From Lisa – New Season Resolutions

Lisa, circa Follies 2002.

The beginning of the season is sort of like New Year’s for me at Touchstone: lots of new season resolutions when it comes to organizing or my schedule or the elusive before-work workout… “This season, I will go work out and get to work by 9am (yeah right!).” This year, though, my new season resolutions, at least as far as organization goes, have gotten a kick in the butt.

Last week, Emma, Kyle, and I moved our offices around, which had me just before the new season starts going through every file and pile as I moved SLOWLY in. Still in the process now, but I’m enjoying finding the right spot for the pile of scrap paper, and the daily, weekly, and monthly to do lists, and the costumes stuff, and the marketing and development, etc. It’s a balance of having more space now with a place for everything and knowing how I work – scrap paper to the right by the to do lists works well, and so on.

The view from mid-move.

The move also has me reflecting on my many offices over the years here. In 2001, I started working at Touchstone as a stage manager for Follies, but it wasn’t until I joined the company in January 2002 that I had my very own desk. This was a point that I was extremely excited about! I distinctly remember calling a friend from my office and saying, “I’ve got my own rolodex and a filing cabinet!” I guess in my 22-year-old mind, these “officey things” validated my existence as a real theatre professional, even though at the time I had few files for the cabinet and not many more contacts for the rolodex.

If I only could have seen into the future… that now, even in the biggest single office here, I’ve expanded out and taken over another filing cabinet just outside my office, as well as the desk drawers in the adjacent desk to my office, all in the attempt to finally fulfill my new season resolution of order in chaos.

I’ve got three more days until the new season begins, so we’ll see what happens. Happy New Season, everyone!

Necessary signage.

More musings on moving offices…

•  It’s amazing how much our physical memory holds.
  • Every time I go to make a photocopy, I exit my office to the right, which is the opposite direction of where I need to go but the correct direction from my old office to the copier.
  • Also, Bill keeps walking right past me to my old office and so the ever-helpful Emma has made a friendly reminder.
• My speakers work now! I can listen to music and not run down my phone batteries.
• I found lots of old thank you notes from colleagues as I went through show files. They are all now safely hidden in a “Feel Good”  folder so if I ever need a uplifting moment, I read them and face the world again : )
• My secret stash of gaff tape (expensive and oft-sought-after theatrical tape) that I think everyone knew about anyway is now moved to a new hiding place… bwa ha haaa!

Lisa at her new desk, (almost) ready to start a new season.