Do What Makes Your Heart Sing

posted 30th September 2011    Written by: Kristen    CATEGORY: All Posts, Family, Job/Career/Work, Kristen, Life Lesson, Season 5

My job as a museum curator is a big part of who I am.

I know people say you should not let your job define you, but for me, I am doing for pay what I would be doing for fun anyway. I know it may not sound like fun to many, but for me, it’s exactly what I wanted for my life, though I didn’t know it for many years that this was what was meant to be.

When I was a kid, I had dreams of being so many different things at various stages in life :cash register clerk at the local discount store, writer, pediatrician, lawyer, documentary film maker.

Growing up, my parents never put any exceptions on what my brother or I could do in school, extracurriculars, or work. They stressed education and I am very blessed and fortunate to say that because of their support in various forms, I was able to focus on my studies and interests because of that support.

In addition to the amazing family relationship we have, I am so thankful to them for who they raised me to be. They never pushed anything on me, though when I wanted to quit the French horn after a few lessons, they did make a fuss for me to continue ( they had paid in full and no way were they losing their money!)

For example, both my father and brother are artists and graphic designers; my brother from a very early age had an amazing drawing ability, as well as could make anything or fix anything ( he fixed my VCR once with parts from his remote control car). He has an awesome imagination, can think quick on his feet, and loves doing artistic things. The artistic ability was all used up on him it seems.

We used to have ‘arts and crafts’ nights as kids when my dad would give us a project for the weekend to work on; I remember a Thanksgiving themed project where David made a fantastic turkey out of tissue paper; I had a sticky glue mess on construction paper ( and I’m guessing I had more glue on my hands and clothes than on the paper).

But my lack of artistic ability was OK. In fact, my penchant for books, history, and school became my strong suit very early on. I loved going to school- I asked for extra assignments ( yea I’m THAT girl), did my own research projects, anything to absorb more information.

I used to think for awhile that because I was not as artistically inclined as my brother, that it meant I wasn’t creative. It took me awhile to learn that the short stories I would write or the way that I arranged my porcelain dolls on the shelf was an expression of creativity as well. And those were things I loved.

That combined with learning and researching- those were things that made me excited. I went into college thinking that museum work might be a good fit for me because it was a way for me to combine my passion for history and learning with a discipline that I found interesting. I always loved going to museums- in fact, when we went on vacations, everyone in the family got to choose something to do. For me, it was always museum or historic sites.

Sophomore year of college I went to the career center to have the director help me with my resume for internships in museums. When I went into her office, the first thing I saw was a sign above her desk that said in big bold pink letters: DO WHAT MAKES YOUR HEART SING. So simple, but it hit me over the head. No one, not even my parents, who had supported any endeavor I ever went on, had told me that.
And since then I’ve been on the path to finding the thing that makes my heart sing.

It’s always been about history, art, research, writing. It has changed and evolved as I have tried out different types of jobs within the museum field. Working on exhibits, researching and interpreting collections are my favorite thing; the current job I have now, where I have been for three years this month, is doing exactly that- and I couldn’t be happier. Yes, of course, there are frustrating days dealing with people or situations, but most of those fall under the “other duties as assigned.” But I believe so strongly in the work I do- preserving, interpreting, educating about history, art, and culture- that it allows me to overcome those moments with some ease.

The work fulfills me, captivates me- and it makes my heart sing because it is meaningful work. Contributing to society- even if in a small way by preserving artifacts and history for generations to come- is important. What I do in comparison to the rest of the world who are solving real problems and dealing with disease, famine and poverty- that is amazing work. What I do is small, but rewarding, and important too.

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about next steps in my career and what I want to do next. I love the idea of working with smaller museums and local historical societies to help them connect better to their communities and history. I want to do more research and a lot more writing too. I think a lot about going back to grad school for my PhD, but after being in school for eighteen straight years (!!), I very much enjoy reading and writing what I want on my own schedule.

As I’m figuring out life on my own, I’m very lucky to have the stability of a great job so I won’t be making any big changes in the career area any time soon. But I’m always thinking about ways to further fulfill my insatiable quest for learning and curiosity, and always, always doing what makes my heart sing.

Photo Credit: [ Women working during World War II, one of my interests via Wikimedia Commons]

 

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Comments (11)

11 Responses to “Do What Makes Your Heart Sing”

  • Ash Says:
    September 30th, 2011 at 9:17 am

    So inspiring and wonderful!

    Heard some oldie-but-goodie lyrics yesterday as my iPod flipped on random – India Arie's "Video" has this great bit that says: "Get in where you fight and go on and shine." Tying that to "Do what makes your heart sing" definitely gives me two great touchstones. Thanks!

    (Also – what a wonderful gig to get paid for what you would want to do anyway! I've got some of that going on and it feels like magic. I'm with ya', girlie!)

  • HannahD Says:
    September 30th, 2011 at 10:57 am

    Is just "Jealous." an appropriate comment? I LOVE that you have found something that is so perfectly suited to you. I like hearing about people who love their careers because more often than not people are complaining about their jobs. Nice to know happiness at work does exist! :)

    oh, P.S. I was "that girl" in school too…did you also get 105%s on projects? :)

  • KristenCF Says:
    October 1st, 2011 at 8:43 am

    Oh love that India Arie song too :) Cheers to you for job happiness too!

  • KristenCF Says:
    October 1st, 2011 at 8:45 am

    You're on your way there too Hannah! Your photos show how much you love your work and soon I know you'll be doing what you want to your heart's content :)
    105 or A++ definitely was always a great thing to see.

  • Kat Says:
    October 1st, 2011 at 4:47 pm

    Kristen, I think it is AWESOME that you love what you do! I'm slowly on the path to finding that thing… I really enjoyed reading about how you found your own creative path in your family, and the reminder that there are so many different ways to express that!

  • laurenne_s Says:
    October 1st, 2011 at 5:48 pm

    Yay! I'm so happy for you to have found your passion. Pretty much everyone I know right now has NO IDEA yet! Also, I was that girl toooooo! Me, you and Hannah were pissing everyone off with our extra credits!
    I can't imagine what it's like to curate a museum! I think that is SO CREATIVE.

  • OhMyLaskmy Says:
    October 2nd, 2011 at 9:46 am

    I love hearing stories like this one. I love hearing family involvement and how much your parents helped shape your ethics, values, and creativeness. I am a teacher, so I deal a lot of with parents and children, and often wish that all parents did the same. I see so much of a difference in children in a classroom, intellectually, and socially when parents are involved in that way. Love that you love what you do. So do I. Keep striving!

  • KristenCF Says:
    October 2nd, 2011 at 2:50 pm

    Thanks Laurenne– when I'm dealing with tourists and silly requests from vendors it's sometimes difficult to remember the creative side of the job, but I will admit it's definitely pretty cool about 95% of the time :)

  • KristenCF Says:
    October 2nd, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    :) You are totally on the path to finding your thing– your big trip is a giant step I think :)

  • KristenCF Says:
    October 2nd, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    It is awesome to hear you love your job too– what you do in educating the "young minds of America" is amazing- patience, passion, and drive in the face of budget cuts, bureaucracy, and all the other pressures is something I cannot even imagine. In addition to my parents and family, I had a handful of teachers who helped me along in ways that impacted various steps of my journey. So thank you for the wonderful and important work you do!

  • Elyse Says:
    October 2nd, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    I can completely relate to your feelings about working in an educational setting that exhibits wonderous things! It is an incredible accomplishment on your part knowing yourself well enough to find what you love to do. I need to take a lesson out of your book!

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