We've been meeting also with the lovely ladies of Robert Garcia's office, the councilman, focusing on finding a space. Hopefully somewhere on Pine. The idea did not appeal to me at first, but the more I spend time on Pine and work there (the Infinite is there, the Yoga studio and Evan Kelly's/LB!Creative has their spot there too) the more I think it would be an awesome fit for LLF. We'll see what happens, keep casting the net.
Started Long Beach Leadership this past August. Honey...lemme say, it's more than a notion. I say that primarily because of the weekend retreat that we took up to Big Bear. A blast in a lot of ways, but grueling. I'm bound by contractual agreement not go into what we did (just kidding :-) well almost ) but really, it was a necessary part of my development, not just as a leader, but as a human being. I think everyone should go up there and do the stuff we did. Back on the ground here, I'm working to create a once a week fitness program that will enhance folk's usual workout, the purpose of this one is to build neural pathways in the brain to continue building and growing. Exciting. I try to run as much as possible and keep myself fit, living here in LBC that's easy since the beach is right there. It's also a walking town. So walks here are never boring. These are some of the things that not only inspire me about being here, but also enable to me envision how it is that we can use creativity to fulfill our mission, which is to inspire children to greatness through creativity and the arts.
Right now I am very excited about incorporating chapters from "W0rking With Joy: Creating Sustainability Through Love and Movement" into this blog. The idea is that we talk to people we have worked with here in Long Beach in this movement, children's orgs; art galleries; social networking outfits; all who have come together to enhance the spirit of this city by bringing people together and making the lives of children better...talk to these people and share here with you how we are tapping into sustainability through our efforts. Like I said yo...it's work, but it's worth it. I interviewed one head about sustainability and she was like..."have I ever seen it? I hear about it all the time, but I don't know if we're really doing it." She and I agreed, like I said, that it's alot of work. And it is...but once again, worth it.
Is sustainability through the arts this elusive principle...this place that we arrive at? or is it always already happening? That is a question for the ages, but I really want to delve into it, because not-for-profits need to know :-) Know what I mean? Living Love needs to know. We must build in sustainability from the ground up and fit it into anything we endeavor to create programmatically. The days of charitable giving are coming to a close, when programs can float on their own, that's the best. We'll flesh it out, take the best and run with it...I think that's all for now. See you soon :-) Kelly
