@Hannah_Museums

An Open Letter to the Friends who’ve been there for me in 2020.

Hi Cultural Cheerleaders,

A few years ago I had a blog (Imagine-Hannah) which name took inspiration from a band that I really, really liked at the time. Initially, that blog was started up as a place to share my love of the museum and heritage sector, and I did that quite a lot, reviewing exhibitions and talking about what it was like to be a volunteer, in a big cultural organisation whilst looking for work.

Fast forward a couple of years and I started to guest-blog quite a bit for organisations such as TWAM and Volunteer Makers, I’d write things that were very specific and for organisations, rather than for myself. I really enjoyed having that opportunity but also found that I was struggling with my own creative writing and had an epic case of writers block when it came to my blog, I think there’s something about not really wanting to do something you do a lot of work-wise in your personal time isn’t there?

I started to gain more experience working in the cultural sector, and was trying to figure out what I wanted to be doing, and for a little while my focus started to shift. It was around this time that I decided I wasn’t really posting a lot on the blog and it was probably a bit of wasted space which led to me making the decision to give up the domain, and cancel my WordPress subscription.

Now, a few years later I find myself starting 2021 feelings reflective and wanting a space to share my thoughts and reflections, I wanted to step out from just being affiliated with the projects I’m involved in and share more from myself, so I’ve restarted my blog but with a different name, something which symbolises my love and support for the art sector and something which reflects what many of you have called me, a ‘cheerleader’ for the cultural sector.

This space is going to be my own personal reflective space, with a lot of personal views on the sector. It will (I hope) be a fun space for sharing creative projects and ideas, but also a space for honesty. My 2020 goals were very much around networking, profile building and working on projects, but if the last year has taught me anything, I’ve figured out the importance of keeping to my true values and being my true self. I wrote that I wanted to get involved in more projects this year, and in some respects I have done, but I’m proud that I’ve also set boundaries, been selective in the opportunities I’ve taken and to those opportunities, I’ve brought my own personal values and approaches to these projects, using my instincts to guide each decision.

2020 was a weird year for most of us – it really tested us, but I feel like it’s also been the year that I’ve grown the most in terms of my own confidence and abilities, I realised that there wasn’t much use in fixating over the idea of the perfect life and instead I embraced what I had around me, good friends and a loving family, for which I’m so grateful. They / you have made me believe that I can do anything I want to do, and the only person who can get in the way of my own happiness is myself. I hope that now it’s 2021 I can continue to do more of the things I love – make more time for friends, try new things, be someone that uses my voice for good and spreads joy, as well as hopefully, this year being able to meet some of you wonderful people that I’ve been talking to in group chats and Zooming for most of this year, as so many of you I now consider my friends.

Forever grateful,
Hannah