Day 32 June 6th 2011

So I have spent most of the day getting the images in a sesnsible order for the pecha kucha on Thursday night so it makes sense to me. The art to it is the flow I think mind you I havent actually done it yet so, I could have it totally wrong.
On the journey of camino, it has been a reflective on when putting the pecha kucha together it forces a degree of thoughts to past events and chapters in ones life, my life for ownership. The youthfulness and actually at the same time, certainly within the live production industry I am almost a pensioner, at the prime of what has been a life changing and unique experience.
I was talking to my friend  Gary Coopers Burrows on the phone. We were discussing women in the industry, how when he lectures and women ask what are the barriers to getting there. He said "only what you have in your own head", I am not sure if it was like that when I started. I always wondered if I was a token girl, but actually in reality thats probably more to do with my own youthfulness and niavity but Its worth a thought.

Equality is better in the industry, although there is less of an old boys mentality anymore, and i guess the older women, or should that be longstanding rather have earned the respect. People like Helen Garrett, Es Devlin and myself have managed to juggle families and work making it a real possibility for women to be women and create their own shadows for people to look up to, clearing the way for women to be accepted for their talents and their hard work rather than be accused of sleeping their way in or building the egos of the artists because they are attractive and masculating themselves in the process to be twice as strong, twice as hard, twice as knowing.

Back then we had to take on the multiple roles of Lighting designer/ production manager/ Sound engineer/ Set designer/ backline tecnician / nursery nurse/ sister/ mom/ cleaner and all for the sake of their craft, just to be accepted for what they did better than the men they worked alongside. We were never really part of the boys club but we were never really not. It was a sit on the fence sort of time. Back then.

The question is how to encourage more women into the industry,  allowing women to be proud of being women and their abilities, I need to use my skills and experience to be seen as a positive role model to younger women who want to forge a career in the live events industry. It has to start now.