Its a Process...

Hi everyone! I apologize in the lateness of my last post! We have been in the trenches of budget creating for the next fiscal year and I created my own budget! Woohoo!! I am seeing and learning more about the financial side of the museum than ever before! It’s exciting and nerve racking at the same time.

As my internship came to a close last week I presented to a group of students participating in a summer camp called Education in Action. The one week camp focuses on providing experiences to help develop leadership skills, apply what they learn in school, and to learn about potential careers. They make a stop at the Amon Carter each week. I was one of the last presenters for the summer.  The gallery teachers choose staff to present on what they do at the museum; how we got there, and offer any advice you may have when it comes to choosing a career. I was a nervous wreck! However, the students were great and had some interesting questions for me! As I look back on it, the experience was a great exercise in realizing how far I have come and where I hope to be one day. I went from not having a clue on what I wanted to do with my life when I graduated high school to a position I love in a museum I love and adore with lots more to come in finishing school and growing as a museum educator. This internship has also helped me in putting some goals into perspective, making me sit down and really think about where I am and what I want to accomplish instead of just going through the day to day of the job.

Many of the leaps and bounds I have made during these last four years at the Amon Carter have been through persistent hard work, being flexible to people’s needs, and willingness to help wherever I am needed so I may continue to learn as much as I can in a variety of areas and not just museum education since it takes a village (multiple departments!) to make the museum successful! The more knowledge I have about the inner workings of museums, especially in all areas and levels of museum education the better I can contribute as a valuable asset to the department and the museum. This summer, I believe, I made progress in developing my new position beyond administrative duties, building relationships, and developing my skills as a museum educator (I’ll be the educator conducting the art activity for our upcoming Family Loyalty program!), but at the same time realizing this process also takes time and patience. It can be a slow, but rewarding process! Another theme I have seen in our internships this summer: accomplishing small and/or great things even if it’s through baby steps to an overall greater goal. I think this is a theme for my whole life…and knowing I have navigated and accomplished what I have is something to be proud of. The museum field is not easy. It can be exclusive, difficult to break into, frustrating, and hard to stick with because nothing is ever easy in non-profits. We should all be very proud in continuing to stick with what we love, are passionate about, and feel is very important to the world: art, art education, and museums!

Although, the official ending date of my internship has occurred my position and goals will continue on. Hopefully I can gain more ground as the year comes to an end and the new year surprises us with how fast it appears!