Professional development?
Now there is something to ruminate about. When and how did that start happening?
Judy Bird tells us her story so far
Song: My Way - Frank Sinatra
Image: Ariadne in the labyrinth with thread - Theseus and the Minotaur
Quote: Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail - Emerson
Dance is the thread that runs through my life in a multiplicity of roles, forms and guises - my professional development has twisted and turned like a labyrinth.
Perhaps it started when I was nine and organised other kids to do 'shows' in the school grounds in the lunch hour! Growing up in New Zealand meant I was part of a 'can do' culture - if you wanted to do something and it did not exist you just set about doing it, this has been extremely significant in my work and life. Bi-culturalism (or is it dual heritage now?) has given me more than one perspective to operate from, and my early training spanned dance, education and journalism.
I have worked in all the sectors - private, public, voluntary and independent. In the arts, education, commerce and industry - which has provided me with a broad basis upon which to draw. I have varied between being employed both full and part-time, to self-employed, which has provided useful insights into different ways of working. I see that I was part of the early Community Dance movement, doing the work before it was recognised as a movement.
Merseyside in the 70's and 80's: with a then active Arts Association (with money!) there were plenty of opportunities to do workshops, training and master classes, through venues, organisations, touring companies and visiting luminaries. I did lots of short courses locally and nationally.
For a time I was disillusioned with career opportunities in the arts and worked in commerce undertaking personnel management for a well-known organisation that shall remain nameless to protect both them and me! I learned there that I did not give a damn if profits were up a percent on the day before, that it was not where my heart was and that I had to create my own opportunities.
In the early 80's I was awarded an Arts Council bursary to train as a dance animateur, though in truth I had been doing the work for some time but without a French title. This gave me a vital opportunity to 'go/look/see' - time to reflect on my own practice and watch and work with people who were seminal influences. So I metamorphosed into an animateur. Six years later with yet another range of experiences under my belt I was awarded funding to research community dance in the U.S, Australia and New Zealand which as a concept was in it's infancy in those places. This gave me a another perspective on my work - this time in an international context.
Subsequently, in setting up the county dance agency for Greater Manchester all the pioneering experiences were tested to their maximum, giving me the opportunity to pull together all the strands of previous work united under one umbrella.
I then worked for a two-year period in industry. This taught me that the skills I had were transferable. Now back in freelance land in a multiplicity of roles - artist, practitioner, director, facilitator, mentor, trainer, manager, development agent, researcher, activist, agent provocateur, pain in the....
So, in a nutshell I would say my professional development revolves around the following:
- development by doing
- necessity as the mother of invention
- working both within and outside the arts sector
- short courses and workshops
- steep learning curves
- 'supervision' by peers
- readily seeking new challenges and also knowing when to move on
- working as an employee and freelancer in approximately equal measures
- a period of reflection/study/observation/research has usually preceded a change of job/direction.
Sometimes it bothers me that in my dealings with companies and organisations I can work strategically, however my own professional life has been anything but strategic. One thing has simply led to another so I would have to say it has been organic or even serendipitous. I now recognise along with others of my ilk we are still creating an emerging profession, so opportunities exist now that were unheard of 15 or 20 years ago.
I have been fortunate to be able to explore a range of options and experiences without getting stuck in a role, hierarchy or organisation. From the context of experience there are always new beginnings...
Judy Bird can be contacted at jude_bird@hotmail.com
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Animated: Winter 2003