Top 5: Women Celebs

Well hello there lovely readers!

I might have tricked you a lil' bit with that headline ;)

This post is not, as the title may suggest, a list of women like Jennifer Lawrence, or 'Katniss,' or anyone else that's 'cool' at the moment. It's also not a post like my regular ones, which focus on things I've been doing or thinking. Nope, today I've compiled a list of five women in the public eye who have had some impact on me in the course of my time here on Earth. Each of these lady folk have achieved a great deal in their own lives, and have also motivated or inspired me to aim for similar heights of Greatness. Some of them may be surprising, some may even be controversial(!), but in my opinion all are worthy of their place in the list, and all will definitely have a very detailed footnote in the book of My Life.

So, without further flibberty-gibbeting from me, here they are, in no particular order.

1. Angela Gossow

Picture from here

 When I was 13 years old, I was flicking through the then-great pages of Kerrang! magazine, when I came across an interview with some band called Arch Enemy. I noticed them at first because there was a woman in the band, and I remembered the article for some time to come because the description of Angela's singing included words I had never heard associated with someone's voice before. I can't remember the exact expressions Kerrang! used, but they were probably something like 'inhuman,' 'brutal,' and 'insane.' I wondered what the hell that sounded like, and when I finally heard "We Will Rise" on Scuzz TV a few months later, I was not disappointed. Woman has lungs.

Pretty much from that point on I was fascinated with metal music. While my friends described Angela's vocals as the sound of someone 'being sick backwards' (Sophia!), I was listening to as much death metal as I could get my ears on. Intelligent, powerful music made by and for weirdos, it was the most exciting thing to happen to me in living memory. Even better, Angela Gossow's individualistic, anti-authority, pro-animal-and-human rights, refusal to look like one of the pretty girls attittude, struck a chord. While I will be the first to admit that Angela's extreme lifestyle is realistic only for the most hardcore of personality types, she was such a breath of fresh air to my teenage self that although I thought she was stark raving mad, I still very much looked up to her. I had posters, including one of the photo above, I had her all over my jotters and folders from school, and in my head, Angela, along with a few women-in-metal friends, (Cristina Scabbia, Sharon Den Adel, Otep) provided me with a frame of reference for events in my life. Would Angela Gossow be too scared to wear these ridiculously awesome PVC platform boots? No. So I wore them. Angela Gossow would not be afraid to question my teacher's authority, so neither will I. In the spirit of complete honesty, I took very little persuasion to do my own thing or speak up about things anyway, but knowing that there was a fully grown woman, who had had what was in my eyes major success (anyone who had been in Terrorizer magazine was the epitome of success), who would probably have agreed with what I was doing, was motivating.

Looking back, many of the things I did perhaps wouldn't have met with Ms Gossow's approval - not least my conversion back from vegetarianism! But then, Angela Gossow wouldn't care what others think, and neither do I. Angela Gossow does not believe in idols (No Gods, No Masters), and so the fact I did/do not live entirely by her example and do not agree with everything she says, really serves to highlight the effectiveness of the message she spread during my teen years: be strong, question everything, go your own way.

That is as powerful a message now as it ever was in the noughties. Having the confidence to make your own decisions, trust your own instincts, and forge your own path can be an exhausting, stressful and lonely journey. Not everyone will get it, and it's inevitable that your fiery wilfulness will burn others, however unintentionally. But it's the right thing to do, and in the end you'll do more good than harm by a long shot, if that's your aim. We all need a little motivation from time to time, and for me, the war cries of terrifying German women usually do it.

"Fearless on my final quest
Find truth beyond the flesh
Fleeting past my dreams of unfulfilled desire
My strength unwavering
My journey just beginning
A desperate race through the corridors of hell."

If you're interested, you can read Angela's story in her own words here.

2. Shirley Manson

All hail the red heads!!

