Well, apparently I'm now an 'official' blogger. With anyone I've followed, I notice that somewhere along the lines, life interferes with their ability to blog on the appointed day, week or month. They feel terribly guilty for not meeting the commitment and write a long post about why they weren't around... but they also wonder why no one noticed and can end up choosing not to keep up with the blog...

So, April and May have been a wonderful whirlwind, and if I really am going to do this for personal accountability, then I'm back!

I took the advice I received from the YAF webinar about getting involved very seriously, amping up on past projects and finding gobs of new ones. It's a pleasure to see that we have such an active regional community available.

In a single week, I:

- attended another 'CDA' team meeting: this committee meets at the Geneva Business Improvement District to offer perspective on signage proposals, from whether they meet code to how successfully they seem to be marketing the entity in question. I've been on this committee for a year now, but not taking as active a role as possible. Since then, I've stepped up to help develop a brochure for marketing - and explaining - the process to prospective businesses. An exciting opportunity to 'do it right by doing it myself' and help produce positive change in a vibrant community that I.S:A calls home!

-  sat on a panel with four other professionals, hosted by the Emerging Rochester Architects of the Rochester AIA. We had all taken the ARE's at one point or another and answered questions, as well as shared our point of view, with more than twenty folks. It was a pleasure to help people better understand the process, and I only wish this had been available when I was taking the exams concurrently!

- toured the new Vignelli Center at RIT. This was so intensely rewarding and inspiring that I still haven't completely processed it - or the extensive notes & sketches I scribbled feverishly. The Vignellis have really had a profound impact on design culture and they reminded me that design really can permeate everything.

- toured the Artisan Works gallery with my husband, Chris, at our first Rochester Young Professionals social. What interested me most was that it had such a turn out, and that even in the crowd, with no plans to meet anyone and only knowing a few folks in all of Rochester - we met up with people I've spent time with before. This encouraged me to give RYP a chance!

- attended a gallery opening at the Wyoming County Arts Council on fiber arts, specifically to see an incredible fiber sculpture that had been advertised. I enjoyed the energy in the room, and was reminded how productive I can be towards my own projects when exposed to the art of others.

After that intensive week, I also:

- saw a presentation on how to maximize your use of  linked-in,
- attended my first Toastmasters event and decided that I should join,
- went to my first Small Business Council networking event and had a great time despite not knowing anyone,
- joined a committee to start a new Toastmasters club and took the marketing position,
- attended an RYP presentation called 'leveraging the entrepreneurial spirit,'


and that excludes the birthday, graduation, and mothers' day celebrations, and efforts to move!

So needless to say, I'm maxxed out on getting involved and need to decide where I can find the most joy, have the most impact and develop my personal goals through the organization.


Next month I'll be attending GHOST, and couldn't be more excited. After that, I should be able to reflect on all the direct and indirect ways I can grow as an Architect and as a member of the community and keep moving forward!