Coming Home . . . Part 1  

After my travels, it was time to come home to Edmonton, Alberta, and figure out my next steps in the museum working world. Of course wanted to find a paying job, and started by walking my resume around town and joining the provincial museum organization. I also continued on with the Air Force Reserve band on a part-time basis, both playing and researching the history of the band (see the article at the end of this post). I was open to volunteer work, and I found opportunities out there at a volunteer action centre. I gave my time to a community organization -- working bingos! -- and made two other commitments: one as a costumed interpreter at Fort Edmonton Park, and the other at the then-Provincial Museum of Alberta, the largest institution in town. 

The interpreter work was intriguing to me. I worked on 1885 Street, a 'pioneer' version of life on the prairies, and was given a costume to wear and a general script to work from. I could be in-character or not, as my job was to interpret life as it would / could have been in a farmhouse with a fire stove. I met visitors and worked on my cross-stitch, sometimes made bread or biscuits with another interpreter. It was a very interesting way to spend a few hours every week for the spring and summer months. (I do wish I had a photo of me from that time!)

My adventure at the Provincial Museum, however, was career-making. I remember wondering why I had to be interviewed - I was working for free, after all. It didn't really occur to me that they wanted ME to find my right fit as well. I went in, open to suggestions, but again, they wanted to hear from me and find out my interests and ensure I found the right spot, likely so I would keep coming back. I told them about my degree and my travels and my interests, which was primarily (at that time) around military history and why people serve. The museum's volunteer coordinator took everything into consideration and thought I might be a good fit for work 'behind the scenes' in collections, which I had never really thought of, or even knew much about. She set me up to connect with a collections person so I could be trained to work directly with the military history department. I didn't know it then, but this changed everything about what I wanted to do with my degree and also with my career. 

I was provided very solid training on how to inventory collections items, and walked through how to describe, measure and document objects. I don't quite recall how much time they took to train me but I do remember my first assignment: it was to fully document a soldier's kit box. It contained uniforms, medals, photographs, letters and other documents - a whole time of service. I remember his name as Johnathan Cave, and even confirmed it when I found my daytime from way-back-when, which said "Met Mr. Cave today!" (I know! I am my own best archivist and historian!)

I also applied for jobs throughout that year or so but it was through this volunteer work and training that I was offered a position to inventory a collection at a historic site. I was on a team of four people, and we learned together best practices, which have stayed with me to today (and were part of the creation of my most popular blog post,  An Inventory Project in a Small Museum). It even got a couple of pages in a scrapbook I put together a year or so later . . .

Doesn't look like much has changed in
museum storage, eh!

I will forever be indebted to the volunteer coordinator who took the time to talk with me about what I wanted out of my experience, and for the attention that the collections people made to show me carefully (and with confidence) how to document and handle objects in a museum setting. This experience truly made all the difference in what I thought I was capable of doing in museums . . . and how I would dedicate my working life to caring for collections. 💖

The Air Force Reserve article...

My Time at the Tower . . .

Cover of the souvenir booklet

As I continue on with my museum career journey, I come to the making-a-dream-come-true part: Living in London. I had always loved the city and had the opportunity to travel there a couple of times and really, really wanted to live there. So after I getting my undergraduate degree in history, I took it and my British passport (which I got through my father, who was born in Wales) and headed off to the place that captured my imagination so much history in just one place. I packed a HUGE bag - a hockey bag no less, how Canadian! - with a bunch of books, a stereo (!), my photo albums and some clothes in a suitcase . . . I was going to set myself up there and be part of the action!

My Welsh cousin met me at the airport. I do wonder what she thought of me and all my bags . . . and we took the underground subway (tube) to her place in east London. I arrived right around Guy Fawkes Day, and so there were fireworks and everything, I was so excited. I quickly got myself settled best I could and hit the pavement, looking for work.

