Octavia Yearwood

Emerging Heap

Posted by Octavia Yearwood, Jun 28, 2016 0 comments


Octavia Yearwood

Much like this photo, #AFTACON was like a blur. I came in and left as an Emerging Leader!

I don’t know what others tasted, but for four days, the crisp flavor of inspiration sat on my tongue. I felt like a freshman attending the first day of classes at her top choice school. The intimacy of pre-conference was exactly what I needed to prepare me for the downloads of the remainder of the week.

The Emerging Leaders sessions had my mind on fire! From leadership styles to leadership self-care, Beth Kanter and Jeff Golde nurtured my soul! One thing I often miss in sessions like the ones held at convention and workshops is a specific type of energy from those who curate and facilitate them. But Beth and Jeff had all parts of my mind at attention. I may have even gotten a little “chocolate wasted” on the information, but all in preparation for what was to come.

What I loved most about convention on an overall level was being among a sea of people whose thoughts and goals were mostly aligned with mine. We used the same tools and understood the strength of the tool and resilience needed to handle it. WHERE HAVE I BEEN ALL MY LIFE?! Before coming to Convention, what I looked forward to most was the chance to meet peers to work with. I was the recipient of the 2016 American Express Emerging Leaders Award; if there was one thing people would know, it would be that I was ready to work! I had no idea, though, that I would be blown away on a daily basis by keynote speakers and performances! The conversations being had at any given time, in sessions or over a breakfast muffin, were fortifying. “Can you keep up?!” Though the words were often spoken slowly, the depth ran deep. None of this could be monetized! And did I even catch your name?! It didn’t matter … we knew each other already!

“Our art is not just a commodity” and “The folks that are impacted the most by the work that we do are the artists themselves,” said Vijay Gupta. Ana Teresa Fernandez spoke about how art is subbing as a first language for youth as a result of lacking literacy. Diane Paulus’ words transcended language, morphing into waves of frequencies that swept the room and left me forgetting the words but vividly remembering the feeling … thankfully, I recorded a portion of it to share with the world! The musical performances had me awestruck and really, many moments had me wondering where I had been all this time ...

I had a goal of taking #AFTACON by storm and raising funds for a book I am writing for youth entitled “How The Hell Did You Do That?!”—but like a kid in a candy store, I could not focus!

Sharing interchangeable spaces with more than 1,000 people can be, and was, a bit overwhelming; but the outpour of love and openness reminded me why art is so powerful. I am someone who is pretty comfortable in her skin (and hair) but as a newcomer, as an emerging leader, and being amongst so many who are enormously successful in their work subconsciously called for open arms; thankfully, they were there. I was especially happy to be able to have such fun conversation with Americans for the Arts CEO Bob Lynch and his wife Diane. I love that art made us kindred. I love that they both were open and as genuine as they come. I love that they shared their love origin story with me in a place as beautiful as the Wang Theater, and I love that this was all made possible by art.

#AFTACON 2016 took me on a ride that I would get on the longest line to ride again. I am so thankful to be a member and to be someone Americans for the Arts was able to see through the sea of all. I left with that sense of duty to make it proud. #AFTACON 2016 was a rite of passage for me. It was a bright foreshadowing, in 3-D, of how amazing our future will be when we take the NEXT STEP in making the arts the foundation on which humanity is reintroduced to empathy and creates spaces where it will thrive.

The entire experience has me looking forward to being on a panel and being a keynote speaker in the future. People often choose between the red pill and the blue. #AFTACON made me take them both, creating a purple one. Both illusion and reality have shown to be what is necessary to make real change. This is art, after all. 

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