By Melissa King
“It’s just about being you and being cool with that. And I think when you’re authentic, you end up following your heart, and you put yourself in places and situations and conversations that you love and that you enjoy. You meet people that you like talking to. You go places you’ve dreamt about. And you end up following your heart and feeling very fulfilled.”
-Carmine Gallo, Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds
This is the time of year that people reflect on the past and set goals for the future. For me, the start of 2022 means that my second semester in Stephen F. Austin University’s Resource Communications MS program is approaching quickly.
Before that, I wanted to reflect on what I have learned from the past few months and share. Here are ten things that I got out of my first semester in grad school studying interpretation:
- I enjoy nature journaling. I sat outside and took in everything around me, making notes and later drawing the things I heard and saw. I wrote poems. I downloaded apps and used them to help me identify native plants and animals. I did this prior to grad school but now do it with fervor. You do not have to be a skilled artist to benefit from nature journaling. Drawing is not one of my strengths, but it’s about the process and what you get out of it more so than your ability to replicate things perfectly.
- There are many different approaches to writing, interpreting, and learning. Two of my favorite new perspectives were from the books Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath, and Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo. I highly recommend both. They are fun to read and have good information that can be easily applied to your interpretation. I’m using some of the content as inspiration for upcoming interpretation training at work.
- Practicing writing for recreation makes you better at doing it professionally. I know this seems obvious, but honestly, how many of us write for work but don’t write much outside of that? Through practicing different writing styles for both assignments and recreation, I can see my writing improving.
- Read, listen, watch. Seek to learn from a variety of resources that are different mediums. Read books and articles, listen to audio, watch YouTube videos.
- There is always more to learn. This is one that I already knew, but was reinforced. We should never stop growing. If you feel like you haven’t learned anything new in awhile, if you are too comfortable, it’s time to try something different and challenging.
- The importance of storytelling. I read and listened to incredible storytellers this semester. It made me realize that it’s a technique that I definitely need to work on. I’m hooked on Shelton Johnson!
- I like reading nonfiction nature and cultural essays. I was exposed to new writers and interpretive talks. I’d dipped my toes in the water with Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac and John Muir, etc., but this semester I dove in and found I really like it.
- Make new products to stretch your interp muscles. I made a brochure for the first time in my 10+ years in the field. It sounds easy. Making it look professional, establishing purpose, figuring out what goes where, and filtering exactly what info you need for the audience because you don’t have much space is harder than I thought it would be. My mind is now more open to thinking outside of my usual box on what forms of interpretive media I use in my job.
- Take risks. It’s okay if things don’t turn out like you intended. It’s important to emphasize that even the most experienced professionals create interpretive products and programs that don’t work as hoped. Learn from it, make changes, and try again.
- You cannot do it all and that is okay. Plan ahead, be realistic, and know that it’s sometimes impossible to do everything you feel you need to do. That’s okay. Juggling work, school, and everything else in life isn’t always easy. Give yourself some credit for all you do accomplish and learn to let the lower priority things go every now and then.`
In 2022 – How will you be your authentic self? What will you do to follow your passions?
A couple photos of my nature journal below.
NAI - The Sunny Southeast Region 