NAEA16 Chicago

I came back with a new “twist” from the carefully crafted presentation I prepared to share at the National Art Convention on my Transition to a Choice Based Studio.  It is proof that if you have something to share and you are passionate about it, you can share it with or without technology.

My morning started by arriving at the assigned room at the convention center.  I enter the room and there is no projector or screen.  No problem, the NAEA assured that all rooms would have a projector and screen in every room.  So I wait a few minutes… time passes and I don’t see any tech people around to get some assistance.  Next jumps in two educators that take super hero action to help resolve the situation. One is calling anyone she can on the phone to get tech support and the other runs all the way from the fourth floor in the North building to the support desk in the lower level of the Lakeside building.  NO Results- but not from lack of trying.  Thank you friends. (Tim Bogatz and the wonderful lady I could not remember her name in my panic state)  So resourceful as I am, I head into a room a few doors down and swipe the projector from the other room that was not using it.  I was halfway to my room when one of the convention workers stopped me and said I could not take it out of that room.  Even after I explained my plight, he did not agree.

Imagine walking to the room that has every seat filled, people sitting in the isle and down the sides of wall, plus people still trying to enter the room.  I was sweating already from running around and now- stress sweat is no fun.  I contemplated making a run for it, not presenting, or standing tall and just do it!  I decided I’m doing this!  (Self-talk:Hopefully, I can engage and inspire this group.  I’m an art educator and I do this everyday for over 26 years. ) I open my PowerPoint as my guide and encourage everyone to look at my Instagram or Google me for all the content I have online as a reference.  At this time I didn’t have my presentation uploaded on the NAEA16 app but you bet I did after the session.

I was very sequential in my presentation and very clear on how I came to my organization of the running of a Choice Based Studio.  I shared a few stories about my students and tried to paint pictures about my studio with my words.  The audience was engaged and asked great questions.  I maintained my composure and delivered.  I wanted to share so many great visuals and videos but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.  I lived through my worst nightmare.  I believe I had an out of body experience while standing at the podium.  After I presented I had a rush of teachers asking me so many questions and I was able to share a portion of my presentation on my laptop.  By the time I left the room, I was uncertain if I did a good job.  In fact I felt disappointed, frustrated, and angry.  I took a few minutes to calm myself down before I spoke to anyone about the tech issue and I made sure my presentation was uploaded immediately.  It was uploaded so I spread the word about it on the convention app and Twitter.

 

For a while I just wanted to crawl into a hole.  I traveled alone and I didn’t have anyone to talk to about this unfortunate experience.  I was feeling really bad.

Then a woman came to me and told me she learned so much from my session.  I was pleased but I couldn’t help but feel she was sensing my disappointment and was being kind to me.  I appreciated it but it really wasn’t what I planned.  Trust me, I am a planner and super organized so this was a hard pill to swallow.

But then more comments were posted on the app about the session.  I was at first terrified to even look at it.  I’m so glad I read a few comments.  The comments were positive and supportive. Then a few more messages popped up through my email and my other social media sites.  Okay- maybe I can finally admit to myself that I accomplished what I wanted to do in spite of the situation.

Thank you for all who attended my session and who spoke to me in person and posted comments on the convention app and on social media.  It was reassuring that I accomplished what I wanted to do.  I am grateful.