I remember specifically going to the British Museum and the Imperial War Museum on my trek around town in my new and not-yet-broken-in pumps. Staff there were not overly-excited to see a young eager Canadian university graduate, I have to say! And, ya, as this was the time before easy internet (!!), it was tough to figure out where to look, who to talk to, how to get to work in a cultural organization. But I was not to be deterred! I went an employment agency of sorts and tried to understand the new place I was in. The positions listed there were more for odd-jobs and pubs, and I didn't come all that way to NOT work in a museum-like setting, so I decided to take more resumes to other places in person. My cousin was kind enough to put me up until I found a job, but time was pressing on . . . and that's when I got an interview and then awarded a seasonal position in the Tower of London gift shop!

for more awesome photos, check out here


Yeoman Warder

 

I was ecstatic. I would be taking the tube from Leytonstone to Tower Hill EVERYDAY, be a commuter in my big city. They also provided a uniform, which I later found out was a little bit too much like a school uniform, but that was okay - I would know what to wear. And it was a pretty intense schedule of 6 days on, 1 day off, with every fifth week a three-day break (not necessarily on a weekend, for sure). So I would be getting a LOT of experience working front-of-house at a World Heritage Site.

I learned a whole lot in my time there . . . we had rotating assignments in the main gift shop, a smaller one inside, a booth at the Crown Jewels as well as selling tickets at the front gate. Oh the stress of a balanced till at the end of the day! And all those postcards and sweets and little soldiers and souvenir books. And answering a whole lot of the same questions over and over again . . . . it is true that visitors ALL want to know where they can get a good cup of coffee, where to grab lunch and if there is a public loo anywhere nearby. Oh, and what of these heavy coins, help?! Oh and WHY is everything so expensive? Can they use this ID to get a 'deal'? Also to see the student groups from all over the world as well as the walking tours with a guide who would hold their umbrella up high so they could follow them easily. And what it was like when either or both groups would descend on the gift shop at the same time!

The entry to the Crown Jewels. Once I answered the phone on duty

when at my booth there and it was a person wanting to talk to someone at
his bank branch . . . but he didn't think he was calling THE Bank!

I really liked my co-workers. We were of two sorts - permanent, local East Enders with benefits and temporary, seasonal students and backpackers from places like Australia and Germany. And as mentioned in a previous post, the security and tour guides were Yeoman Warders, which was pretty cool (although I got in trouble with them a few times for accidentally kicking the alarm in the ticket booth. "CANADA! Stop swinging your feet!!" they would say...). I also got in the groove of having a bacon butty and tea on break, and having great conversations . . . made my own accent kind of funny, living with my Welsh cousin and working at the Tower. One visitor actually said to me, "What are you, Irish?!" It was truly an international experience, lol. 

One of the shopgirls was a daughter of a Yeoman Warder, whose family 
lived on the grounds. She invited me to stay overnight once and I
got to sleep in the amazing (but very spooky!) place!

One bonus I had not earlier considered was that being in England also gave me an opportunity to travel easily, and this job situation made it possible to earn money, go on adventure, and return back to work. With the intense full-time schedule, I have to say it was tough to get even just laundry done - work was all I did when I was there, with an odd one-day fun day if my day off landed on a weekend. And so a friend from home and I took trains for a couple of months and we saw almost all of the western countries in continental Europe. It was awesome. It also made me realize that I wanted to do some more travel . . .  maybe I had done all I needed to do in London - for now! - and so another friend and I planned a great return back to Canada via Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. What an experience that was! (I HIGHLY recommend doing something that can combine work and travel, especially when you're young!)

Venice!

Sydney!

While working as a shopgirl at the Tower was not exactly what I had dreamed for my first museum-y job, it was amazing all the same. The reality of it - and I am grateful to this day for it - is that I gained a deep appreciation for people who sell admission tickets, work in retail, help visitors navigate a good experience at cultural organizations. Some things you need to do yourself to really understand all that needs to go into making a good first impression, be the first good contact, at a place a visitor has invested the time and money to explore. It was my privilege to do so at the Tower of London, and I took this visitor-centred learning and understanding on with me on to my next work adventures.

 There's No Life Like It . . . 

