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Being New to the Team: Bringing My Skills into a New Environment – Reflection from Lara
Starting something new can be both exciting and a little daunting.
For me, joining the Art4Space team has been an exciting opportunity to take the skills and experiences I’ve built throughout my career and use them in a different way.
My background has mainly been within schools, with a particular focus on supporting children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). Education has taught me so much about people, relationships and the importance of meeting individuals where they are, rather than expecting everyone to fit into the same box. Moving onto Art4Space has allowed me to transfer many of these skills into a different setting. Skills such as communication, patience, adaptability, behaviour support and understanding individual needs continue to be incredibly valuable. At the same time, this career move has equally challenged me to think differently and develop new skills.
Personally, this is what makes career progression so important. Moving into a new role isn’t
about leaving previous experience behind; it’s about building on what you already know and
finding new ways to use those skills. My experience within schools has provided me with a
strong foundation, while my role at Art4Space is allowing me to broaden my knowledge and see
things from a different perspective.
At first, moving away from the familiar school environment felt like a big change, but I
quickly realised that so much of what I have learned still applies. Building relationships is
still incredibly important. Communication, patience, safeguarding and creating an environment where people feel safe, respected and valued are still at the heart of what I do. Now I have the opportunity to take those skills somewhere new and combine them with creativity.
This move has reminded me that changing direction doesn’t mean starting from scratch. I’m
still bringing the experiences, relationships and lessons from my years in education with me;
I’m simply using them in a different way.
I’ve been incredibly lucky to work alongside such a brilliant team. Everyone brings
something different, and I’ve learned so much from the people around me; from new ways of
thinking and working to the little things you pick up simply by being part of a great team.
I’ve also had the chance to be involved in some really existing projects (for example Creative
Surgery where our volunteers come in to work alongside us, gain work experience and have a
safe space where they can build on existing skills). Every project has brought something new,
and I’m loving being able to learn as I go!
