Find Your Own Work-Life Balance
I’ve got a story and an invitation for you.
Here’s the story…
If you haven’t heard me wax rhapsodic about how helpful the book Life is In the Transitions was to me in 2020, then you’ll have to just trust me when I say I was excited to hear that Bruce Feiler’s got a new book coming out in May. This one is The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World, and that subtitle hooked me right in.
What does a post-career world look like? Not one where we all stop working entirely, no, but one where we work on breaking up with and getting over the idea that our work lives are going to follow expected trajectories. A world that so many of us (myself very much included) are moving forward in here in 2023.
When I quit my last full-time museum job, I went through a period of reflection about what I wanted work to look like next. I felt pretty burned by the entire museum field, as well as my specific job situation, and I thought it might be time to move on to an entirely different professional sphere.
That process is a story for another post, but I can summarize by saying that as I shifted into the independent consultant life, I got to do a lot of thinking about my skills and values and the kind of work that feels exciting and meaningful to me. And while I still love museums—my problematic faves—and, even more, the people who work to make them better, I’ve also realized that part of what I’ve really appreciated digging into for the past three years has been that very self-examination about how work plays its part in my life.
So yes, I do still work with the people who want to bring change to museums. I also continue to develop a suite of offerings that I offer independently, for all sorts of folks to participate in the kind of thoughtful, experimental, playful experiences I like to create, regardless of whether they’re working in an institution or not.
I’ve built a pirate’s treasure chest full of educator/facilitator tools and techniques over the years, and now I have the chance to use whichever ones I want to achieve my own goals, rather than letting dust gather on the ones that a given job description didn’t call for.
All of this should hopefully give you a sense that I love creative facilitation (and I’m pretty damn good at it, too!), and one thing I’ve found myself yearning to add to my suite of offerings is in-person retreats.
So I’m giving it a go.
And here’s the invitation…
Reorientation Retreat: Work/Life
Reorient how your work meets your life…
April 29, 2023
10am-4pm
Brooklyn, NY (near the Navy Yard)
Are you with me in feeling burned out and questioning how work fits into your life?
Are you frustrated at feeling defined by your job title?
Do you want your relationship to work to feel different than it does right now, but you’re not sure how to make a change?
This retreat is your dedicated time to thoughtfully, playfully, bravely explore the role you want work to play in your life.
We’ll spend the day in company, working through creative, fun, and thought-provoking exercises that are designed to help you figure out your personal vision for that oh-so-nebulous concept, “work-life balance”.
Come if you are
✔ new to your role
✔ applying for positions
✔ thinking of changing fields
✔ seeking time for your own professional reflection
About the day:
🤸🏼 creative workshops
📸 individual headshots
✍🏿 solo writing time
🥙 lunch, caffeine & snacks
🤸🏼 creative workshops 📸 individual headshots ✍🏿 solo writing time 🥙 lunch, caffeine & snacks
Our base will be an airy artist studio in Brooklyn that’s full of light, space, and interesting objects, props, and settings. There will be conversation in large and small groups, along with independent time.
The excellent Kyle Marian (who took the photo of me on the retreat’s website and who is excellent at photo directing and making people feel comfortable) will be offering everyone the chance to have an individual photoshoot that’ll show you off how you want to be shown.
Introverts and folks who like to stay quiet are more than welcome. Participation won’t be forced. The goal of this day is for you to do some self-reflection and leave with a new sense of clarity about the relationship you want to have with work.
The other goal is to have a good time.
I lead experiences that are unexpected and creative. That involves multiple learning styles, a combination of disciplines, and hopefully something that sends everyone home with a sense of surprise.'
Throughout the day, you’ll be invited to respond via talk, writing, drawing, and movement. And in keeping with the spirit of invitation, each of those modes will be entirely opt-in. There’s no test at the end. No one’s checking your work.
Most importantly,
You determine the kind of retreat you have.
The tools for reflection, creativity, and expression that make up this day are open to people working in any field.
No prior creative experience is needed, and no one will be pressured to do anything they’re not comfortable doing.
Ask yourself if you’re feeling burned out, full of uncertainty, or caught up in the whirlwind of the last few years and needing time to stop and think.
Yes?
This day is for you.
Creative Prompt Coda: What does your ideal work life look like? Set a timer for 5 minutes and free-write your thoughts. Try to keep writing the whole time.