Not only is Ms Manson a fellow copper top, but she's also my kinsman. Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, for the last two decades Manson has been fronting alternative rock band Garbage, and doing some rather prestigious acting roles alongside. Another outspoken, rebellious rockstar-type (sense a pattern?), Shirley is a current celeb favourite of mine, with her Facebook posts being among the best-loved in my news feed. From weighing in on the whole Miley Cyrus/Sinead O' Connor debate, to posting pictures of her dog, Manson's posts are representative of her many-sided personality, which has shined through in her lyrics, her style, her choices and more recently her social media interactions, throughout the length of her career. While some lady celebs are understandably cautious about the way they are portrayed in the media, and go to great measures to avoid being exposed to the world on the pages of gossip magazines, with red circles around their supposed imperfections, slogans suggesting their lives are falling apart, and other demeaning, demoralizing, bullying celeb-mag tactics, Shirley has had a refreshingly varied portfolio for almost 20 years. She can do sexy, but she can also do moody, controversial, emotional, and taking over the world - James Bond style. She's also got opinions, which she'll share with you if you care to read her Facebook, and she also once 'flashed' Washington crowd members on stage during "Sex Is Not The Enemy," prompting a scuffle onstage as security attempted to cover her up, thus proving her point, really. It turns out she was wearing a flesh coloured bra under her t-shirt anyway, not that nipples are even that big a deal. She's been railing against the mainstream since the early 90s, and although I was a fan, it was only with Garbage's 4th studio release, 2005's Bleed Like Me, that Shirley really entered my radar, and only since 2012's Not Your Kind Of People, that I've discovered her Facebook and become a serious fan. Shirley's posts remind me to stick up for what I believe in, and find my own ways of doing things, but also not to take life so seriously, not to be afraid to show other sides of myself, and to enjoy the moment. She also makes me want to be a rockstar, on account of I can actually sing her songs, but that's nae the point!

3. Amber Erlandsson

 I promise not all my favourite women are rockstars ;)

Amber Erlandsson, stage-name Morrigan Hel, is a "Fiery British Domina, performer and practitioner of the dark arts ; )," who also "run(s) London's Murder Mile Studios and make(s) a horrendous racket in Nemhain." (Facebook)

See, only part rockstar! ;)

So why is she inspirational? Well, firstly, look at those shoes. Anyone who can wear shoes like that without looking like they never actually learned to walk is a hero in my eyes. Also, fuck. What a career. Model, actress, TV presenter, dominatrix, singer, writer - she has done whatever the hell she wants to do, and done it incredibly. Sheer bravery, if you ask me. I'll have some of that please, Mrs Erlandsson!! (Also, her husband is a God, and his brother too, who co-incidentally is the drummer for Arch Enemy, bringing us full circle to the beginning of my post!) I'm actually fan-girling so much right now I can't remember how to write! Let's move on!

4. Laci Green

 Oh hai!

Laci is YouTube's number 1 sex positive vlogger (source: me). She uploads videos pretty much every week about sex+ topics such as body image, sexuality and relationships, with emphasis on making sure young people in particular have access to reliable, safe, positive information about sex and related issues. Waging war against narrow-minded viewpoints and anything that might make you feel bad about yourself, Laci's videos inspire not just the really young but also the less-young-than-they-wish-they-were to think twice about accepting conventional wisdom or peer-group chat, and to, you guessed it, think for themselves, be who they want to be, etc. Basically all the things I love about the above three women! Laci's YouTube channel has gone from strength to strength, and what was a side-project in High School has enabled Laci to build a career which has taken her on tour around America and also onto the Dr Phil show. Well done that girl!

5. St Clare of Assisi

Nae even lying!

While Clare may seem an unlikely addition to this list, I am nothing if not avidly inclusive of the unlikely, and so she shall be given her rightful place on the list. Credit where credit's due and all that!

I became acquainted with Clare's story about a year or two ago as part of my degree. I did a course on St Francis and his followers during my 3rd year, and, doing pretty well on the course, I decided to stick with the topic for my dissertation. I chose, however, to focus on Clare rather than Francis, and to look at female Franciscans because females of all times and eras are chronically under-studied.* While I did not expect to find much I identified with in the life and ways of a twelfth-century nun who believed herself to be quite literally married to poverty, obedience, and God, I did in fact come to respect her ingenuity, her conviction, and her style of leadership.

