that young writers, as young as third graders. The process of reading their stories and poems and typing them up has made me recognize the creative spark in people that is so prevalent while they are young but is dampened by the world as they grow older. I’m a strong believer that everyone is creative, its only a matter of whether or not one follows the light of artistic calling. Seeing how bright these young writers are really inspires me to advocate for artistic education, even as someone who is desperately attached to the math and science world. I’ve changed as a storyteller thanks to my time at Lighthouse because of what I see here. I see young writers inspire adults through the simplest of words and I’ve seen authors push social change forward here in our city. My time here at Lighthouse has developed my passion for writing into something beyond what I could have ever envisioned. Beyond developing my own writing, I have been a part of the process here at the organization, and learning of all the work that goes into keeping the workshops around, the members coming back, and the authors getting published has been the best experience I could have asked for. My own abilities in working in a professional environment have expanded greatly and I know they’ll continue to grow no matter where I end up in the future. (256 Words)
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?
Working with the people at Lighthouse has been the best experience of my Senior year. I walked into lighthouse my first day wondering how I would walk out on my last day, whether or not it would be with joy, or a bittersweet attitude. Happily, I’ll leave Lighthouse on May 11th, 2018 feeling as though I’ve grown as an artist, a co-worker, and a student. Rewarding doesn’t quite encompass the gratitude I feel for the Lighthouse staff. For welcoming me in, allowing me to help them accomplish their ongoing mission, and treating me like an adult for the first time. As young artists, oftentimes we’re undermined everywhere we work. Experience often dictates ability, but not creativity. And in a creative environment, any stifling of that imagination can often lead to resentment and loss of drive. The people here at lighthouse have fostered what creativity I have into something I will maintain for the rest of my life. My own idea of what this internship was going to be was blown away as soon as I walked into the building for my first sponsor meeting. I though, “There’s no way that I’ll be working in this beautiful building. Or at least nowhere outside of the basement.” And over the weeks I’ve spent at Lighthouse I worked everywhere but the basement. Learning what writing means, not just to myself but to so many other people, was so inspiring. I gained a deeper appreciation for writing and what it can do for someone. And for this, I’ll always remember my time at Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Thank you to Kim for guiding me, to Mike and Andrea for creating the organization, Roxanne for being so enthusiastic all the time, to Genna for always having something to put me to work on. And to everyone I didn’t specifically name, thank you for being so welcoming and warm. (311 Words)