Southern Breeze is Volunteer Powered

By Paula Puckett
Part one in the SB Volunteers series

I hope this message finds you well and creatively productive. I know, I know--it's still considered "winter," and I'm ready for warmer weather. But for now, I sit by my fireplace and get some reading, drawing or writing accomplished when it's too cold to go outside.

One of my personal creative goals for 2015 has been to become more aware of available opportunities and to learn as much as I can about writing and illustrating. But where to look? Who to contact? How can I find out what I want to know? And what do I do about it if I'm not finding any of those opportunities in my area?

Every event that is sponsored by our Southern Breeze Region is volunteer-powered. Our Southern Breeze newsletter comes out twice a year. It is produced by volunteers, too. Every conference, every Meet-And-Greet, every SCBWI workshop has been put together by people who "step up to the plate." Even our team of Regional Advisors are volunteers! Many of you have offered to help at a conference or event, and it means SO much to the organizers to have the additional help. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And if you're not sure what you could do, the next time you sign up for an SB event, look at the part of the registration form which lists possible volunteer jobs. One sure way to network and "learn the ropes" is to become involved as a volunteer.

Now I say this, because I asked a question about wanting to plan an event for our North Georgia area. I'd never done anything like that before. "Sure! Write up what you'd like to do, give us a proposal for it, and we'll have an idea of what you're thinking about," they said. And so, I did. It wasn't too hard.

The result was our "Meet and Greet" in Dawsonville, co-hosted by myself and Chris Rumble, back in September. We had a dozen attendees and had the opportunity to put together names and faces, talk shop, and enjoy the opportunity to be with like-minded creative individuals. I hope to do something like that again, in April or May 2015. It was work, but the FUN kind of work.

The SCBWI website and Southern Breeze have tons of information and articles, and our long-time members have a wealth of experience, too. And if you find you have a really great idea for a gathering in your area, or would consider becoming a Local Liaison yourself, please contact our Regional Advisors.

I look forward to seeing you at one of our Southern Breeze SCBWI events soon.

Happy Creating!

Paula

Paula B. Puckett handcrafts yarn as well as stories, and follows a creative life path. She is a retired elementary art teacher and longtime SCBWI Southern Breeze member. She is currently working on several writing projects and would really like to have more hours in a day.