Internship Blog

 

Blog #5                                                                                                                   10/21/2015

 

This week has taken a turn in my internship program. I have lost the ability to be pulled in so many directions, and unfortunately had to take an early leave from the internship hours I receive working in the office. This transition, charged by an upheaval in my home life, and new load of responsibilities has been cushioned by the great relationships I have built with my co-workers.

Spending time training, and gaining experience working in the creative industry sounded a bit cut throat, and intimidating, although the experience I had as an intern with Think 360 is anything but. My co-workers are ambitious, driven, and determined to fulfill their professional responsibilities at the highest level as individuals and for their organization. This ambition and drive is not something that limits their ability to build relationships, or enjoy the people they work with, rather it allows them the opportunity to model the way, with hearts of gold. This balanced environment of high expectations, and helpful hands allowed me to understand the less cut throat side of the creative industry, and experience the caring, people oriented side.

I am an employee or intern who knows I have to be indispensable to be an asset in the organization. This high bar I have set for myself requires full attention, focus, and detail to the position. Moving into my life after high school, I have realized that I shouldn’t lower this bar but I should use it to my advantage. The process of ending my internship early has been a learning experience for me to recognize that quantity means less than quality, and the fear of disappointing others is not the key factor in decision making. Think 360 has given me the experience of a lifetime, and have left their arms open for me to join them in the future. I have reached an unbalanced point in my home, school, and professional lives. My friends, mentors, and co-workers value my pursuit of addressing this challenge more than they value me being an all star intern. This personal connection, relationship building, and failure driven learning is the experience I will take away from my time in the creative industries, and that makes it all worthy.  

 

 

Blog #4                                                                                                                   10/11/2015

 

At my workplace I am responsible for the work that supports my team to focus on projects of their own, without having to multi task in doing the necessary yet tedious tasks that would otherwise interfere with dedicated work time. An an example of this that stems from my work days this week are mail merging labels, and helping to prep over 150 letters to principals in schools we have not yet worked in. This task is something crucial to the outreach of think 360, while also being repetitive and time consuming. In completing this task I was able to learn new tips and tricks to maximize my knowledge and usage of Microsoft Word. Along with building this new skill set I was able to partner with my co-worker to lessen her work-load. My contribution to this task made a massive project for one person, into a more condensed project easily managed by two.

In the nature of being an intern, my contribution to the workplace varies. This variance is a result of factors including, the limited time I spend in the office, the capacity I have to commit time outside of the regular work week, and overall level of expertise in the industry. With all of these factors in mind I do my best to make the time I do spend at the office, and working with Think 360 as productive as possible. In the tasks I take on daily, and in the role I serve at special events it’s important for me to perform at my highest level in order to fulfill my duties and contribute as much as possible when I am there. 
Whether I am making folders for the Saturday workshop , helping pick up lunch for teachers, unloading artist supplies, or partaking in a learning activity, I am contributing through putting 110% of my energy into the task at hand. By engaging fully I am making my positions another piece of the puzzle that makes Think 360 the community organization it excels at being.

 

 

Blog #3                                                                                                                   10/4/2015

 

This week I have developed a greater understanding of collaboration in the workplace as a necessary, and meaningful tool. In a small organization, with great responsibility of the surrounding community, it is important that each person values their contribution to furthering the vision, and this is something that I’ve experienced first hand as an intern at Think 360. An instance of this is the opportunity I had to record the CAP grant applications and prepare them to be read to the grant judges. The literal act of this task was not glamorous nor creative oppositely it was very tedious and time-consuming, although the outcome of this task and my link in the chain was extremely important to the future arts programming that happens in schools all around Colorado. This realization is something that occurred to me after a mix up in communication on my end, which was important to the workload, accountability, and role of my co-workers. 

Through working on CAP Grants I was able to see the direct correlation between my individual  schedule, my communication, and the impact they have on  the success and productivity of my workplace as a whole. In this instance it was clear to see that in order to contribute positively it’s important to be fully committed to the task at hand (whether big or small) and performing at your best in order to show your employer, team, and yourself that you are truly invested in the organization.

As an intern at Think 360 I’m grateful for the opportunity to fail and succeed in a workplace that’s supportive and understanding, while still holding high expectations of me. As I work with and observe the office I am learning that as a team all of our actions affect the success of the organization as a whole. I’m also learning, that in order to propel the mission of a cause, and achieve cohesion, the effort to collaborate, share expertise, and

learn from your team is the first step.

 

 

Blog #2                                                                                                                   9/27/2015

 

The best thing that happened last week at my internship was being able to attend and represent Think 360 at the DMNS for Educator’s Night. This event was focused on empowering teachers and people who work in education to utilize community resources in improving the learning for the students they interact with. Going into this experience I didn’t have a lot of idea of what it was going to be or what my position would look like, which is often my preferred way of entering into new experiences. Once again, a vague idea and open mind lead me to enjoy a new opportunity and take it on with passion.

As a representative for Think 360 I arrived early and felt relaxed and prepared to take on the night. Once my internship sponsor arrived we began setting up, and I started to realize the significance of the event, and the honor I had of sharing Think 360 with over 4000 educators. Before it was time to go, we had some down time and we took advantage of looking at the different exhibits. I found myself walking around the museum and truly bonding with Michelle, it hit me that I was one of them now, and I am welcomed to do these events because the team is really beginning to trust and value me as an intern, and more importantly as a person.    
We explored the space, and spent time mingling before the event began, until finally it was time to be on the floor ready to talk to the floods of educators wandering around, waiting be wowed by the list of incredible organizations, eager to share their resources. This part of the night lasted for 4 hours, and the longer we stood, the more motivation I had to find within myself to stay professional, stay presentable, and continue to exceed my expectations as an intern to show the love, and respect I have for Think 360. This experience at my internship made me feel on my toes (literally), and prepared me for the line up of speaking, interacting, and representative duties I have a ahead of me this Fall at Think 360.  

 

 

Blog #1                                                                                                                   9/21/15

 

My first week at internship I learned, that you don't become a part of an organization because the first lady says you're an intern. You become a part of an organization through showing your dedication through action, and an eagerness to jump in!
I was surprised by the feeling of being an intern and being in a new environment where my capabilities weren't a given and the team are really expecting me to prove myself. I like this environment because it reminds me that I should always be improving my practice as a creative professional, and should never settle for reaching low standards. At the Integrating expressive arts seminar in Loveland I met Dr.Bruce Urmacher and Dr. Don Phelps. Dr. Urmacher is Professor of Education and Research Methods at the University of Denver, and he did a presentation on five approaches on why we may include arts in education.   Dr.Don Phelps is a professor of social work at Aurora University and he presented on integrating expressive arts as therapy in dealing with trauma.  In these presentations I was not quite sure what to expect although after talking with my sponsor and becoming acquainted with the program and speakers I was eager to listen to these talks, take note and turn this new-found knowledge into action.  As the talks began, I was immersed in the content and thoughtful dedication, so present in these men and the powerful knowledge they were sharing. Before this seminar, I had an idea that I knew why arts integration works and is important for schools, yet now I am empowered with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the noble cause of Think 360  Arts.

The tool of code witching has been one that is quite useful now that I know exactly what I'm doing and why I am doing it. On Saturday's event I fully code switched like the best of them. I was the youngest person in the room, and I could feel it, although I did use that to my advantage and took my youthful energy with a wise professionalism to network and represent our organization. Code switching was a big theme for me at tonight's Educator's Night at the DMNS, I was given this opportunity to help represent Think 360 to over 4000 people, and again I found myself tapping into my young and energetic self, and confident professional to live up to the standards set for me, and exceed them.