My journey extends back in time to when my parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1991. I can recall many critical moments in my life that shaped me while living as an undocumented immigrant for over twenty years along with obstacles every step of the way. Stories that are relatable and centered on family, community, traditions, and opportunity.
But, the story I would really like to focus on here is the story of how attending the Digital Marketing Boot Camp for the Arts conference validated my work in the arts and cultural sector. While that work has been shaped by my journey as a whole, these past ten years have challenged me and rewarded me in so many ways, shaping who I am today as a professional and as a person who is committed to sharing the lessons I have learned both personally and professionally. My experience at this marketing conference really made me reflect on the work I’ve had the privilege of being a part of, work that is both gratifying and validating.
“…collective platform with a vision to build an army of guerreros that fight the challenges of our community.”
After the first day of the conference and after considering whether or not I should approach Erik Gensler, Founder and President of Capacity Interactive the agency in charge of the conference. I finally just went for it on the second day, introduced myself and shared with him the value of the conference. I followed by sharing that all the techniques were great but was wondering how they would translate or apply to smaller budget non-profit organizations. I also wondered how I could connect this information to community in general. I then took advantage of the little time I had with him and asked him about advice for myself and Kooltura Marketing. He immediately followed by suggesting the book Tribes by Seth Godin, which is one of the reasons why I sit here writing this piece. One thing I learned from reading the book is that it takes an army to do what I do and cannot do it alone. One of the biggest takeaways from my quick interaction with him was also when he said something along the lines of, “Great, they need you.” referring to my marketing and branding service offerings in the non-profit arts and culture sector.
After returning from the conference, I had to get back to the reality of work and personal life, I spent weeks thinking about what I was going to do next to streamline and scale the techniques and practices I learned at the conference. Ways to show the impact of my work, but more importantly the work of my clients -- people with stories like mine, people with stories like yours. Reading Tribes and leaning on another key takeaway from the conference of “telling your story” helped solidify my next steps personally and professionally. I saw the idea of “telling your story” as an action towards a movement to build my own army, realizing that if I could find a way to tell my story and the stories of each organization on my client list, I would have then found the formula to help them thrive regardless of the size of their budgets. At the same time, I knew I couldn’t do it by myself, I needed to create a movement, a kalpulli, an army, some might even call it a collective, to help tell the story of the neighborhood and community where my personal and professional passion has lived. Interestingly enough I had been on this path for years without realizing it. The culmination, or the beginning if you prefer to think about it that way, is the birth of Eastside Magazine, and really, this is the part in the story where you come in -- on purpose and with intention.
Eastside Magazine will act as a collective platform with a vision to build an army of guerreros that fight the challenges of our community. It is my hope that by all of us coming together we can create a movement that is driven by a passion for a common goal. A movement of folks committed to relentlessly keeping East San Jose vibrant and culturally rich home with corazón. Through my time of reflection, I realize that in order to make meaningful lasting impact we need to advocate, organize, fight, and push in the same direction to secure, define, and shape our own future in the communities that we live, work and love so much.
Join us in this journey of impact, inspiration, and power alongside each other. Share your story in this movement toward elevating the collective stories of a vibrant and thriving community of East San Jose. You might be asking why your story is worth sharing or how you might go about sharing your story if you don’t think of yourself as a writer or a storyteller. And still, I invite you to take that risk.
Our everyday lives are inspirational and our stories connect us across generations to stand in our power and admire the vibrancy of the community we call home. Aquí estamos y no nos vamos.
Have a story to tell? A business you’d like to share more about? A skill you’d like to highlight? Send us a message! We are also calling on graphic designers, artists, photographers, writers, spanish translators, storytellers of all ages, and anyone that is ready to take action to join us on this journey of telling the stories of us that are both by and about us.
