My Summer As An Intern At #AllTheArts

My Summer as an Intern for #AlltheArts!

Hello everybody! I am Taylor Tweedell, and this summer I served as Arts Quincy’s 2018 Intern. In the past few months I was given the amazing opportunity to work with this awesome organization, and I have grown as both a person and a businesswoman because of it. The lessons I have learned at Arts Quincy have been invaluable, and I want to share a few of them with you!

1. Quincy is Fun! I have lived in Quincy my entire life, and before this internship I found myself guilty of saying “There’s nothing to do here,” but boy was I wrong. There is almost too much to do! Between all of the arts organizations Arts Quincy partners with, there is always an event, activity or class available for you to participate in. Many of the events on the AQ calendar I would have never attended until this internship, but I had so much fun participating in them. I encourage everybody to pick some arts events that you have never tried before and test them out! As I previously mentioned in one of my AQ blogs, “Many people do not know that they love what they love until they try it.”

2. Trying Again a Good Thing During my internship, I had the opportunity to help Arts Quincy write a grant for funds to benefit the Instant Arts program in area schools. This project intimidated me, and neither my first or second drafts were what Arts Quincy was looking for. So, I continued editing my writing by taking the critiques I had gotten and applying them. This process helped me not only to better understand how to write a grant, but it also impressed upon me that trying again is essential to learning. There's always a learning curve when we try something new, and if we use that as motivation rather than discouragement, we can achieve great things.

3. Arts Quincy’s Staff Rocks! This was probably one of my favorite lessons to learn during my internship. This community is truly so blessed to have such dedicated and caring women running the AQ organization. These women encouraged me, taught

me and befriended me while fulfilling their own responsibilities: creating this magazine, attending arts events, raising their children and, in the case of Office Manager Kelsey Deters, working another job in the arts! It is incredible how much these women care about making all forms of art available to everyone in our community. Next time you see them at an event, thank them for all that they do to make Quincy’s art community flourish!

4. There is an Organization for Everyone Arts Quincy has so many wonderful arts organizations that they partner with, and there is truly something for everyone! From the Quinsippi Needleworkers to the Quincy Public Library and Quincy Civic Music Association, and the other 53 orgs, there are tons of areas to get involved and use your talents to serve the artistic community here in Quincy! These partner organizations also offer a variety of activities, concerts, etc., and Arts Quincy will work with you to help you find an arts activity you enjoy.

Taylor Tweedell, Bob Havens and Laura Sievert

5. The Quincy Art Community is Inspirational! During my summer with Arts Quincy, I was able to attend several arts rehearsals and shows. Throughout these events, I met some of the most inspirational and encouraging people. I wrote a blog about the Muddy River Opera’s Magic Flute performance, and after interviewing the cast during rehearsal, I was reminded of all the great friends I have made through my involvement in the arts as a dancer.

6. There is Always Room to Improve During my internship, I was able to do live media including radio interviews, television and Facebook Live segments. After each, I'd review with Laura, the Arts Quincy director who does these live interviews every single week. She would give me tips on how to make my communication even more effective. These reviews helped me feel more confident about my delivery on the air. However, this philosophy of constant improvement goes far beyond my public speaking. Arts Quincy is always looking for ways to make the organization better and reach out to get more arts access more people, and it is so rewarding to work with people who who refuse to settle for mediocre work.

7. Writing is Fun! Before starting this internship, I was asked to submit a writing sample as part of my application. I often times do not enjoy writing, and this sample made me nervous that writing would be a big part of my internship. My suspicions were correct, and a large part of my time with Arts Quincy has been spent writing everything from blogs to Instagram captions. Even though this scared me, I learned that I actually love writing! Blogs have been a joy for me to work on and I am so grateful that Arts Quincy helped me find a writing style that I can enjoy and excel at!