#Upandcoming #Quarterlifer

#Storytelling

Posted on August 16, 2013 in Art & Culture, Millennial Musings

Since I began my work at the Minnesota Humanities Center, I’ve been learning about the importance of story. Not only is story a powerful and engaging mechanism for teaching history and culture, what stories are/are not  told, who tells them, and when, provides a lens through which we can look critically at our society. The very nature of stories allows us to address current societal narratives so that we can go about creating a more inclusive and relevant societal narrative for everyone.

It seems like storytelling has been showing up wherever I go. I recently came across a tweet from the Bush Foundation:

Stories should be abt real people who need something, hopefully something that your org provides. Storytelling tips: http://t.co/sRA1HLe0kN

— Bush Foundation (@BushFoundation)

August 11, 2013

Just a day earlier, Blois Olson tweeted an article with a similar sentiment.

Great read. How Nate Silver Won the Internet (and You Can Too) http://t.co/i2jjuOEViP

— Blois Olson (@bloisolson)

August 10, 2013

Several weeks ago, this article was circulating around my social networks, urging the Twin Cities to work toward a more holistic narrative of itself: one that goes beyond Mary Tyler Moore, Snow, and the Mall of America.

The common thread between these articles is simple: the stories that we tell about ourselves matter. 

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#FirstInterview and #FirstDayofWork Survival Kits

Posted on August 2, 2013 in Advice, Millennial Musings

So if you’re just tuning in, a little bit about me!

When I graduated from college in 2009, I was lucky enough to find a challenging and eye-opening position teaching at a children’s theater camp. Shortly after that, I was lucky enough to find a job related to major— a total accomplishment for someone majoring in the arts/humanities (though apparently not anymore).

After budget cuts eliminated my position with the school I began the long and arduous process of job searching, finding, temping, and searching again. As I referenced in my last post, I did all sorts of odd jobs and had more interviews than I’d like to admit before I was finally fortunate enough to find a non-profit programming position.

As you can imagine, I had a lot of #firsts: first interviews, first phone calls, first days on the job—so I learned a lot about how to be able to be ready at the drop of a hat for any of ‘em. Here are just a couple of survival kits and quick tips that I’ve found are absolute MUSTS for these #firsts.

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