Now before I get all museum-y on my journey down Memory Lane, I need to acknowledge a really amazing experience I had in the working world as a young adult.

You see, when I was still in high school, my older brother joined a band. Now it wasn't *that* kind a band, but one that had - what!? - a prerequisite of going through basic military training for the army reserves. This did not sound so appealing on the outset . . .  until the band part of his job started, where he marched in parades and played in a concert band for mess (official) dinners. This was a part time job?! Paid to play his euphonium? The clincher, though, was when he was approved to go to music school for the summer, away from home. THAT sounded cool and so I got my flute, auditioned for the band and got in as well, at age 17.

Ya first though . . . that basic training part. Oh boi. Uniforms, marching, learning to fire and care for a rifle. There was even rappelling down a wall, for which I did not do too well (that whole heights thing). We also DUG A TRENCH and participated in an overnight exercise. I will be the first to admit I was way more Private Benjamin than GI Jane! But you know, I got through it. I kept telling myself that if it didn't work out, I could fall back on my swimming instructor certificate and do that part time through the rest of high school and into university. But I didn't have to, as I learned discipline, to do a proper uniform kit - including polishing boots! -  and how we all had to work as a unit for us all to succeed, no one left behind.

I spent that first year in the band going to band rehearsals both in the drill hall learning how to play and march, and in a concert room practicing regimental music. Then I also got the opportunity to go to the Canadian Forces School of Music that next summer. In order to get promoted, we had to complete our 'TQs' - Trade Qualification levels - which, for musicians, included scales and technical pieces. The way courses were scheduled though I couldn't do my TQ right away so I chose another course. I decided what I needed was to learn how to be a drum major . . . how to lead the ENTIRE band around the drill square, learn how to hold and then signal with a large mace where we are supposed to go. Gutsy, eh! I have NO idea where I got that gumption, but I did. And this was on top of living in barracks, figuring out how to braid my own hair, getting up early and showing up at the music school on time. But I did it, again with the guidance of instructors but maybe more importantly with the support of my colleagues - from all over Canada - that were soon to become lifelong friends. It was truly a magical summer job.

There were a lot of flutes that first year at the school!

I was encouraged to take a junior leadership course after a couple of years of playing in the band. This was also a part of the requirements for promotion. By this time, I had switched from the army to the air force reserve. The training, though, remained focussed on working together, getting everyone through the challenges put in front of us. There was more tough outside stuff - rope bridges! - and classroom learning. It's a little odd, but I don't really remember the instructors except that they gave space for all the students to take turns leading, and then later evaluating each other. It's a foundation of leadership that has stuck with me - we support each other as we learn to lead.

After five full years of training ME, I was informed it was time to give back . . . I would be teaching basic training to a new bunch of air force reserve candidates. I ain't gonna lie - it was a little overwhelming to think about that! And so when they set me up to be a drill instructor, it my was first "Atten-TION!" where the silent "please" was pretty apparent. Lol. So I was told, Corporal Davies, you will be a classroom teacher. I appreciated that, because that is where my skills would best be put to use, teaching about rank structure and other parts of the Canadian Armed Forces. (And I guess I made an impression as that cohort did a rendition of You've Lost That Loving Feeling, aka Top Gun, at the local pub. THAT was a moment.)

I was in the part-time reserves for the whole time I was doing my undergraduate degree, and it was a wonderful experience. Not only did I get paid to play my flute and learn how to do it better, I learned a lot about life. I learned about discipline and teamwork and leadership. I would think there are a few people who wouldn't like the structure that the military offers, but I believe that there is comfort in knowing what one needs to do to get promoted, to understand hierarchy because it is on everyone's sleeves. And yes there were nuances in the band that may not be in other parts of the military such as a new recruit who is the best musician gets the solos but there was still a feeling of shared ownership of how we show up as a team. What I do, what she does, what he does, it all affects how we get our work done, show up on parade together, play at that Remembrance Day ceremony. We all stand together as one. 

What can I do with a History degree?

