There was a time when I thought I was good at spreadsheets… and then I met Erin Mulcahy. Erin was the Arts Learning Programs Manager at The ACT for my first 6 months as Artistic Administrator and it was an invaluable time of learning for me. She has a way of holding space for others that I wish was a more normalized thing in upper-management for everyone on all teams everywhere. At some point in their career, I’m sure most folks have navigated reporting to a difficult, negative personality or challenging authority. Erin is quite the opposite of that. In fact, I always left our mindful weekly one-on-one check-ins feeling more empowered and capable than I did entering the room.
I took away three important learnings from my time under Erin’s leadership which I feel compelled to share. Firstly, she offers generous trust to those who report to her. There were many opportunities she identified for me to fully utilize my skillset at The ACT in ways that I craved. By getting to know me, what I do, and how I show up, she determined it would be a wise to put me in charge of a brand-new project now very near and dear to my heart: Community Stage Night. Coordinating this event series throughout the 2024/2025 season brought forth the knowledge and experience I developed during my time event organizing with CreativeMornings/Vancouver, Save On Meats, Kafka’s Coffee, and Locals Lounge. Like those previous roles and projects, Community Stage Night put me in a position to nurture creative community and help foster strong local relationships. Erin knew that this project, like other live events I’ve gotten involved with, would fill my cup and nurture my heart in an impactful way. She had faith that she could trust me with a project that mattered so much to me.
Big picture thinking is important, but the little details matter. Erin reminded the Arts Learning Program team of this lesson countless times in countless ways. Whether it was getting the team in the mindset to support our tireless instructors thoughtfully, asking about what interests and excites us regarding a project and granting us more exposure to that element, or even just taking the time to remember everyone’s birthdays and celebrate them in a special way—There was never a small detail that went missed by Erin in our time together.
We have the opportunity, capability, and responsibility to bring heart, compassion, and humanity to institutional spaces. That is an important truth I carry with me every day because of Erin. In non-profit organizations, resources and finances are finite and managing those elements can overshadow other important aspects of a bigger picture if you aren’t careful. At the end of the day, people are the greatest asset to any institution or organization. It is important to celebrate those people, hear those people, respond to their needs and feedback, and work towards a stronger work ecosystem that can bring out the best in everyone. Structure and organization are important, but it is for nothing if not built on the foundation of human-centred intentionality.
I am so thankful for the time I got to spend working with Erin. She coached me to a new level of confidence and capability while nurturing the empathy I value in my own leadership journey. If I could make the impact on one human through my own leadership in the way that Erin has impacted me, I would feel absolutely fulfilled and elated. Growing into my art practice over the years, I never considered arts programming being part of that story. What a joy it has been to discover this adjacent arts role in which I can support other artists, emerging and established, as well as curious community members. I will always be grateful to Erin for showing me what my creativity, organization, and empathy can accomplish side-by-side.
This portrait and accompanying blog post were created with love and gratitude on the unceeded territories of the Katzie First Nation and Kwantlen First Nation.