When I was asked why I wanted to work at The Nashville Symphony, I responded;

“Because I love Nashville.”

The Nashville Symphony is one of the many arts and cultural institutions in Nashville that reflects it’s best nature. The endless challenge for excellence, and the all-encompassing nature of the pursuit that all are worthy of that excellence, make up much of our character.

I begin as the Social Media and Website Manager on Monday October 10, 2011. Please follow the Tweets, Like the FB Page and Share the posts that matter to you. I look forward to the conversation!

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The Website
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*Carpe Diem Management will continue to work with The Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee but will not be taking on any further clients.  We will, however, be posting on the social media blog every other Tuesday or Thursday with Social Media tips gathered along the way. Please sign up on the SUBSCRIBE BAR to the right to not miss a post!

Victory comes From the Courage to step up – and out.

 I’ve just completed a year long campaign to serve my city of Nashville TN as a Metro Council representative.  It was the first time an openly gay women has run for this office.  My partner Joan and I live in was was once considered are strongly conservative area of town.  When redistricting occurred in the middle of our campaign and had us suddenly facing an incumbent when before it was an open seat. We continued on and gathered the support of hundreds of fellow Nashvillians and from dozens and dozens of new friends and supporters through The Victory Fund.

 In  2003 the city of Nashville tried to pass a nondiscrimination ordinance for its employees.  It was a dramatic time. Some of the council members that supported it received threats. It did not pass because of a tie-breaking vote.  We were disappointed and waited for change once again, because of the promise that “It Does Get Better”.

 In  2008 I made the commitment to never work for a client or an employer that does not have a fully inclusive nondiscrimination policy.  In 2009, friends and colleagues began asking me if I had any interest in running for office.

I knew that I would only run if the new nondiscrimination ordinance offered that year, passed. -It did.  “It Does Get Better”.

It takes courage to step up fearlessly.  It takes time to gather that courage and to find and build the support system that will keep you from harm.  It Gets Better because of all of these things.

Let me say again, I would have never run for office in 2011 if the 2009 Metro Nondiscrimination Ordinance had not passed.  I received 44% of the vote. I am now looking toward taking what I learned about my community and serving it in other ways.

It gets better when you step out.  It gets better when you step up.

It gets better.

itgetsbetter.org

victoryfund.org

Three words came into my thoughts today while considering action on a project: Courage, Compassion & Connection.

I felt like I had heard those words grouped before so I did a quick search and Dr. Brené Brown popped up.  I stumbled on a TED Talk by her once and then again on a PBS special.  I suppose her insight sunk in and it surfaced today.

The three powerful words mean this to me today:

COURAGE: It takes great courage to embrace your imperfections and move toward a new project or endeavor.  New ideas, and new implementations of old ideas, take courageous people to engage them if they are to succeed.  And by succeed I mean in fantastic failure or in triumphant progress.  After a while, you learn that both are forms of success.

COMPASSION: Once you have set out on a journey, your compassion for your fellow travelers may become profound. There is tremendous value in empathy. Becoming a truly compassionate person is a worthy pursuit.

CONNECTION: Groups of these courageous people have a tendency to form tribes. Networking lunches and breakfasts can and should stop being places to exchange business cards and rather, places to restore your spent courage.

In what way do you see these concepts in your life?

courage-chinese-calligraphy

Can’t see the video? Click Here: TED Talk

You can visit Brene Brown’s Blog: Ordinary Courage

Change. It comes if you plan for it and it comes if you don’t.

I have been able to identify one of my greatest strengths: innovation. No matter what the circumstance, the opportunity that comes next will always be the best part for me. Even when I’m sure that the path is clear, when it changes, I become even more motivated to innovate the change necessary for progress.

I return again to my mission and overall vision in my work life, my home life and my new political life. I will continue to advocate creative opportunities for communities to achieve their potential.

How have you learned to embrace change and innovate creative progress?

photo: The VanReece Garden Spring 2010

Watercolor by Nancy VanReece - "Creative Direction"

Over the course of the last 28 years, my work has been all about advocating creative opportunities for my community to achieve it’s potential.

25 of those years 1982-2007 I worked in the music business – all of it: Marketing, Promoting, Managing, Advocating, Soliciting, Encouraging, Guiding, Buying and Selling, Licensing and Negotiating.

When I jumped off into the non-profit sector it worked out well.  I was able to take my understanding as a painter and my experience working with musicians and lawyers into a new sector.  Bringing creative and practical business practice to a non-profit organization was a good thing.  As a business person, I could speak “the language” of the potential donor easily.

I learned quite a bit the last three years.  I learned that “development” means “fundraising” and that customers were not always the folks that paid for the product. It was, and remains, a fascinating sector of our commerce.

I also learned a lot about social media strategy and community building and the new, always evolving, 21st century tools of marketing, communication and sales. A lot of these things are excellent resources to lead me into the next adventure.

I may remain in the non-profit sector. I might go back to the music business. I may be painting and  putting together marketing and social media consulting work for a season.

One thing I know; I will always be looking at art and listening to music for divine creative direction.

“I’m saving all my lovin’ for someone who’s lovin’ me…” Gloria Gaynor

“There’s a cry asking why, I pray the answer is up ahead , ’cause I know where I’ve been… there is a promise we must make, worth the risk and the chances we take. There is a a dream in the future..’Cause just to sit still would be a sin.” .. Hairspray Soundtrack

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