Oh, Here it Goes Again

Several years ago a band called OK Go released an amazing music video for their song "Here it Goes Again." Those of you who've seen will doubtlessly remember their amazing treadmill choreography. Those of you who haven't seen it, you owe it to yourselves to check out this video:



Why am I talking about a video that came out almost five years ago? Simple: because the title of the song is perfect for the blog post in which I announce that I am polishing my resume, dusting off my cover letter writing skills, and generally gearing up for job search 2.0. So here it goes again. My last day at Theatre Action Project (TAP) is still a couple of months away, but this morning I took myself to a neighborhood coffee shop to test the online job-posting waters and they are not terribly hospitable-- lots of ads for executive directors and interns, and not much in between. Yikes.

However, I feel good about the decision I've made. I had the option for signing on for another year at TAP and, as much fun as it would have been to stay, it's not the right place for me at this moment. I have accomplished a lot at and learned even more, but it turns out that fine arts education just isn't a driving passion of mine-- though I'll also be the first person to say that I think arts education is incredibly important and that TAP does amazing things using it as a tool for social change.

I have no idea what the future holds, but I'm excited for it. I just hope I manage to move forward with as much flare as these OK Go guys... although it suddenly occurs to me that they don't actually move forward that much, being on treadmills and all. Hmmm. Well, I'll keep you posted on both forward and backward progress, because I suppose a bit of both is inevitable. Here I go again.

P.S. As long as I'm talking about OK Go, I feel compelled to point you, dear reader, to this link. It will take you to a music video of the only other song of theirs I know, and it will blow your mind. Seriously. Rube Goldberg would be proud and maybe even intimidated.

Adventures I've had while waiting for full-time employment

(Sadly, I have not received free coffee, donuts, or soup.)

Adventures in the Mission:

• Gone on a mural tour.
• Eaten the best and most creatively flavored ice cream of my life.
• Participated in the spontaneous block party, complete with dancing in the street, popping champagne, and embracing complete strangers, that erupted when Obama won the election. (Also very cool: On November 5, approximately 70% of the student body at Mission High School appeared to be wearing some sort of Obama t-shirt or pin or carrying a newspaper with his image on it.)
• Survived the bajillions of illegal fireworks set off on the 4th of July (and, since it was the Mission, also the 3rd of July and the 5th of July).
• Watched the Carnaval parade, which happened to take place on my 23rd birthday.
• Gone to a climbing gym with my roommate, who makes bouldering look easy. (It's not.)
• Discovered the free farm stand and not one, not two, but THREE secret gardens. (No links because they're secret.)

Adventures on Public Transportation:

• Been applauded by the entire bus upon finally catching it after a three-block chase (the 49).
• Received free transfers (for the 48 and the 14).
• Witnessed two fights (BART) and one arrest (also BART)
• Finished up my cross-town move in the middle of the Folsom Street Fair (the California Street cable car and the 49 bus). Traumatizing.
• Overheard a 30-something couple break up on the seats directly in front of me (the 48 bus).
• Transported the following home-cooked food via various modes of public transportation: chocolate chip cookies, a strawberry-peach pie, queso, pasta with cherry tomatoes and proscuitto, chocolate cupcakes with Bailey's frosting, and olive oil salt bread. Carrying food on the bus is a good way to make friends, especially if you're taking the 48.

Adventures with Famous People and Fancy Stuff:

• Been an extra in a friend's Scary Cow-funded film. Once she becomes a big-deal director, which she will, look for me in the party scene of the yet-unnamed project. I'm the one who directs the drunk girl to the kitchen.
• Sampled so much fancy chocolate I can't believe I don't weigh at least 400 pounds. Highlights include a bacon chocolate bar (don't knock it 'til you've tried it), camel's-milk chocolate, sheep's-milk chocolate, goat's-milk chocolate, pistachio-chile bark, sea salt caramel chocolates, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, blue cheese truffles (again, surprisingly tasty), rosemary chocolate, and many, many more. All this thanks to the incredible generosity of Cady and Jack at Chocolate Covered, San Francisco's finest chocolate store.
• Seen and/ or met Michael Chabon, Alice Waters, Dave Eggers, Amy Tan, Sam Mendes, Maya Rudolph, John Krasinski, Neko Case, Michael Pollan, Harold McGee, and Gus Van Sant (all thanks to 826).
• Made friends with people even cooler than those listed above.

Adventures Related to Jobs:

• Learned to write fantastic, if (so far) ultimately ineffective, cover letters.
• Tutored some amazing kids.
• Become a pro at fixing copy machines and alphabetizing files.
• Started this blog!

