Costuming Zen and the Art of Volunteering

I maintain that I am not an early bird, though some would disagree.  I just have a cat who gets fed when I wake up, and thus does not have a "snooze" button.  :)

Here in Southern California, I participate in an organization called Costumers Guild West (CGW), which does many things costume related, including running Costume College (!), as well as organize workshops, get togethers, and other costume related activities throughout the year.  It's a non-profit, 501(c)3, run entirely by volunteers.  I'm a member so that I get a discount to Costume College, as well as the earliest registration, and I attend their events as time, inclination, and budget allow.

I was attending one of their annual meetings this part weekend, sitting at a table with some friends, and one of them asked if I would head up a Costume College committee (of which there are many to choose!)  And I thought:

"Why don't I volunteer?  Why don't I raise my hand, and tell these really nice hard working people that I will help them out with whatever they need?"

Because, I realize, I am BURNT OUT.

Since most of the people reading this won't know, I first moved to Southern California in 2003.  (Ah, another life!)  Since I didn't know anyone, a friend of a friend asked if I would consider volunteering as a stage manager at a small theater.  "Sure," I thought, "no problem."  (Famous last words!)

This was a small 50-seat theater located (at the time) on La Cienega Blvd., near Westwood.  The theater personnel consisted of a constantly changing company of actors, some of whom filled higher roles such as the artistic director, and a few technical volunteer stage managers.  The stage was in a constant turn around of stage productions, between those currently in production, those in rehearsal, those being cast, etc.  At first, I was just working on one production at a time.  "I can do more," I thought.  So one show became two, two became three, etc.  Stage managers left, I filled those shoes, and then before I knew it, it became normal for me to be at the theater or in rehearsal almost every day of the week.  (Of course, I was working at a normal day job as well, because this was truly a volunteer position.)  Work days were for answering theater email, evenings were for rehearsals or productions, weekends were for stage meetings, more rehearsals, or more productions.  Finding and training replacements for my own vacations were a challenge.  Getting an evening or a whole weekend day off was a blessing.

After almost two years of "volunteering" at the theater as a stage manager, I got so burned out, I stopped going.  They found other stage managers, and the shows went on.

But now, more than 10 years later, I am still so burned out that I hesitate to volunteer, before I find myself in that sinkhole.

In retrospect, I learned some valuable lessons from the volunteering experience:
1) Almost everyone can be a leader.  It just depends on who is willing to step up and take charge, find the answers, and do the work.
2) Let it fail.  You can yell and bug people about problems, but they won't do anything until the system crashes.  Then it'll get fixed.
3) You can do more with less.  When there's no money for anything, you don't have to go to Target for everything.  Goodwill is your friend.
4) Take care of yourself.  You're no good to anyone if you're sick, or dead tired, or so stressed that you're going to scream.
5) Share knowledge.  Having just one person know everything doesn't do anyone any good.  Share everything you know, and teach other people as much as you can.
6) Keep lines of communication open.  This doesn't mean you have to answer your phone 24/7.  But take ownership for what you need to do, and listen to the people who send you stuff, so that you can be prepared for what you need to take care of.
7) There are a wide range of people out there, and you'll meet all of them.  Within any volunteer organization, there are a wide variety of people.  And they are changing, all the time.  And some are weird, and some are awesome, and some absolutely are the worst, and some you will love.  And you will need to get over and past your issues with some people, because they are there and willing to work.  And you need them.

I honestly think everyone should volunteer for a non-profit organization for a year.  You'll walk away with a much greater appreciation for the world around you.

And now, back to sewing!