Making the Journey while Walking it

Some call it ‘luck’ others call it ‘being in the right place at the right time’. I call it being true to who you are even when it isn’t the easiest path.

When I started my career I knew that I had a real interest in designing things. Who knew that would lead me to be one the first woman aerospace apprentices. Who knew how much fun it could be to set up and calibrate a wind tunnel to see if the thrust reverser doors that you helped design could with stand the thrust and addition forces necessary to aid in stopping an air bus. Who knew that would put me right in the middle of a major shift for women entering technical careers.

I didn’t set out to be a trail blazer. It never crossed my mind that I would be the only woman in 95% of my classes or that there would be no bathrooms anywhere near where I worked as they had never had women in those areas before.  Or I would have to endure the unsolicited comments about where I belonged or that there were no career paths to anywhere in engineering for women. Or the comment that ultimately began to just grate on my soul… “You don’t look like and engineer”.

I say all this for two reasons. I was touched by the comment that there are currently no career paths to leadership in the not-for-profit (museum) world for those  of color. When I observed the student who identified with that potential struggle I saw a passionate, capable individual who would be another accidental trail blazer because she is pursuing who she is and what she is passionate about.  It may not be the easiest path but it will be well worth the effort, risks and work. And it is definitely achievable.  

I read, listen, pay attention to everything I come in contact with that talks about art as an influence and  instrument of social and cultural change. I absolutely believe art is both. Art speaks to us on a different level. 

I watch artists, especially those who tell stories; be they positive or negative, comfortable and beautiful or repulsive and hard to look at. Artists that are visionary and give us the opportunity to see what we miss or what we aspire to be. 

Class #2 exercise of looking at history, what change has caused us to be where we are and then thinking about the future. 

The team I was on presented a picture of an artist in 75 years. The exercise brought out a recognition of one of my core values. Things are going to change. That we (all of us) are all instruments for change. We make the change. 

What and how we think is so very important!!!  

How are you going to affect change, in yourself, around you, in the world? I believe humanity was created good, we struggle with evil, as an outside force, but ultimately we make choices, lots of choices. We create the future or by choice, choose to allow it to happen. 

I like this song by Julian Lennon produced in 2011. While it wasn’t a chart popper it has something to say. Even the iconic tree, tree of life, found in some form or another in all cultures reinforces that there are universal truths. 

We are the creators of the future 

In our first class we did some brainstorming to bring out how we defined success, what was important, and the vision for the  future. 

In this process we were refining and bringing our visions to light. That even though I had done a similar intense look at my core values and vision for the future in the beginning, this exercise indeed reinforced that this is a process. That in the process I was being refined and changing, that I was  being given the opportunity to dig deeper and look at possibilities and to think about them in new ways,different ways. 

Brainstorming, looking at possibilities, looking deep inside to see what I had to contribute, what my core values are, what I would need and planning, planning, planning. Then building a group of folks who offer encouragement, insights and wisdom on the journey; and a prayer team. By this time in life all of those on team understand that I am not really unbalanced; much, at least, just driven. 

The journey so far has been very enlightening and insightful. In hindsight much of the process/journey looks much straighter than has it felt while walking it.