This time of year prompts us to take stock in our surroundings, to show gratitude, and to celebrate with friends and family. I do believe I’ve been celebrating Thanksgiving for much of this year. Here’s why.
I had a big birthday this year, and it was meaningful for many reasons. People kept asking me how it felt, making sure I was ok with the milestone. I was more than ok with it, I embraced it and celebrated surrounded by my family and friends. I created more memories to add to the years of memories, and that was the best part.
Having a milestone birthday was the perfect time to reflect on the years before me and those ahead of me. Did I feel good about what I accomplished and who I became, and what did I want the years ahead of me to look like, and who would my next best person be? Answering those questions was very easy for me, so I slid into 50, knowing that the life experiences that shaped me would continue to guide me along the way.
Well, I had another one of those moments this week in NYC. I realized that not only had I turned 50, but my business had turned 25. Once again, I reflected on the time before and what laid ahead. I was in NY to co-market, with my best friend Marianne Campbell, where we hosted our 10th annual Art Producer Appreciation Party together. I was also scheduled to record my 45th podcast and to host portfolio shows with some of the best clients I have ever had a chance with whom to work. This time in NYC was the perfect way to celebrate.
While this isn’t new, the feeling of community is strong for me. I think it has been that way because what started as working relationships almost always transforms into friendships. And, 25 years later, those friendships still exist even with the people who are no longer in the business. At our party just last week, a few guests were art producers who had left the business but wouldn’t miss the party for the world!
Our business has changed immensely, and not one role is the same as it was when I started. But, what is the same is the importance of the relationships we have all built. As we all work to find ways to innovate in our ever-changing industry, I feel confident that it is the community we have all built together that will push us to become our next best selves.