 *With the exception of any vagina person featured in OK! magazine, who invariably will be not just studied but inspected, dissected, torn apart, put under a microscope, critiqued, ridiculed, chewed up and spat back out again but in such a way that that person feels they have been honoured.

Clare, very early on in life, came to understand her purpose. She was born and raised in Assisi, Italy, and was well-known throughout the city for being a pious young woman. When she was still young she heard her soul-mate, St Francis, preach his message of a life of poverty and humility, which he understood to be the way God intended us to live. Clare was immediately a follower of Francis, and they developed a very special relationship throughout their lifetimes. Clare, the daughter of a wealthy merchant family, defied parental authority and ran away from home to escape marriage when she was just 18 - after six years of resisting the engagements her parents had been setting up for her. She fled to Francis, and was taken to a convent at San Damiano, where she joined the nuns there. She would go on to found female Franciscanism, and would write what is believed to be the first monastic Rule written by a woman. She was a pioneer, and as such, she would spend her entire life fighting for what she believed in. It was not just her family who believed she should not join Francis, but also the Church. Several succeeding popes, who, in the eleventh and twelfth centuries through which Clare lived, were the supreme authorities of all Europe, would use their powers to try and prevent Clare from leading her Sisters in the Franciscan way. Male Franciscanism was characterised by wandering throughout the land, begging for alms to survive, owning no property or goods of value and relying on the Providence of God. While it was acceptable for men to behave like this, it was not a suitable profession for women. Women religious were expected to live in cloisters, to be enclosed, and therefore they were forced to rely on local charity and male Franciscans to provide for them. The Church felt that the women were a burden, and tried to offer them some land which they could tend, as security. While well-intentioned, this obliterated the sisters' fundamental principle and the means by which they would receive reward in Heaven: Poverty. Clare, as their leading lady, had to find a way to appease the church (for Clare loved the church, and had in any case taken a vow of obedience which made her unable to ignore the pope even if she had wanted to) while still remaining true to Franciscanism, and, indeed, God. By not adhering to the principle of poverty, Clare's soul was at stake, and so were those of her ever-growing number of sisters.

The most notable point about Clare is her unwavering conviction. Despite the fact that her vision for female Franciscanism brought her into direct conflict with the Pope himself, she did not for a second falter. The popes which Clare served under would issue many new policies which were intended to prevent the abbess from establishing her order of Poor Clares, and in the face of each policy she would remain clear-sighted and true to her vision. Not only this, but she would encourage and enable other women to do so. Agnes of Bohemia, another wealthy daughter of the city who eschewed familial wealth to join the Franciscan movement, would write to Clare as Pope Gregory IX tried to force her to accept land. Clare would remind Agnes that poverty was 'the one thing necessary,' the one way they would find God, and so Agnes, with the help of her brother King Wenceslas I of Bohemia, managed to outmaneuver Gregory and remain true to the Franciscan way. To stay so clear-sighted in the face of such opposition is admirable. Most of us, both in Clare's day and our own, have issues to contend with, and all of us at some time or another will feel pressure to make decisions or live a different way of life. These people may be well-intentioned, for example the eighty kajillion people who tell me I should be a teacher, and for another example, Pope Gregory IX's attempt to protect the nuns by ensuring they had enough wealth to live off. However, this way of life was not for Clare. I have tried to convey, without going into too much detail, how important it was to Clare to live a life with absolutely nothing. She believed that anything she needed would be provided for her by the grace of God, and moreover, she believed that this was how God wanted us to live and therefore how one could ensure reward in Heaven. No matter how practical Gregory's interference was, it would shatter Clare and Francis's whole set of values, their whole way of life and their whole belief system, which they had dedicated their lives to living and to helping others to live. I found Clare's bravery to be inspiring, and her conviction allowed her to be a pioneer: revered in her time, sainted upon her death, and remembered throughout history.

