"Can I pick your brain on my show sometime?" This phrase has become just about as natural to me as "hello" and "goodbye."
Several years ago, I had a vision of creating a circus show called "Ingrid" that would chronicle my grandmother's story of coming to the U.S. alone at age 12 after World War II. As I started fleshing out the concepts, I realized the project would become some of my most challenging work to date, both on a personal and technical level. I was merging multiple disciplines in an unusual way and exploring a subject that's not typically covered in circus. On top of that, I was diving deeply into some painful family history and condensing my grandmother's entire life into a 10-act show. You know, just a little pandemic project.Â
As I tossed ideas around in my brain, I wasn't even sure how to get started. In the past, my go-to strategy for embarking on something new was finding a mentor who had personally achieved success in my area of interest. But, in the case of "Ingrid," I knew there wasn't going to be a single person who could guide me through all the ins and outs of this work.Â
I realized I didn't need a guide; I needed an entire board of directors.Â
I started by breaking down the needs of the show (including my own as the leader), so I could develop the right team of advisors. I then identified experts in playwriting, projector art, ancestral work, furniture making, trauma, and more. I reached out to old friends and new resources, and I asked if I could borrow their brains over the course of the project. By the grace of this stellar "board," the project is now up and running with show dates set later this year.
My idea of getting career support has changed significantly over the years, particularly as I've found myself wanting to forge my own path. I no longer picture myself as a "young _____" [fill-in-a-mentor] and instead recognize I have the ability to make unique contributions to my fields. For me, this has meant shifting from the traditional mentor/mentee model to adopting a "board of directors" approach- pulling in specific and diverse perspectives as I chart out my various next steps.
While professional growth may feel deeply personal, in truth it often takes a team. As the Beatles [absolutely never] said, "I get by with a little help from my board of directors."
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