Waaaayyyy back in 2011, I wrote For the Love of History. I am almost surprised how much the post resonates with me still - it actually might be my favourite. I especially like this part:

Ever since I can remember, I have been obsessed with history. Or maybe a better way to say it is story - his story, her story, their story, your story, our story. I have always wanted to know all the details of how we live our lives, from where your family is from to if you love your community down to what you had for breakfast (and if you ate it with your kin, or if you just grabbed a cup of coffee — no sugar — as you ran out the door). I believe I get a true connection with others through these vignettes, and I understand people better, as I get to see life through someone else's eyes.

Oh, and how I still love history. And although when I was growing up, it might seem more obvious that I should have liked English class in order to find and share these stories, it was actually Social Studies / History that drew me in. I wanted to understand how people have experienced life around them, especially people in the past. Needing to know more about this lead me to pursue an undergraduate degree in (primarily) Canadian History.

Pragmatist that I was though, I wanted to figure out how to use this degree. I had not considered a a graduate degree yet because I was really eager to get out and travel as soon as I finished my studies. I also knew pretty early on - and I am not sure why - but I did not want to teach in schools. So I started to look for examples of where this degree could be useful. I thought maybe a historical researcher for a movie? I could see in credits that this could be a thing. Or maybe for a book? How could I get into that? I had gone to the Provincial Archives and used primary resources to write a paper on muskeg and homesteading in northern Alberta . . . I also heard that yes, an undergrad degree like this could be a stepping stone for later, maybe getting a law degree or even furthering it so I could get into the diplomatic corp and REALLY see the world. But alas nothing quite fit . . . until it dawned on me: museums and collections, and the stories they hold. What would it be like to use my degree and work in a place like that? As so, as the second part of the quote above reveals . . . 

My love for museums and collections care grew from this love of history because, for me, it is objects that bring a tangible reminder of what has gone before, and how people have related to events, as the stories associated with those objects brings meaning to their experiences.

I decided I would use my history degree to tell stories - and history - through things. I would use this skill to help learn about and understand the world and our experiences around us and (hopefully) provide some relatable, common ground to meet and share our lives. And so in 1990 (ah, showing my history now, for sure!) I decided would take my history degree and find me a museum to serve. The adventure had begun!

Some real-live textbooks I used all those years ago . . .

. . . and a bonus grad photo. Oh boi!

Memory Lane

As I begin to write the next chapter in my career, I have been thinking and researching how I should update documenting my skills, my resume, and my LinkedIn profile. I have completed a LinkedIn course, and am working with a coach. One idea that I am beginning to understand is there are different ways of expressing my work. For instance, a LinkedIn profile isn't a resume (which should be tailored to each application) and so documenting all experience - even the really early stuff - can count. Every moment is an opportunity to connect in unexpected ways, ways I may never have recognized previously. And so naturally, this got me musing once again . . .  how did I get here in my museum career journey? What is my story? How have I / how may I in the future connect with people? 

I started breaking down my story, going through my memories, thinking about adventures and even bringing out photographs (with all 'dem crazy hair dos / don'ts!). I do see how everything has built on the last experience to make me better, more prepared for the next career step. I am also beginning to understand, in hindsight, where I could have slowed down a little, and how I can still learn from those experiences. I am now taking the time to explore my privilege, uncover what I found out along the way, what took me to the next phase . . . This review is all very therapeutic for me right now, helping me see how everything changes. It may seem self-indulgent, but this realization is giving me an understanding that these transitions are what makes life interesting, and is how I learn and grow.

So, briefly put (ha!), my steps and stops along this road have included . . . 

