Holding space for care and joy

A few weeks ago I was on a call with a new member of Studio Magic Hour’s Equity Design Essentials cohort. We were getting to know each other a bit before the program kicked off.

Close to the end of our conversation, she asked a question that caught me off-guard:

“So, what was one of your best memories from when you were working in-house at your last organization?”

It wasn’t, “What did you like about your job?” or “What projects did you enjoy working on?”

To me, it was a question about joy. Because when I think about my “best memories” they are all experiences that evoked joy in some way.

I think I was surprised by the prompt because it’s not a question I receive often, and certainly not about a job.

But I loved the question.

For one, I (luckily) have many joyful memories from my last full-time job. (In particular, the people.) And it always feels good to express gratitude for meaningful experiences.

And two, having someone genuinely interested in hearing about a meaningful personal memory made me feel seen. What a beautiful way to connect with someone else.

This experience makes me think about the guiding question my friend and colleague, Angela McKee Brown, asks when approaching work through her studio, Project Reflect:

Will this provide joy or the space for joy to exist?

I also offer this question to you, dear reader, as you approach your work today and moving forward.

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