So the reason I have been failing epically at the posting schedule I set for myself a few weeks ago is because in addition to my full-time job, I accepted an internship with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival! I'm so excited to be back working for the arts, especially in a festival setting. Some of my readers may know that I interned for the Eau Claire Jazz Festival in college and had a blast.
I'm tired and a little stressed, but I'm mostly excited. I'm happy to be tired and stressed working for the arts! I am interning with the Volunteer Coordinators. We essentially wrangle the volunteer greeters who greet festival-goers and ask for a $3/person donation to keep the festivities free. It's a great price for 2-3 bands (per day!) and an outdoor movie. (To read more about the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, check out www.a2sf.org)
Gaining this experience with the A2SF right before I move (literally, I'm actually staying at a friend's place for the final week of the Festival while Corey and our parents move us back to WI) is just the professional pick-me-up I needed. I've been struggling for two years to find a career in the arts in the Ann Arbor/Detroit area to no avail. As a watched my arts admin experience pushed further and further down my resume, I worried about my future prospects. So when I saw that the A2SF was accepting applications for interns, I sent off my materials with hopes of refreshing my resume while working at the best summertime hang-out spot in Ann Arbor.
There have been times during the last two weeks that I've thought, "Am I crazy? What was I thinking taking on this internship when I work full-time?" But like I said, I'm happy to work hard for the thing that I love, that being the arts AND supporting my family.
I'm looking forward to a great time in the next three weeks. Volunteer training is tonight and the Festival opens on Friday. I'm going to be gaining a lot of great experience, building my resume for the future, and helping to give the town that has been my home for the last two years the best Summer Festival yet.
(Follow my Ann Arbor Summer Festival experience on Twitter @ReadheadRecords and Instagram @RedheadRecords!)
