FSAF is best known for their two-week event (this year running July 16-30) each summer where they host classes, workshops, concerts and lessons that connect Interior Alaskans with world-renowned artists, musicians, chefs, healers and performers. FSAF also sponsors dozens of rural outreaches throughout the year that introduce and encourage the arts in smaller communities around the state.
There are a number of great aspects to this new job, such as:
- I don't have to scour craigslist, fairbankshelpwanted.com, the classifieds and all the other job sites that have served as my web-based home for the past two months. The internet can now be put to its proper usage: watching cake decorating videos with my 4 year old and finding out how much money Spider Man: Homecoming has made.
- This is a job that invests into our community. This is an event that has been going for nearly 40 years. There are multiple generations of Interior Alaskans who have discovered a hidden artistic gifting through this organization and attend year after year.
- Continuing the pattern of my past 3 jobs, the offices and main performance venues are even closer to my house than my last job...confirming that my eventual professional destiny will be working at College Floral.
- The job utilizes all my non-profit management skills that I have developed over the past 5 years: grant writing, fundraising, budgeting, public speaking, administration and organization, volunteer management...Most of my job description feels very familiar and comfortable and...
- The job pushes me to grow in some substantial areas. I will learn a lot about the artistic community. Instead of managing 1,500 people over the course of a year I will be managing 1,500 people over the course of 2 weeks. I've worked in the High-Risk Youth area of Non-Profits and the IDD area of Non-Profits. Now I get to add the Artistic Community and Performance realm. I'm looking forward to growing.
- Facilities Management is not part of this job. I can't quite explain how giddy I am at not having to be the one to shovel the roof and unclog the toilets.
- This is a 3/4 time position for most of the year. Which mean that I will have a substantial part of my average work week to focus on writing and publishing...I am already itching to put together a spreadsheet to document what I will be working on when.
A heart-felt thanks to everyone who has been supportive and encouraging during this challenging summer. Having no job and having our car die has been stressful at times. A number of you have given encouraging words or rides or gifts of food during these past several weeks and we are deeply grateful.
I am off to learn more about the 8,745 details that I still do not know about the Festival. If you are in Fairbanks for the next couple of weeks, check out www.fsaf.org for a listing of classes and concerts. If any of the look interesting, there is still room to participate. Likely you will catch a glimpse of me stopping by to see what I have gotten myself into.
Blessings,
James
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