And so there we have it! A list like no other, of inspiring women who have pioneered religious movements, genres of music and other things in between, all tied together with the rather flimsy thread of my interest. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get some comments on this post, so whoever you are, however you came across this post and whatever your opinions, please feel free to leave me a few words below. Do you agree? What or who inspires you? Maybe I should stick to blog posts about myself? Whatever you want to say please do :) And I will leave you with the usual sign off-

Over and out,
Much love,
Love love love,
Naomi

No More VAA

Oh snap!

I just realised that way back in May I promised monthly VAA updates, and then never delivered. I will explain this after I have said a great big HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVELY READERS! As I told all my Facebook friends, I wish you failure after failure after failure for the coming year, because:

failure = learning = success

So let's all try and fail a bit more this year, 'kay?

'Kay. So the reason I haven't written any more VAA updates is because I decided VAA'ing wasn't for me. As much as I liked the freedom and responsibility, it required a lot of self-starting, and with the various other volunteer/education/work commitments I had/have, I just couldn't give it what it deserved. I also felt a bit alone in the role, as I was the only Ambassador for Aberdeen, and I live off working with others.

I must admit that there were things I could have done about all this. For one, the guys at Voluntary Arts did make a lot of effort to make being a VAA as sociable as possible. There were all sorts of Facebook pages and groups, visits from staff members, and opportunities for meet-ups in Edinburgh. In part I was often too busy to attend these meet-ups, but I also avoided one or two because I knew I was no longer interested/able to be a VAA, and I felt like a fraud.

But the main, big, huge thing I now understand, is that I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR HELP. As I said before, the role required a lot of my own initiative, and while I think I proved that I was able to do this, in the end I couldn't sustain the level commitment it needed. In accepting my resignation, Carol from Voluntary Arts Scotland wrote that actually I could, and should, have asked for help.

"It’s important to remember that you made a very good start at a challenging role, before deciding it was not for you. My only comment would be a gentle suggestion that you ask for - and accept offers of -  help whenever you find a commitment like this proving difficult, as you might have been surprised how much we could have helped you and  made things more and realistic for you to achieve." 

That has been quite an epiphany. Did you know that if you ask for help, more often than not people will be glad to?? I didn't. I assumed folk would a) be annoyed at having extra work to do, and b) think you were useless. I honestly did! So, going forward, I have to find ways of asking people for help. I've made a start by asking a friend I made in Australia (many moons ago!) to help me with some application form 'buzzwords' - for example, can anyone tell me what 'creative and forward-thinking' REALLY means?? - and I shall endeavour to let others help as much as I can manage. It's hard though. When I messaged my Australia friend I was honestly so nervous to read her reply. As soon as that little red '1' appeared on my phone my tummy was in knots in case she thought I was being cheeky. After all, she has no reason to help me, I've never helped her, we've kept in touch but not avidly...but when I finally opened the message she was like, 'Yeah, I'd be happy to.'

Mind. Blown.

So here we are, only day 4 of the year and I've learnt something already! Especially impressive when you consider I had the world's most unpleasant flu bug on the 1st, so it was pretty much a write off, which means really there's only been 3 productive days of the year.

I hope all of you out there have a similarly mind blowing year. Why not get in touch via the comments form below and let me know? Have you learnt anything this year? Have you done anything differently? Or maybe you might like to leave me a comment about your own career development - does everyone find it this hard, or is it just me??

HEYYY, maybe that's what I should call my blog! "Is it just me, or is life hard?"

Hehe.

Well, as usual, over and out,
love love love,
love love,
love,
Naomi

My New Year Resolution

Well hello there lovely readers!

Hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and are looking forward to 2014 with passion and excitement! This time of year always gets me energised - I love new starts! This year in particular has made me think though. I've been a graduate for over 6 months now, and although my job isn't exactly high-flying or fast paced, this little break from Aberdeen (I'm back home in Thurso for the holidays) has given me some much needed time to process.

