In 2017, the earth was trampled in the clash of the greats. Everyone wanted to make their nation great again. We were promised great experiences if we just purchased this or that. We would feel great if we just did this or that. I have lost interest in great. I think the world, and Malta in particular, would benefit from the cult of the small and nimble.
Next week, I have three friends, Michael, Ludmila and Ella Doneman, visiting me from Australia. They are founders of Edgeware, a company that supports skills development for small, creative startups in the arts or social spheres. They will be in Malta for two full days only and have offered workshops for anyone involved with creative or social startups and looking to brighten up their business. Ella and Ludmila also offer a workshop called Creating Stories for Resilience aimed particularly for carers, supporters and mothers of people living with disability.
I have known the Donemans for decades and have participated in small projects with them, including community theatre for older women. Whilst I was in Brisbane recently in 2017, one of my first ventures was to attend the launch of Ella's website for her new small company working with the families of people with a disability. Michael, Ludmila and Ella decided they could come to Malta at the last minute because one of the booked workshops on their European tour fell through. They are currently in Belgium giving workshops and have completed sessions in Eastern Europe and Vienna. The possibility of visiting Malta emerged just before Christmas and I jumped at the opportunity. After all, I am small though perhaps not as nimble as I was. Their available dates were 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th of January, including travel to and from Malta. People who live in Malta cannot help but notice that this timing coincides with the opening week of Valletta 2018!
My first reaction to the dates was that this was exciting serendipity. Surely this alignment of great and small would be beneficial for all. My view is that the much flaunted legacy of Valletta 2018 would lie not only with the revamped cultural buildings but in the small, collaborative undertakings of artists and cultural workers given a boost of confidence by a year long celebration of their work.
Amongst my small, immediate circle of friends, I found enough interest to justify running at least one, three hour workshop. Most people particularly liked the sound of Rethink your Business based on tools for transformation and growth. I set off to locate suitable venues and see if there was interest in the wider cultural sector. Of course, everything immediately went quiet over Christmas and New Year. When 2018 arrived, I still had no venue and no wider interest.
I don't want to dwell on my sad round of quest as I visited established cultural organisations and tried to track down the right person to talk with about our small venture. Applications were required months in advance and/or on-line. Venues were already booked out and/or decision makers had the flu. But I'm happy with our small outcome:
Thursday, 18th January, 10.00-1.00, Rethink your Business, Upper Space, Fortress Builders, Valletta
Friday, 19th January, 10.00-1.00, Extending the Rethink (subject to expressed interest), Volunteers Centre, Melita St, Valletta
If you want to find out more, visit our facebook page, Rethink your Business
If you're interested in joining our workshop, email joburden@bigpond.com
We don't promise great things but we do support small, nimble efforts to build a better world!
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