Mimi Housewright

I attribute my success to my inability to be okay with just saying one thing, honestly. I have a tendency, I love change, I love new things, and I think that is where my success has come from. I'm not afraid to go for it. I'm not afraid of the word no. I love developing new things, and even if it ends up, you know, the policy is not used, or the training is not used, okay, great. What can I do to make it usable? And I would say that is my biggest strength when it comes to my professional life, is I'm not afraid of the word no, and I really love change. I would also attribute everything that has happened to me because I asked for it. I asked for my promotion. I asked to come back into the Kentucky Performing Arts. I asked to get my master's degree. When I went into my professional acting, even for a while, I created that network for myself, and I still levy that network in my work now.

I would definitely say the number one thing is, do not be afraid of no. You're going to get told no more than you get told yes, and it sucks, and it hurts, but at the end of the day, you just have to be able to take that in stride, and find a way to use that no to your advantage. Something I like to say to myself is, if I've lost an opportunity, or if I've been told no about something, I love to say, I can't wait to see why this didn't work out for me. I would also say don't just don't be afraid to ask for what you want. Looking back on my career, I would also attribute everything that has happened to me because I asked for it. I asked for my promotion. I asked to come back into the Kentucky Performing Arts. I asked to get my master's degree. When I went into my professional acting, even for a while, I created that network for myself, and I still levy that network in my work now. So that, yeah, don't be afraid of no, do not be afraid to ask. And know that, and I know it's a little cliche, but every no that you get is always getting you closer to your yes, and that is so true. Especially, I mean, as a woman in any industry, really, you know, we're always a bit on the lower totem pole. You have to be able to ask for that stuff. Nobody, you gotta be, you're your only advocate at the end of the day. And so you've got to advocate for yourself.

I would definitely say funding is the top challenge. The world of grants and sponsorships has changed a lot, especially within the last couple of years. Advocacy within the arts has changed within the last couple of years, and it's become much more important to advocate for, I'm speaking specifically on the arts, but I would say in the nonprofit world in general, having people who are dedicated to your mission, and are willing to go that extra mile is the top thing that we need in all of those fields. Another big challenge is accessibility in general. Lots of smaller theaters get priced out of big professional venues very easily. And kids, and this is where that comes into, the accessibility of having theater programs in schools, within your community, within your nonprofit organizations that are affordable and fully educational. I definitely think that that is a big issue within my field as well. On the opportunities side, I would say the biggest opportunity is the connection of community that the arts have. I definitely think, especially in the nonprofit world of the arts, it is about reflecting the community around you, and it's about creating space where everybody can feel seen. I think the arts are a wonderful place for diversity, equity, and inclusion, where everybody, like, you should be able to see yourself, you know, whether it's on stage, or it's in visual arts, or it's in music, or it's in an educational program. I think that that's where our biggest strength comes from, is our community.

My number one value is empathy, being able to communicate and feel what someone else is feeling, being able to listen to them, I think, is my top thing, and that's definitely something that I use, not only professionally, but in my personal life. Accountability is my next one. I'm a firm believer that mistakes are not issues unless you don't take accountability for them. You have the opportunity to learn from them if you admit that it happened. I am also, compassion is one of my number one things. Yeah, I would definitely say those are my top 3 values, and I use them all the time in my personal life, and I try very hard to use them within my professional life as well.