And this is what I've come up with:

Simple, huh?

But actually, it took a lot of brain power to get to that decision. I mean, graduate jobs - that's like, being a buyer for Tesco, or an HR assistant for an Oil and Gas company. That's not what I want. I want to be a superhero. I want to save the world.

Well guess what? I don't want to be a Play Worker either. Because not only am I not a superhero, not saving the world, but I'm BORED. AND BROKE. AND SICK OF IT. Because what I don't think I ever realised was that, while, yes, [some] graduate jobs mean big money and big business and big corruption and crookedness, they also mean challenging and satisfying job descriptions, exciting opportunities, and generally NOT THIS. Because I spent four years working my a$* off to earn the title of graduate, and now I damn well want a graduate job!!

Growing up the way I did, I sort of internalised that you just don't ask for things. There was no money, we couldn't buy stuff, so you just didn't ask. If you wanted it, you kept it to yourself and then if you were lucky you figured out a way to get it for yourself, and if not, tough. You shouldn't WANT things anyway, it's greedy. Well, I think it's high time I got greedy, frankly. I WANT a graduate job. I want to KNOW for sure I can pay my bills each month, I want to WORK, really, really hard, at something that makes my brain hurt and my stomach dance and my nerves snap and that pushes me to be better. I do NOT want to spend my life sorting out spats between primary 5 girls. I just don't think I can do it!

So, sorry to sound greedy and ungrateful but, this year, 2014, I am leaving Aberdeen and I am DEFINITELY getting a proper, actual, graduate job.

And now I've written it here on les internets for all les folks to see, it must be done.

PANIC STATIONS!

Over and out,
Much love,
Happy New Year,
Naomi

'Cultivate' Admin Intern

Well hello there lovely readers!

Just a quick post for a change to tell you about my most recent venture, as Project Admin Intern for the Cultivate Training Programme. In April 2012 I was part of the pilot for this project, where myself and around 14 others spent 10 weeks (plus a few extra) working our way through an SQA Award in Volunteering Skills. What was meant to be a 10 week course to pass some time and give me a little something extra to stick on my CV has turned into something substantially more, as I've continued to be involved with the Creative Learning team (formerly Arts Development) through the Skirts & Tales project, and now through Cultivate round 2. This time I am helping out in a paid capacity, however, as Admin Intern. I help with documenting and archiving each session, with typing up assessment notes, with evaluation of the project and with the blog, which you can read here.  I am really happy to have been asked to stick around, and it's also nice to help others think about volunteering, to know the benefits for themselves and the organisation they choose to help, and to learn more about their skills and interests and how to find volunteer opportunities to match this. Incidentally, from my own experience of looking for volunteer opportunities in Aberdeen, the absolute best place to look is the volunteer centre. I've gotten a lot of support from the team at ACVO as well as Creative Learning, and the fact that I still have no idea what I'm doing with my life serves to highlight only my own fickleness and definitely not lack of quality support, which I've had plenty of from these organisations!

If you fancy a laugh I did something a bit stupid this week, and there's a Youtube video to prove it, which you can watch if you've a minute to kill.

Anyway, over and out for now. Be kind to each other and don't jump off of anything high.
Love love love,
Naomi

New Job: Taming Childerbeasts

Well hello there lovely readers!

This is a special blog post for two reasons! Firstly, it's my tenth and frankly I think I should get a prize for (more or less) keeping up with it this long, even though there has been the occasional gap here and there...! And secondly, its not about volunteering, as my usual entries are, it's about my REAL ACTUAL JOB, as a Playworker for Community Link Childcare.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have no idea how I ended up with this job. Everyone I've ever talked to about careers since I was about 13 has assumed I'm going to be a teacher, even people I barely know, and I've spent the last 10 years resolutely denying that I'm going anywhere near a bunch of snotty nosed kids. So of course, within weeks of finishing uni I went and got myself a job in a primary school, working with kids. There were two main reasons behind this. Firstly - I needed a job. I've decided against any kind of further study at the moment, and I didn't have a permanent job while I was at uni, so in order to avoid having to move back in with a parental (THE HORROR!), I needed to find some source of income, quickly. Secondly, although it would have been fairly easy to fall back on the old retail job, I was determined that if I couldn't move UP the career ladder, I would at least move FORWARD. Being a Playworker, while not a graduate job, is at least a source of valuable experience, and seems, to me at least, somehow vaguely related to what I might want to do as a career, whatever that is. So, I saw the job ad, went for the interview, got it, hey presto! Surrounded by children.

