The Commonality of Our Work Unites Us

We waited a long time for this conference. I attended the HCIM 2018 in Vienna, Austria. I look back at that meeting as a high point of that year. I was able to connect with artists I've known over the years, plus I was able to make some new connections at the conference in 2018. After four years of waiting, I can gladly say that the conference in 2022 lived up to my expectations. Of course, the meeting was postponed from October 2021 and moved to April 2022. 

The theme of the conference this year was "Connecting Worlds." I think that was an excellent theme for the meeting. I made an effort to meet as many people as possible. I believe the true benefit of the conference will be continuing some of these relationships and making these connections with other organizations and other artists stronger in the future. Each of our organizations may be slightly different. However, I believe the commonality of our work unites us. 

The high point for me was doing two presentations at the conference. One was a diversity workshop on behalf of the Drive Forward team. The second one is a presentation of my movement workshop called "Why Stop The Music.?" I was impressed by the willingness of several of the participants in the Drive-Forward workshop to open up and talk about their challenges addressing the diversity needs of their groups. I especially appreciated their openness in asking for advice. I believe I helped give them a direction to address their issues, but not an ultimate answer.

I enjoyed presenting my workshop "Why Stop The Music .?" I've done several versions of this workshop online and only a few in person. One of the conference highlights was leading a group of 30 or 35 artists in this workshop. It was such a joy to be in a room full of artists receptive and eager to participate in the workshop.

I was aware of artists and administrators talking about their challenges and successes in their work. Sharing these stories and these experiences can be beneficial for everyone. We can learn from each other's mistakes and successes and collaborate to improve things. I specifically remember hearing some folks talk about their challenges others could help with. Perhaps, we can develop a way of working through these issues together.

What was impactful for me at the conference was being at this meeting with other artists and administrators. The past two years of the pandemic have been challenging for many. So, it was pleasurable to be in a room full of people with the same interests. That dynamic was brought to light when two artists introduced themselves to me for the first time. I met both of them but only in previous Zoom meetings. We have talked about clowning and other issues virtually. It was nice to have them come up to me and introduce themselves. It was wonderful seeing them in person.