HOLDING TENSIONS: On Sharing Power & Getting the Work Done

BY KATIE RAINEY

What does it mean to build a creative future as a collective? What is my role as a leader? 

I’ve been thinking a lot about the work that’s been done at Creative Generation this year, prior to me joining the collective: What does it mean for an organization to reflect on this path while inviting new voices into the mix?

As the new Director of Communications, these questions are consistently at the forefront of the work I do. As a leader in the arts education field, I think a lot about holding the tension between sharing power and just getting the work done. It’s particularly poignant in this new position because the role essentially calls for me to put forth the voice of the organization, leaving me wondering, “How do I balance collective voice with amplifying that voice, i.e. getting the work done?” Because, as I like to say to folks I’m training in the field, “community work is not easy work.”

A Mindset Shift

For me, it really helps to say, “this thing does not belong to me.” The thing being anything I’m a part of: an organization, a collaborative project, a committee, etc. For example, when I say that to myself about the work I do over at the Teaching Artists Guild (TAG) as one of the Co-Executive Directors, it becomes less about getting everything done perfectly and more about how the parts come together and impact each stakeholder in the organization: my fellow Co-EDs, our National Advisory Committee members, and the myriad of teaching artists across the country who make up our network. 

I see my role as a TAG Co-ED not as the person in charge, but as the person there to serve my colleagues and those I supervise. It’s not about me completing a project, but about the way I create support systems to serve those doing the work. We recently brought on a new Co-ED at TAG, Kerry Warren, and she’s helping us build the structure for hiring teaching artists who may not have had all the experiences traditionally necessary to become an Executive Director. My current Co-ED and Director of Learning at CG, Heleya de Barros, and I have had a lot of experience in administration and leadership in the field, so we were both poised to step into a co-leadership role. However, that’s not the goal of the work we do at TAG. We want to create entry points to leadership for teaching artists of all backgrounds, which means we’re often looking at folks that don’t have those typical administrative and leadership skills. Knowing that this is our goal means letting go of a lot of things that don’t serve that purpose and focusing on those that do. 

So, to shift your mindset, think:

  1. This kind of work is hard work, and that’s okay!

  2. My work is part of a whole: How can my contributions serve the contributions of others?

  3. Let go of things that don’t serve your mission, and focus on those that do!

Unlearning Perfectionism to Share Power

As Director of Communications at Creative Generation, this weighs on all the work that I do. Even though I am a “director,” one of CG’s values is stewarding youth power and that translates to shared power. So how do I balance the work of a director with sharing that power and giving autonomy to those I oversee? It’s a delicate balance and speaks largely to perfectionism in white supremacy culture. 

Certainly as a leader, I have to let go of the notion that there is one right way to do things, and recognize that if we are truly building a collective that means building an organization that consists of multiple ways of seeing, communicating, and doing the work. Here are some things I’ve learned on this journey:

  • When editing articles and blogs, I do my best to let go of the systems of revision I’ve been taught and instead hold space for things like voice, intent, ideas, and language. 

  • When interacting with others on social media and sharing resources, I try to think about others in the collective and reflect what they want to see and put forth. 

  • When collaborating with others, I first absorb their ideas, address creative problem-solving, and then see where my skills can help support that work. 

More to Come

As far as experiences with shared power, certainly the collective at Creative Generation is the biggest one I’ve yet encountered and I anticipate it will bring new challenges as I dive deeper into the work. With so many voices, there’s no one right way to approach this work and for guidance, I aim to uplift the voices of those I oversee and work with in order to balance this tension as healthy and positively as possible. Because this thing does not belong to me. It belongs to us all.