I can't lie either, I do like the job. I've been doing it for almost 6 months now and I think the kids at club are on the whole pretty fantastic. Running out of school childcare for 40 children with no money and no resources has its challenges, but I like my colleagues and I enjoy shouting at helping the kids to grow and learn.

HOWEVER, I can't be doing this forever. It's a term-time only job so it's financially not possible in the long haul, but aside from that, it's just not what I want to do with my life. Don't ask me what I AM going to do with my life - I wish I knew! But earning less money than it's even possible to live on while repeating the phrase "Not. Acceptable!!!" 8 million times a day is not it. So I've been looking at other options. I had an interview for an admin assistant job with Victim Support Scotland, but the interview surprised me with quite a few questions I couldn't answer on the spot (What does "high quality" mean to you?) and I didn't get the job. I'm a pretty resilient specimen, so I'm not too upset, but I admit, even I'm starting to get frustrated. I have moments where I think, I've been working so hard these last few years - volunteering, having various temp jobs, and studying - and yet I'm still not actually getting anywhere. The main issue, of course, is that I have no actual end goal, and it's pretty difficult to get somewhere when you don't even know where you're going! It doesn't actually help to think like this of course, and I can't magic an answer out of thin air, so I just keep plodding on as best I can. I've been doing a Project Admin Intern role for the Creative Learning team, so to hear a bit more about that check out the blog I've been keeping for them. I'm also doing a TEFL course (I KNOWWWW!! BUT I'M STILL NOT GOING TO BE A TEACHER!), so perhaps I'll just up-sticks and move to Central America, where I shall meet my Latin lover, Alejandro, and we shall tango our lives away while eating Fajitas and playing Flamenco songs...

Keep checking back to see if that happens ;)

So, to round up. Thank you for reading after all this time away - as you can see, not much has changed! I'll make every effort to update more regularly now that the summer of fun is well and truly over! I might go away now and do a small, mostly-pictures blog of what I've been up to since the last post, so you can see I'm not just being lazy.

As usual, please comment if you feel you have something to add! I look forward to it.

Over and out,
Naomi

VAA monthly update: May

Well hello there lovely readers!

This is the first of what shall be monthy VAA updates, where I'll give a run down - long or short, depends how busy my VAA schedule is! - of all the Voluntary Arts Ambassador-ing I've been doing over the month. To find out more about what a VAA is check my earlier post here. This has been the first month since I became official VAA that I've been able to really get started, and its been pretty exciting so far! Give it a read below, and if you can think of anyone who might like to read it also (I'm looking at you - people of the arts world in Aberdeen!) then SHARE SHARE SHARE! My main aim just now is to make contact with as many local arts and crafts voluntary groups as is humanly possible, along with anyone who is able to represent the voice of local arts and crafts groups at a higher level. So if you fall into either of these categories then get in touch - you can email vaa-aberdeencity@vascotland.org.uk and/or add me on Facebook, under "Voluntary Arts Ambassador Aberdeen."

Happy reading!

