This March, we set about broadening Marion’s List with a campaign of writing workshops. Organiser extraordinaire Sarah Mair provides a recap.
Throughout March, we ran a campaign of Marion’s List writing workshops with the support of our brilliant Parlour Collective practices and Parlour partners. For these events, practices brought together a range of women and gender-diverse people into a focused yet convivial space to swap stories and share practical advice on how to write about yourself – a task easily put aside, and not one we are used to sharing with others. But they should be – the benefits of sharing more about yourself with others are huge. It’s an opportunity to shake off that ick of writing about yourself in a professional and approachable tone, and instead offers a chance to reflect and project from the heart. It’s cathartic – that’s the feedback we’ve heard. Dare I say it – you might even consider asking ChatGPT to rewrite your prose if you want to test out a different tone. Use whatever you need to find your voice.
With all this support, we’ve eagerly watched as new names arrived and profiles were given new life. We’ve provided a streamlined process, so there is one less hurdle between you and your digital profile being up and ready to go.
On all fronts, this is fantastic news – because more and more, Marion’s List is the go-to resource for those looking for expert comment in a huge variety of areas. And the more people involved, the closer we get to creating a true representation of the industry in the media, on panels and juries, in the universities and in the wider context.
This is so exciting, because there is certainly no one size fits all for a career in architecture and as Marion’s List grows it makes this variety more and more visible and accessible. Of course, it is absolutely there for anyone to find expert comment and opportunity across mentorship, tutoring and juries, but also, importantly, and this is a personal favourite, it’s here to inspire and create an expanded frame of reference as we explore what it means to navigate a career in the built environment.
More to come
A huge shout-out to those who joined us as workshop hosts in March – with many practices running events in multiple states. Thanks to JCB Architects, Swanbury Penglase, Conrad Gargett, Hayball, Taylor Cullity Lethlean, Hassell, ARM Architecture, BVN and Reddog Architects for helping to build Marion’s List with internal workshops. And a big thanks to Architecture architecture and the SA Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects for opening their offices to run public workshops.
We are now eagerly awaiting a string of workshops planned for the rest of the year, with our Collective practices taking the workshop model into their own office calendar.
This is exactly the kind of ongoing function of the workshop structure we had hoped for when we conceived the campaign. After all – we think there is never a bad time to host a Marion’s List writing workshop or up the ante on your professional digital visibility. If you’re looking for inspiration to rewrite your Marion’s List bio, look no further than Ilana Razbash’s essay about digital visibility – it is a great motivator!
Run your own workshop
With the workshop model up and running, we are hopeful that our 100-profile start to the year will continue to grow. If you’re looking for the opportunity to get to know your peers better, or would like to get familiar with your professional strengths through the eyes of your peers, we urge you to run your own workshop for those around you!
Our campaign page has all the information you need to run your own workshop and be part of this ongoing Parlour initiative.
Takeaways
- The workshop format is a great way to create a productive, honest and supportive space for writing your personal profile.
- Workshops are an opportunity for discovery within your own teams and networks. They enable the uncovering of interests, capabilities and approaches, sometimes invisible in the day-to-day life of practice.
- Getting started on writing your personal profile, or updating your existing one, is absolutely better with others.
Sarah Mair is a graduate of architecture at Hassell. She has worked with Parlour on events for a number of years and was instrumental in establishing and running this campaign with Justine Clark.
