If you were to ask pre-internship Ximena what she was thinking when replying to a small company’s internship notice online, she would have told you that, in the clear student-mindset, she was looking for an ‘easy’ option out.
Yet, Resonate Productions piqued my interest – A company combining live performances, and social issues? Sign me up! Resonate’s previous works were inspiring, but it’s Andrea’s friendliness which convinced me this would be a successful internship for me.
However, skip to the first day at work, where I discovered that my tasks in the department of social media were far from what I had imagined in terms of a ‘good’ internship. I was slowly discovering that although my work was valuable, and clearly useful to Andrea and her team, being behind a computer and a desk for hours on end was not something I enjoyed. I found myself getting frustrated with online and document tasks, especially with the tedious research of possible collaboration companies. As the internship progressed I found myself filled with questions – what is it really that I wanted to do in the future?
I was enjoying the social aspect of the internship – being able to meet the cast and crew of the shows was invigorating, and seeing people be passionate about music and social issues pushed me to work more towards my own goal of figuring out what I was really chasing in the professional world. I was thriving in a relaxed professional environment, something that old Ximena would never even have considered (in her mind, a ‘real’ job had to follow a formal 9-to-5 schedule, and be behind a desk).
As time progressed, I realised how having a flexible job, both in tasks and locations, was more and more enjoyable. I had spent the weeks before the premiere working on documents, writing promotional emails, and had more ‘exciting’ in person tasks, such as the transport of equipment and instruments.
However, it all clicked into place once the premiere of Resonate Productions’ latest show came around. As I sat in the audience and witnessed Andrea, the musicians, and the team’s direct work come to life, I was filled with a sense of pride – afterall, the tasks I had perceived as futile had been a small, but important, contribution to this project, which was ultimately a crazy experience in the scope of human connections. What happened that evening in the show room was clearly a combination of safe space, engaging music and topics, and a strong connection created between musicians and audience members, as the latter felt comfortable enough to share their own experiences in the middle of the room through the audience microphone.
It was at the final show of FOR REAL that I gathered the courage to go to the middle of the room myself, and to finally face the chair with the microphone. As I sat, Andrea confronted me with the question – “What’s something you would tell your younger self?”. I was stunned, and ironically enough, broke down because of the emotion (the lights, the dozens of eyes staring at me, and the nervousness all contributed to this).
I realised the importance of the work being created by Andrea and her team at Resonate Productions. Ultimately, they were targeting the essence of ‘humans’, through their performance and musical journalism.
It is then that I understood what a ‘good’ internship is – one where the company’s work directly motivates you and resonates with your personal values. Ultimately, a good internship (in new-Ximena’s eyes) is one that motivates you to pursue your personal projects.