First Key Meeting

So on April 30th I met with Carol Stobie from VA Scotland, and Mike Melvin from ACVO for my first key meeting. This was a chance for me as VAA to connect to my local volunteer centre, and for VA Scotland and the Volunteer Centre to meet to discuss how best to support and represent the voluntary arts world. We talked about how arts in Aberdeen is becoming a hot topic just now what with the city's bid to become City of Culture 2017, and about how this is a great time to be VAA in the area. I came away with a lot of contacts to make: people from the bid team, various local arts and crafts groups, and people in the professional arts world who can help to support voluntary groups. I'm still making my way through the contacts but so far I've met some really helpful people! My main aim at this stage is to reach out to as many local, voluntary/amateur arts and crafts groups as possible. I can point groups towards Running Your Group, and sources of information, arts news, and funding opportunities, but even small, informal groups can benefit from being in touch with their local VAA. I often hear about free craft supply giveaways or local events of all shapes and forms, where local groups can get their hands on some goodies or get involved in events which might be of interest to them. Its my goal to make this happen as often as possible, and also to continue to make links with those involved in Community Planning so that if your wee group has any issues, I can try to bring that to the attention of the people who can really help. So, to return to the meeting, I came away with loads of great contacts to make courtesy of Mike (who is one of my favourite people ever) and I also signed myself up for a whole raft of promotional articles and interviews courtesy of ACVO's publications. So be expecting to see my face on a lotta stuff in the near future, and if you think you can help me on my mission then get in touch via the methods above!

ACVO e-bulletin

Speaking of my face being on a lot of things, the first appearance my mug made was in the ACVO e-bulletin (picture below). I sent them a "Meet your VAA" letter, introducing myself, VA Scotland and the role of the ambassador. I read the e-bulletins every week anyway (excellent source of discovering those free giveaways and events I was talking about above!) so it was a bit odd to open it up and find my face on page 6! But fun times, and it seems to be working because the ever-helpful networks man from ACVO got in touch and is compiling me a list of groups to get in touch with and has found a useful Facebook group for me to join too! So thank you to Simon, and if anyone else saw the poster and has been thinking of getting in touch - please do!

Interview for ACVO Magazine

And lastly but not leastly, just this morning I met with Sarah McGarva from, yup, you guessed it, ACVO, for an interview for their magazine. It was just a quick wee chat where I explained what I do as a VAA, what my aim is and how people can reach me. It'll be in the magazine at the end of June so keep an eye out for that, once it becomes available I'll post a link to it here. I must say, I really do owe the ACVO team a massive thank you! They have made my job soooo much easier, and I've heard on the grapevine that not all local Volunteer Centres and Community Planning folk are as open to arts and crafts groups as Aberdeen, so yay us and yay ACVO! That being said, I am aware I rely very heavily on them, so I'm looking for lots of help from other Aberdeen folks to make sure I represent and help as many people/groups as possible. So get in touch! Did I mention that already?!

And that's it!! There shall be more next month, and fingers crossed I'll be able to namedrop a whoooole TONNE of amateur arts and crafts groups in Aberdeen which you can join and which I can help! Once again, get in touch by checking my VAA Facebook page, or emailing vaa-aberdeencity@vascotland.org.uk

Over and out!
Naomi

Two Months, One Post

Well hello there lovely readers!

Long time no jibber-jabber, how've you all been? Good? Great! I myself have been pretty busy since my last post, hence why its taken me a while to get round to writing this one! I'm just going to do a whistle-stop tour of my life over the last two months or so, and anything I think I should talk more about *may* appear at a later date, provided I get the chance. So here goes, fasten your seat belts because the spaceship is about to lift off ;)

10th April - Interview for ACVO Internship

Way back in February I applied for an internship through Third Sector Internships Scotland (TSIS). The post was for an Events Organiser intern at ACVO, helping organise their Celebrate Aberdeen parade, the Third Sector Fayre and some other events on the team calendar. In early April I got an email to say I'd been selected for interview, and then followed a mad panic to remain calm and prepare as best I could. This is one of the things I think I'll take some time to write a whole post on, but in a nutshell: I did a practice interview with the careers team at uni, bought some lovely new interview shoes (no matter how many interviews I do I can never find an outfit I'm really happy with!) and I spent about 30 hours on the ACVO website learning about Social Enterprises, ACVO's strategic objectives, and the Change Fund. I was pretty nervous but that more or less subsided during the interview, and I think it went quite well. Unfortunately, I didn't entirely capitalise on my previous events-organising experience, and the internship went to someone else. However I've printed out the really helpful feedback I got from the panel, and its in my careers journal, so I now know what I need to work on. All in all I'm calling this one a success!


