The title of this post says it all. This summer is truly "California Dreaming." Landing myself this summer at Greenway Arts Alliance (GAA), in the department, Greenway Court Theatre (GCT), as a producing intern had been a beautiful, beautiful dream. But to get HERE wasn't as beautiful as you may think...
Surrounded by peers full of talent and accomplishments, I was feeling a bit defeated when I applied and reached out to a number of different internship positions in California and did not hear back from them at all. I began to question how will I gain the knowledge and experience I needed if no one took a chance on me. I kept reassuring myself with positive thoughts and that my time will come. But of course, the worries and fears always crept in. It was weeks later when a tiny speck of hope peeked through; I got an interview at GAA. Two weeks later, I received the offer of the producing intern position, along with the words, "your business background and passion for the arts and community would be a great fit." These words alone meant so much to me. Throughout my undergraduate college career thus far, I have come across so many individuals who did not see how business and creativity fit together. Each one questioned why a person who is interested in the entertainment world of theatre, tv, and film be a business major. It was upon seeing those words upon my screen, staring at me, that I knew that someday, what I do will be understood. That someday was May 13.
This full-time ten-week internship was full of growing, learning, and continuous self-discovery I will never forget. As a producing intern, I learned so much that goes into putting on a production in a non-profit theatre. It was incredible to see what I learned in my business classes in a real-world setting and put the skills I learned into action. I was able to do the best of both worlds theatre: the business aspect and the creative/production aspect. It allowed me to immerse myself in the theatre world, where my passion for production began. Being a part of the pre-production stage, whether it was creating marketing plans for the productions for the 19/20 season, doing community outreach, assisting in casting auditions, and drafting various contracts and agreements, was beyond what I could imagine. Seeing the building blocks of each production and how much theatre affects and connects people in a lasting way different from film and television was quite something.
It took this summer internship to make me realize how much art has been a part of my life. Early on, it's been there when I needed it, whether to get through the tough times to understanding myself better. It's crazy how everything I do, from my past to my present has always been related to art in some form of fashion its in and much more. The beauty of it is it comes in so many different forms, allowing each one of us to be artists even when we don't realize it. Bakers, architectures, writers, producers, accountants, and scientists are all artists, among many others. Art can be found in every facet of life and community. For me, I know art will always be in my life, be my escape, and be my future.
I want to thank GAA for being my second home in the summer. So grateful for all the wonderful people I’ve met throughout this internship and all the memories and stories I’ll keep with me for a lifetime. Big shout out and big thanks to Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture for giving foster and adoptive youth and undergraduate students the opportunity to experience full-time 10 week internships in non-profit arts organizations. Honored to be a part of 203 LACDAC Interns, Class of 2019. A bigger shout out to my family for putting up with my new schedule this summer. My family is my biggest support system and I am honestly don't know what I do without them, always believing in me.
The reason I want to share this story with you all is that there will be so many times in life that will knock you down. I want you to know YOU are not alone on this. It's a journey every single person goes through, just differently. Keep doing what you are doing and know things will work out on their own. Always believe and always dream your wildest of dreams.
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