No. 11: Grace

It's been a while since I've made a blog post. Even longer since I’ve consistently posted on IG. Physical and energetic burn out has been the cause of the unintentional pause. Then add the nuance of November 2024, I've needed a reset. I have to admit I have also been a bit exhausted from consuming so much information all at once. As someone who has been pretty much freelancing on this historic preservation journey, I'm always in learning mode while finding and creating opportunities to apply what I'm learning with a touch of creativity. (Just writing that last sentence was a mouthful). Historic preservation is an area of study that is part text book and part intuitive. Those of us who deeply lean into the intuitive part have to pave our own path and often create our own blueprint. A blueprint with a bunch of scribbles and sketches that may not make sense at first.

I have spoken to other preservationists from novice to professional who share the same sentiments. The burnout. Trying to find consistency in generating content and work that is useful for the audience as well as profitable for themselves. 

Then there is the attack on preservation with the funding cuts, the fake empathy for DEI and the never ending injustice and exploitation of “underserved” communities. Sigh I wonder what preservation will look like going forward. The industry will need to be an anchor to protect what is being erased. It's a heavy load that will be heavier for some than others. Small budgets may be getting smaller. Grant funding is going away. People will choose profit over community. 

I don’t know if anyone has the answers. I most certainly don’t. What I do know is that we must be patient with ourselves during this time. I know it's easier said than done but we have a long road ahead. Post content if you want. Take a break if you want. However, don’t give up. Keep showing up. Those big leaps may need to become baby steps and that's OKAY. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. 

The powers that be will continue to make it challenging. Harder to do the work you are passionate about. Yet we don’t have to harden ourselves. 

You may not have found your niche today or even a year from now. Yet don’t let those ideas fade. Tuck it away in a notebook. It will resurface when it's ready for execution. 

Above all else. Give yourself grace. 

“Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.”-Maya Angelou