25th April - Handed in my Dissertation

The usual story here - wrote the majority of it in the last week when The Fear finally kicked in! Felt very anti-climactic to hand it in, too. Handing it in pretty much marked the end of my undergraduate career, but I haven't had the chance to sit and think about that yet. Or maybe there's nothing to think about - I love uni but its done now, and that's cool because I get to choose what to do next! EXCITING!

30th April - First VAA Key Meeting

As I'm sure you all remember, I'm the Voluntary Arts Ambassador (VAA) for Aberdeen City. I had my first key meeting with Carol Stobie from VA Scotland and Mike Melvin from ACVO at the end of April, and went away home with pages of ideas and contacts to make, etc. This is another of those things that'll get a post of its own, but basically this was an incredibly useful meeting. I've signed myself up for a billion things, including a "Meet your VAA" spread in the ACVO e-bulletin (pictured below), an interview on SHMU radio, and attendance at the Celebrate Aberdeen parade and Third Sector Fayre. I'm in the process of getting the details of some local arts and crafts groups from ACVO's Simon (thank you Simon!), and I also have a few other ideas of where to look for people. If you're reading this, maybe you're in an Aberdeen-based voluntary arts group - if so get in touch! I can point you towards VA Scotland's excellent resources, and if your group has any issues or ideas you'd like those further up the food chain to know about, I can try and help there too. Just search "voluntary arts ambassador aberdeen" on Facebook or email vaa-aberdeencity@vascotland.org.uk

5th May - Started working at Drummonds Cafe

Talking of what to do next - priority number one is being able to pay the rent, so I managed to wangle myself a bar job.The name "Drummonds Cafe" is a bit of a misnomer because its actually a bar/music venue, and I am the finest new barmaid they ever did see! Except that I can't pull a pint to save my life, I think I'm half deaf because I can never hear what people are ordering, and I have to count up all the prices in my head and I failed high school maths, so I'm probably charging the wrong prices most of the time. BUT, I smile a lot. So its yin and yang really.

17th May -First day working as a Playworker for CliCC

This one's an exciting one!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got another new job as a Playworker, based at Skene Square After School Club. I'm not going to lie - even I don't really know how this happened. Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) always asks me "Why don't you be a teacher? You'd be a good teacher." and I always have to reply that I don't WANT to be a teacher, and when they ask "why?" I never have a good answer. I also have no good answer as to what it is I DO want to do, so I'm a bit hopeless really. This is another thing I'll do a separate post on, but suffice to say that after 6+ years of telling everyone I don't want to be a teacher and don't really want to work with kids, I got myself a job in a primary school working with children...

...and I'm liking it...

24th May - First kiddies session with Skirts & Tales


Annnnnnd finally, the S&T team hit a local primary school on Friday with our amazing storyteller, Pauline Cordiner. The school have given us (given us? loaned us? provided us with? I don't know) a group of 12 P3/4s who will be part of our project. We met with them on Friday for the first time, and Friday's session was learning the story (The Fisherman and his Wife), re-writing parts of it, and designing pictures. The pictures and story will be printed on a giant train to be worn as part of the parade, and the kids will be in the parade, shaking the train, singing songs, and hopefully having a grand old time. Once we get photo consent double-confirmed from the parents we'll be updating the S&T blog with more information, so keep your eyes peeled for that! I'm so happy with Friday's session and with the whole team, they've made managing the project so enjoyable! ENTHUSE!

And that's it! Two months in one post, more to come, very soon! As usual LEAVE ME A COMMENT, I love to read them, and/or get in touch via google+ or twitter @NaomiBegg1.

Over and out,
Love to everyone!
Naomi