 1.  What can I do with a History degree?
 2.  Canadian Forces Reserve adventure (in music!) There's No Life Like It
 3. (Tower of) London: Dream / Reality (My Time at the Tower)
 4.  Finding Home: Edmonton volunteer & work experience (Coming Home, Part 1)
 5.  California: Volunteering, Grad school, museum work (A California Dream)
 6.  Return to Canada: Heritage Officer at BC's Government House
 7.  Making Connections: Cultural Program Coordinator at a University
 8.  Museum Consultant: Work & Challenges
 9. Being an Archivist in a Library at a University in a National Historic Site
10. Senior Registrar at a large museum & Daring to Lead: Director of Collections at a large museum 

12. Lessons learned (so far!)

I will come back to this post and link to the above when I have written a 'chapter'.  I may also bunch/group posts - write a couple before I send out a link to my Twitter account @Owl_ (rather than flood my LinkedIn feed with this written therapy). 

A couple of caveats here: I have written about a few of these experiences already in this blogspace, and will be linking back to a couple of posts (and review all hyperlinks -- ouch, many don't work any more!). Also, these may be my memories, but I share them with a lot of people. If you are reading this and you recognize that you were there in that chapter with me, please jump into the comments below and add in what I may have missed. 

A laneway in Wales,
visited with my dad, mum and daughter in 2013

The Ka-Ching File

Ha. I have actually been musing about museum work . . .  go figure my blog title actually makes sense . . .

Yes, I have been reviewing my work experiences, figuring out ways to highlight and categorize and document project accomplishments and goals met and all that. I have been struggling with what to focus on, and if I should categorize my work by specific museum projects, or should I focus on more general management skills. Or is it maybe more about how I connect with a specific position, and with the people there? How do I tell the world I have really enjoyed the experiences and connections I have made, and how I would bring that enthusiasm to future opportunities, with all my heart?

I have not been sure on how to process all of this, so I thought I could start with my most recent work. I have been wrestling on how to write a blog post about my experience as a senior registrar in a large institution, and wondering why it has been difficult to document, as I loved the work so much. I picked up a couple of work notebooks and went through them . . . holy moly, I was *smokin'* BUSY. Non-stop, so many projects, so many deadlines, so many responsibilities. Notes to myself, scheduling, timelines checked off, highlighted, moved forward, resolved and, ya, sometimes abandoned / set aside for another day. Notes of extra hours put in whenever they were required, getting those high priority issues resolved. Through all of this, though, I neglected to properly document what I was doing because the pace was so fast. Sound familiar to anyone else?

So here I am, trying to rebuild and write down what I did and how I got it done, taking stock of all the amazing experiences thus far. And although the past 8 years have been in a museum, I have had some recent reminders that a good amount of my career has been spent as a lone ambassador of history / collections care-giver / heritage person / interpretation specialist in organizations with other purposes. In fact, I even recently interviewed for a director role in a place I had worked previously. Although they ended up hiring the incumbent, it was a great experience to go through, for a number of reasons. One is that I updated my resume to a more general one, focussing on management tasks and guiding people more than collections-based projects. Another is getting an interview is intimidating but exciting, and I need practice using my energy to properly highlight all I can do. But the best part was reviewing what I did there 15 years ago, and finding out all the programs I developed -- the database I designed, the tour guide documents I pulled together and the interpretive panels I wrote -- they are all still being used today.  And I was told how much they appreciated what I created while I was there, and how it added to the site.

How could I have 'forgotten' all that work? Why isn't it top of mind and why was I surprised to hear it made a difference, had longevity? I cannot be that humble, can I?

This got me thinking . . . and I then found further evidence that I need to really polish up how I self-assess my work and highlight it for others. You see, I was in an old email account and found a file called "Ka-ching". Here I had placed emails from people who said they enjoyed my work from ten years plus ago. There were over 40 emails! FORTY EMAILS OF HOW I MADE A DIFFERENCE?!! Some highlights, if I may be so bold:

Oh my goodness, I am overwhelmed! Thank you so much for taking the time to send those pictures to me. I am so grateful and touched at your kindness. I love them so much and I will forward them on to his sisters who are in Ontario. I am sure that they will appreciate your generosity as well.

Thank you so much for including me on all those E mails and most importantly facilitating this whole process. Your knowledge of procedures, contacts and dedication to this project has been absolutely fabulous and has gone a long way to solidifying  great donor relationships and I know will be appreciated by the whole family who as you know were instrumental in establishing and significantly funding here.

