Leadership

During my senior year focused on ceramic art, I had the opportunity to participate in the student organization Mudworks. This organization was formed to provide students with an opportunity to work on outside projects such as pottery sales and field trips to lectures and exhibits.  Most often students participate in organizations to gain leadership and organizational experience.  As a returning student in the adult phase of life and having already gained leadership and organizational experience, I chose to focus most of my contribution to the group on providing supportive guidance and creative ideas. I did not feel comfortable seeking a formalized leadership role as others in the organization have more to benefit. This position reflects the values I place on leadership, the value of allowing others to succeed and demonstrate their abilities. This is a value as it reflects the importance of allowing others to grow.

 

Utilizing Mudworks as an opportunity to help peers with their development has been an achievable objective.  The president of Mudworks had applied for the graduate program in ceramics at MSU which allowed me to provide encouragement and guidance. For a majority of the members, I spend time encouraging their participation in planning and ideas.  There have also been opportunities for processing feedback, such as the outcome of the pottery sales. I also contributed to the organization by providing time to drive students on field trips and set up reservations.

 

I lead in this group Leading by just being positive. One of my objectives of showing leadership within the ceramics department is to take time out and give positive reinforcement to others and their work. Providing random compliments and positive suggestions will help create a more productive

and creative atmosphere in the ceramic studio. My life experience has taught me that spending most, if not all, of your leadership time on positive reinforcement leads to much more productivity than the use of any negative reinforcement. This contribution was important in the fact it helped create a more welcoming environment for students.

 

Within the world of art, the leadership style is typically laissez-faire as the work that is being done is not critical. The active aspect of leadership is making the effort to encourage the participation of peers in the Mudworks activities, such as attending field trips or volunteering time or work to put into the pottery sale. People who choose art as a career path typically do not have risk-taking personalities, or narcissistic stress-seeking and do not respond well to authoritarian leadership. Given my previous career, which required authoritarian leadership, using a more relaxed approach has been a pleasant change in style.

 

My experience with leadership participation in Mudworks has reinforced my understanding of the various types of leadership styles and the need to understand how and when to use each style. We reviewed our strengths and weaknesses during the first honors course and learned about leadership styles. If anything, this experience has allowed me to feel more confident in my leadership skills as I found my leadership skills are autonomic. Realizing where I am with my leadership skills, I can take a more active role when leadership is needed. In my previous career, authoritarian leadership skills were required due to the critical nature of the work. Within art, leadership is more laissez-faire, allowing for creativity within individuals and groups.

 

Within the art community, there are many opportunities for a person to apply leadership skills. Moving forward I hope that I will be able to use the skills I have developed to participate in leadership roles, through teaching, organizing, and collaborating with artists.  Successful artists do not work in isolation and are often engaged within an artist community.  With a better understanding of how leadership works within a community of artists, I can see myself being more successful at leadership. What I learned from this experience is leadership at all levels matters to the success of an individual and/or group.

 

Leadership can positively or negatively impact others, as evidenced by my past experiences. On the negative, poor leadership can lead to hostile or unproductive work environments. Most people throughout their lives will encounter poor leadership and the outcome. Having learned from these experiences, I must make sure my leadership is positive and effective. Future application of leadership skills will be applied using the skills I have learned within the Honors Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.