Lots has changed since last year, so short post to get through it all, then a bit more on the future. Peace Corps ended early due to medical issues. Bummer. Back in Ann Arbor for a bit. Fun. Going to Brooklyn at the end of January. To live. Awesome. Going to seek my fortune in event planning services . Gonna start working the minute I hit the pavement, so look out NYC!
Also looking to get involved in various cool things in the area. Free schools, urban gardening, Co-ops, community projects. While Peace Corps has helped me move away from volunteer and non-profit work as a profession, I still bleed co-op and there's no question I will be staying involved in community and co-operative projects no matter where I am. I just won't be basing my life around them.
I've upgraded my life significantly in preparations for this move. New technology, new outfits, new haircut. I am now at the cutting edge of 21st century communication channels and am feverishly working to master my new tools before putting them to work in the wild fields of the concrete jungle.
I am starting a new business. Many have been eager to hear details of this, and I have now solidified my thoughts into something concrete enough that its vision can be articulated on the public forum. The business will start as an event planning contract service, offering base packages for weddings, anniversaries, reunions, graduations and other momentous family and life occasions. I will also be offering event planning services for businesses and corporations, for events ranging from meetings and parties to conferences and presentations.
Why am I diving head first into an arena in which I have minimal professional experience, you might ask? Well, the answer is simple: appearance. Success in areas such as this require the professional to appear as valuable as possible. Of course, charisma, ambition, persistence and hard work are all important, but those are all requisites to even considering becoming a successful event planner in New York. The fact of the matter is, when in the presence of bears, one must make oneself look as big as possible. What will set me apart from the rest, I believe, are my values, my beliefs, and my age.
My personal values are very important to me. I value all voices equally, I take all opinions into consideration. I am a socially conscious person. I will work hard to ensure that all events I put on will be appropriate to the context in which the event takes place.
Time holds a prominent place on my list of values, as it is very important not to waste. I am not an idle person. I work very well under pressure. I am an ideas man, they come to me constantly. I value hard work and I do not tolerate irresponsibility in the workplace.
I believe that events should be an extension not of the person who plans it, but of the community it is being put on for. For that reason, I will strive to solicit as much input and creativity from members of that community as possible to give every event I put on a personal touch that participants can relate to and connect with.
I believe in the power of personal connection. I strive to create strong professional relationships with any person or group I believe could offer a valuable resource to my business. Because of this, as I become more established in New York I will be able to offer more and more personal reccommendations and references, which in turn will increase references back to me. I believe in the network, and I believe in friends.
Finally, though you may not think it, I plan on turning my age into a positive aspect as well. At 25, I am just starting the prime of my life. I'm not going anywhere any time soon, and there is no question that my business, assuming it is successful, will continue without me in NYC once I do decide to move on to my next project. Therefore, those who contract with me now will get the assurance of a reliable, long-term connection that delivers with the utmost focus on quality and satisfaction.
I am currently calling the business Context Event Planning Services, or Context Events for short.
So there it is. I'm going pro! Bring it on, world, I'm ready for ya.