Caroline has accomplished a heck of a lot since she started and has earned my heartfelt appreciation for her enthusiasm, her professionalism, and her ability to move plans to completion. 

We thought it would be a great idea to chat to Caroline Posynick* to see if she could give us a “Short History Lesson” with some notes that we could be able to convey to our inquisitive guests, before suggesting that they continue on with an actual tour. Caroline was amazing. Not only did she jump at the opportunity to share, but she also spent some time, ‘sprucing up her Power Point’. And she didn’t bat an eye, when it was suggested that we also include our Tour Guide teammates, so the group became bigger. I organized a laptop, and with the help of AV Services, we were set up in a break out room with a flat screen. Caroline met us on Thursday morning, and gave us a truly fabulous and informative session. She brought some of the books out of the Archives, and had lots of notes to share, along with a couple of presentations. She even had a copy of a Census form from 1911 that was amazing to see, and try and figure out! It is easy to see that she is passionate about her work. (*Posynick was my last name until 2019.)

I am so, so glad that I thought to save these emails, as they are a reminder of just how many projects I have worked on, and these notes show how I got things done, and how I connected with people. For me to find my next work adventure, I need to be able to confidently and unabashedly state what I have accomplished in the past so that they can clearly envision what I could do for them in the future.

I know that days are fast-paced, and it is difficult to find time to take stock. It is vital though, and I am clearly seeing that now. I read just recently about a recommendation on how having an open document on your desktop that is regularly updated with accomplishments goes a long way to making you feel like you're making a difference. It also can provide energy when you need a boost, or when you know it is time to make a change. At least that is what I am finding... the ka-ching moments are most definitely golden. Keep them, re-read them, believe them and remember them!

Where my day-to-day work magic has been documented through the years, and will soon be revisited!

CH-CH-CHANGES

Well, it's been a while . . .

I almost cannot believe this blog still exists, but it does! And so I am back after seven - SEVEN! - years away. A lot has happened, too. Where shall I start?

First, I guess all ya'll know - or should know - that I reclaimed my birth surname Davies in 2019, shortly after my father passed away. I was a bit nervous of how no longer going by my married name of Posynick would affect how I was known professionally - and I am still out there in that name, which is why it is still part of my LinkedIn landing page and a couple of other blog posts. But it was the right thing to do as it honours Dad, and I love owning my 'roots'. My contact email is now mscarolinedavies@gmail.com in order to reflect the change.

I also let my hair go silver! It wasn't just a COVID-induced decision, either. Not sure why I need to tell you about this, Blog, but it's important to me to be me, all me, and present that right up front. (More owning my roots, lol.) I have therefore updated my profile photo, woo hoo!

But the biggest change of all, oh Blog-of-Mine, is that I am no longer at that Big Museum. It was an amazing experience there, it was, and I am so glad I had that opportunity. You see, after nearly seven years as Senior Registrar, I stepped into a management role as Director of Collections, overseeing collections managers and the registration department. I began this role as the institution was going (and still is) through really large changes and understood that it was a risk stepping out of a union position. And so, almost ten months in, the position along with two other managers (of curators and educators) was made redundant/cancelled in an effort to restructure how leadership is organized. Now I know these things happen as an organization finds its new way and it *really* should not have been a huge surprise but I ain't gonna lie - this was and has been a big change for me. But know what else? I now have space. And time. Time to write and reflect about all I have learned these past few years, and time to share. 

I am in such a moment of opportunity right now, and I am very excited for what is ahead. My recent experiences having included all things registration (acquisitions, loans in and out, exhibitions), working to organize natural history specimens and human history objects to ready for a move, repatriation, access to collections, interpretation, team building (both hiring and supporting) and so many other topics. I want to, feel the deep NEED to, write all about it, from my perspective and experience as how my career has evolved. I am so glad to be here!

This is a photo of one of my favourite places, Botanical Beach on Vancouver Island. 
Sharing 'just because'!