You never know where a RARE Americorps experience can take you! When I first started, I never thought that one of my side projects would grow into one of the coolest accomplishments of my professional life. Not only did I learn some bigger workplace and life lessons, but I discovered some of my own hidden talents along the way. So my advice to you is this: When faced with a challenge, say yes! You’ll be glad you did!

Take a half-baked idea and turn it into something great

My second day on the job my supervisor gave me something to keep me busy as I got my feet on the ground. It had been on the back burner for awhile and nobody ever quite found the time to get around to it. The project? A downtown employee brochure; something that people working downtown could check out for ideas of how to spend their lunch hour.

I was eager and jumped at the chance, but when I asked for some hard and fast guidelines of things that should definitely be included, I was met with few responses. It was a vague idea and my job to make it tangible and useful.

Build upon your skills and discover new strengths

I consider myself a fairly creative person and had done a little work in Microsoft Publisher before, but am by no means a graphic design whiz kid. I started with the things I knew and figured the rest out along the way.

• I was introduced to Adobe Illustrator and used it to create an awesome downtown map.
• I found a treasure trove of event photos in the office and took the camera out to shoot a few myself when I couldn’t find what I was looking for.
• Being new to town myself helped guide my choices of businesses to include as resources, as well as fun recreation and activity options. As an added plus, I got to know my new town very quickly because I was exploring and talking to business owners!

Throughout this process I came to realize that I possessed a knack for this design work, and I quite enjoyed it!

Surround yourself with a team of people who can set you up for success

I am lucky to work with a solid group of coworkers and community members who have supported me at every turn. Throughout the course of this project, they have served as great sounding boards to bounce ideas off and editors who could give me a fresh pair of eyes after I’d been looking at the project too long. Their interest in my professional development pointed me towards opportunities that I didn’t know existed, which made the final product that much better and contributed to my own growth.

Collaborate and welcome input, criticisms, and new ideas

In my opinion some of the best aspects of this project were not ideas of my own creation, but ideas volunteered by others at the table. Between a grant committee hashing it over, and bringing it before other project stakeholders to gather their input and their opinions, a much stronger and well-rounded product was created. Looking back at the first iteration of the brochure that I created that first week on the job compared to the professionally printed Discover Canby: Newcomers & Visitors Guide, the transformation is astounding. In the end, our synthesis of dozens of people’s half-formed ideas created a far superior result than any one person’s imagination could generate alone.

 SAY YES!

“Hey why don’t you tackle this downtown employee brochure project?” “While you’re at it, why don’t you make a tourist guide too?”

“Hey this grant deadline is next week. Why don’t you give it a shot?”

“Congratulations! But we don’t have enough funds for two brochures…Hey why don’t you combine them into one big brochure?”

“Hey this is cool! Why don’t you present it to city council?”

Throughout this process I was thrown into situations that were a little out of my depth. I stepped up and said yes to the above questions, and it changed everything.

Discover Canby Brochure-online version

Thinking about joining RARE AmeriCorps? Challenge yourself to jump in! Maybe you have never done anything like it before and aren’t even sure where to begin…do it anyway! And do it before the deadline of Friday, April 24, 2015!

 

About the Author: Mariah Dodson is a current member of the RARE Americorps Program assisting in Economic Development and the Main Street program in Canby, Oregon. When she’s not planning her next adventure, Mariah is struggling to cook and learn guitar. Mariah graduated from Gonzaga University with a Bachelor of Arts in History and minors in International Studies, Business, and Entrepreneurial Leadership.