Connecting Creativity and Culture in Des Moines
When a Job Meets a Passion
I think a main feature of being young is to receive constant lectures about what it means to be young and how you should behave.
Some of it I’ve encountered just seems like unnecessary noise from people who are bitter they didn’t live their young lives like they feel like they’re owed (sorry guys). But if you’re able to dig past the regrets and longing, you’ll find that these folks are showing you how to make life rather than let life make you.
As the stresses pile in my life recently - new jobs, new home, new doctors, new insurances, new everything - I’m reminding myself of the most important lesson that those older than me have so kindly imparted; change is good, and there’s no better time to make a big leap than when you’re young.
This year’s big leaps came in the form of new jobs for my fiance and me and a move to Des Moines.
Matt, my fiance, began his new job with Camp Hertko Hollow first (another day, I’ll go into more detail about this place and what it means to us). We knew that meant we would one day need to make our move towards central Iowa, so I began poking around to see who was hiring.
I don’t know if I believe in fate, but something in the ether aligned when I stumbled across a LinkedIn job posting from CultureALL.
CultureALL is a nonprofit promoting and celebrating the cultural diversity in Iowa. Our organization brings multicultural experiences to classrooms, community spaces, and workplaces, through Cultural Ambassador workshops, the Open Book project, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consulting. Check out the website if you’d like to learn more.
I began my position as the Community Journalist with CultureALL on January 30th, taking on content writing, social media management, and various marketing tasks. Not only am I creating for a living, but I’m creating content that connects humans and promotes kindness and acceptance - exactly what I’d hoped to do with this newsletter.
If you’re interested in the type of work I’ll be doing, check out my first blog post for CultureALL. I spoke with educators at Willowbrook Elementary School in Altoona (where my brother’s girlfriend teaches) about their Multicultural Day with CultureALL. These effects of these experiences for students were beyond what I realized was possible.
Since I’ve started, I’ve had the privilege of attending several Ambassador workshops. RJ, strumming his traditional guitars from Mexico; Pragnya moving through the dances of India; Miki folding her paper in the ancient art of origami - it’s through art that I’ve been able to travel the world these last few weeks.
Art and the ability to express oneself are inherent pieces of the human existence, and one of the most heartfelt ways to connect with one’s culture. Art teaches us about the history of a group of people, the climate of their region, how their language has evolved throughout centuries of influence. Art is a vehicle for understanding and accepting difference and valuing new experiences.
CultureALL’s mission includes people of all ages to new multicultural experiences to enhance inclusive behaviors. To encourage us to see the beauty in people different from us. Coming into contact with these Ambassador workshops offers someone a window into a world that’s different from theirs, and a way to understand the different levels of humanity.
We can’t afford to lose art in the Midwest. We can’t afford to lose diversity in the Midwest. When we lose art and diversity, we lose interesting and unique ideas; we lose growth and transformation. As I’m writing here about how to live a sustainable creative life in the Midwest and highlight artistic opportunities to the region, CultureALL is working to create a more inclusive environment in Iowa (and hopefully the greater Midwest) that will allow us to live a sustainable emotional life - a life outlined with joy and connection.
Writing about all of this is a privilege, and I’m excited to explore even deeper.
The Midwest Creative is a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. Please check out the work of my colleagues and consider subscribing to their work.
Congratulations on your recent move and new position. How exciting! And it's true that those of us old enough to know better do sometimes let life regrets negatively impact our actions and behavior...thanks for (nicely) calling us out.