Reason #4: I am stubborn.

That might not sound like much of a selling point, but let me elaborate. I'm not stubborn all the time. I work well as a member of a team, I like collaborative projects, and I rarely mind compromising on where to eat dinner or whatever. When it comes to things I really care about, however, I can be just as stubborn as that mule in the picture. 

For instance, back in college, I almost always had a passable paper written at least 24 hours before the deadline, and yet I routinely found myself sprinting across campus to hand that paper in on time. This was due not to procrastination, but to a bullheaded refusal to hand in anything but my very best work. I recall one paper in particular that I trashed a day and a half before it was due because I realized a slightly different reading of a key passage could lead to a significantly more interesting thesis. Thirty-six hours later, I was cursing that decision as I ran through snow in sandals to get the paper handed in on time (I'd been so focused on the paper I'd failed to notice the first snowstorm of the year had blown in), but it was worth it. My professor liked the paper and, more importantly, I was really proud of what I'd written. 

This whole job search process is another prime example of my particular brand of stubbornness. I'm quite sure I could have found a full-time job as a receptionist for a company or corporation I didn't care about, but that's just not good enough. That's not why I went to college. That's not why I've spent so much time and energy trying to figure out what I want to do. I don't mean to imply that I think certain jobs are somehow beneath me (they're not), but, as mentioned in an earlier post, I feel strongly that, given the amount of time, money, and energy invested in my education, I have a strong moral obligation to find a job that will benefit people besides me. And, mule-like, I've refused to budge on this issue.

Now, as I see it, digging my heels in about finding a job that helps people is different from refusing to adapt to a situation that's been radically different than I expected, and I think I have adapted. I moved to San Francisco assuming I'd find work with an educational nonprofit, but I quickly realized I needed to broaden my search, to compromise a bit. I think that's actually a good thing. If I'd gotten a job at an educational organization, there's a good chance I would never have looked back. I've applied for educational, environmental, urban planning, social justice, and even a couple of public health jobs, and would be genuinely excited to take on any of them. I'm also getting less stubborn about staying in San Francisco, so, friends, if any of you are reading this and wish I would come join you in New York, D.C., London, Bozeman, San Antonio, or wherever you may be (or, alternately, if you want to get me as far away from you as possible and send me to Timbuktu or Perth or wherever), go ahead and start sending me job postings. I would even consider moving someplace with winter again. 

But I am still determined to do good work, and I don't think I'm ever going to change my mind about that. 

A bit of background

I was born and raised in Austin, Texas with two siblings and an ever-evolving array of pets. From grades 1 to 12, I attended Saint Andrew's Episcopal School, where I learned to appreciate the humanities, community service, and Friday night football. By the end of high school, I was ready for a major change and chose to attend Williams College in western Massachusetts. I took all sorts of great classes in history, Spanish, art history, and studio art, but ended up majoring in English. (I was also one class away from a dual degree in English and art.) 

I've never been afraid to venture out on thin ice.

I loved almost every minute of college and, for a time, assumed I would become an English professor. Then some point during my senior year, my bleeding-heart liberal tendencies kicked in and I realized that I need to have a career that speaks to my keen interests in academia, art, and writing while allowing me to have a tangible and positive impact on the lives of people around me. 

Teaching at a public school seemed the most logical way to go, but I didn't want to spend more time in school getting certified to teach. I'd been a student my entire life and was ready for something else. Eventually, I decided I wanted to work at an educational nonprofit. 

I have, in fact, graduated from college.

After graduating, I accepted an internship at 826 Valencia, an absolutely amazing nonprofit in San Francisco's Mission District. I cannot say enough wonderful things about 826 or the internship: I worked directly with kids and on the more administrative end of things, and I knew within two weeks that this was absolutely and without a doubt the kind of work I want to be doing. 

Because the internship was unpaid, I took a temp job at an investment management firm to support myself, figuring I'd be able to find something a bit more permanent and meaningful within a month or two. Then the economy tanked, and, well, here I am. 

Things are looking up... and so am I, dang it!

I've grown a lot this year, both as an employee and as a person, but even so, it's been tough to keep my chin up and not despair. I know there's a recession, I know California's broke, I know social services are getting cut (oh, don't I know it!), but I also know I'm smart, motivated, organized, and creative, and that virtually anyone I've worked with or for will tell you the same thing.

Employers, start your engines. 

P.S. Thanks to my dad for helping me get this post posted.