Odin’s Art Award Journey

Reflection 1

I have been making notes throughout this process on how my leadership is going within marketing. This week I have been jotting down ideas on names of the exhibition as this will really help me when advertising and creating the project. I did some marketing research and spoke to my Uncle and Auntie who are experienced with marketing. Catchy , small amounts of words attracts an audience and its easier to remember, like Facebook , Instagram and Nucleus Arts. I came up with the following and then shared via What’s app with the group . I thought it was best to decide as a group what our exhibition will be called as its something we are all sharing. I think at first I found it easier to come forward with ideas via text messages. It took time to build confidence and I took ownership over my ideas and work. Therefore at first I think text messages were a bit of a safety blanket.

We managed to achieve a name for the exhibition which was a great focal point for me as now I could build on this , the rest of my marketing ideas.

Reflection 2  

I created  an action plan at the beginning and I also was determined to think of all things marketing. I knew posters and flyers at the Nucleus Art centre would help advertise our event so I began to look at colour and designs. I wanted to make it bold and attractive to get attention. I also looked at different designs , for example artsy to simplistic I researched colours and their psychological impact to the “spectator”. I really loved making the posters and I took a lot of pride in doing them. I again felt like I needed to get it “ right” . I think I need to grow comfortable with not getting things right straight away. I took the “ mock ups” to our next session in line my action plan but Rose wasn’t it that day so we decided to discuss as a group over what’s app again and decide collectively. The group really liked the options and we took a vote and agreed on the poster below.

So far my journey as a marketing manager has been running smoothly. Rose, Charlotte and Penny really listen to my ideas and take on board my suggestions. I feel my confidence is growing and that I can also share my ideas in class now without feeling awkward. What has been great is that at first entering the art award the only boy and the youngest I didn’t know how I would fit in. But I feel we all work very well together and I don’t think me being the only boy has made the slightest difference.

The only thing we didn’t  agree on is that I wanted a name for the group, something to call ourselves to help advertise it but it was decided that as we were part of Nucleus Art that we just used that instead.

Reflection 3

A few weeks ago I came up with the idea to do a virtual Facebook tour and promotional video to advertise our exhibition. The team and tutors seemed to be excited about this idea however a little nervous and perhaps out of all our comfort zones. Nobody at first wanted to join me in this as they felt awkward and uncomfortable. I too was nervous and had never done anything like this before. I wrote a script to make it easier and something I could practice. Again it needed to be catchy, hold attention and not too long. We decided to do it outside as Nucleus arts is bright, welcoming and has some nature. Please see below our promotional video with Rose. Rose although uncomfortable agreed to work with me which was great and I think it was something we both grew from. I was happy to have a team member support me in this. I think it took us out of our comfortable zone which I think is needed for self-development.

Reflection 4

Today was the day of the exhibition. I nearly missed the timings for the Facebook live as was stuck in traffic. This made me anxious and stressed but I communicated with the team that I was on my way! Thankfully I made it in time. The group were quite reluctant to do the Face book live, even though we were not speaking to anyone directly we were nervous. We had more comfort in the exhibition as it was family and friends only. None of us had ever worked on a platform such as this so it was daunting . I reassured and encouraged the group , I felt I was empathic and able to understand their feelings of discomfort. I feel I communicated with the group well and we all came together on the day and really listened to one another. I depended on the group to participate in the virtual tour on Facebook . I think it went really well and it helped us get ready for the exhibition. We all could breathe easier after the Facebook virtual tour was completed. I am so happy that together we all achieved this.

Below is my feedback from my tutors,

Odin, from our weekly meetings at the centre, it has been brilliant to see how well you are working with the rest of the group and establishing your role as ‘’ is well suited to the leadership strengths you have already identified, ‘organisation’ being a strong skill for you.

In Parts A & B you have outlined some good plans of how you are going to make this ‘exhibition’ project work, and what your role as a leader will be.  Now in Part C, whilst delivering this project you need to remember to reflect upon your original goals to keep you on track.

As you are very strong at organising and identifying tasks, I am keen to see how you will challenge yourself to develop your confidence.  I can already see development in your communication skills, when you have talked about preparing all your resources and equipment for the exhibition and who you have assigned to the different roles. I’m looking forward to seeing how you will continue to develop your confidence and communication skills, not only when working with your team, but how you will do this with your audience.

I thought it was a brilliant idea to set up a What’s app group to keep communication going between your team members. In your evaluation you might like to reflect if this was the best form of communication or whether you felt our weekly group meetings were more effective.

From the meetings we have had so far, I have seen that you are an excellent listener and strive to support your team members. This is a credit to you and I would like to see you not only take confidence from this but also strive to ensure you are leading your team and having your vision realised.

When you have been talking to Charlotte (in her curators role) about the installation of the exhibition and wanting to create an ‘immersive experience’, I’m wondering how you will agree to do this and how you feel it adds to the audience’s experience.

Leading this project, you have shown me that you are able to set yourself a clear role and tasks to complete from your ‘Action Plan’, as well as assigning tasks for your team.  I look forward to seeing some feedback from Charlotte and Penny about how you are as a leader and if you have managed to develop your chosen Leadership Skills.  Hosting your exhibition virtually as well as physically will also give you a chance to collect feedback from a range of audiences and give you an opportunity to see how you work with others in setting up and delivering this exciting event.

Keep up the good work! It’s great to see how motivated you are and I’m looking forward to experiencing your exhibition.