Agata Nowotny
I am going through a period of professional and personal change, which is testing and building my resilience. Two years ago, after the birth of my daughter, I underwent the biggest re-evaluation of my life. Shortly after returning to work, I started to experience symptoms of burnout. This is what prompted me to consider new directions for my personal and professional development. Being a single mother prevented me from making a change for a long time. I was afraid of losing stability. However, motherhood has sharpened my sense of purpose and my need for meaningful work, and has reawakened my creativity. I graduated in sociology. For many years, I worked as a researcher in a cultural NGO. However, I recently realised that working in a corporation was not the right path for me. I miss having a sense of purpose, working with people and having a sense of agency. Drawing on my experience and knowledge, I would like to support others in their creative development and accompany them as a mentor through creative change.
The concept of resilience resonates with me on many levels. To me, it means having resilience without necessarily having strength. It means flexibility, but with a strong sense of rootedness and grounding. It is the ability to adapt while maintaining a strong sense of identity. Ultimately, success is less important than the ability to emerge from crises in a balanced way. This is a key competence in today’s world. Multiple crises are a common experience today, and there are no universal solutions or established patterns that can guarantee peace of mind.
It seems to me that the creative community is particularly vulnerable to turmoil in times of crisis. At the same time, however, I recognise the significant role that creativity can play in fostering resilience and boosting self-confidence.
Put simply, I want to take care of myself. It’s not easy to admit. Women of my generation were socialised to put others first. That is why I am writing this with pride and confidence, knowing that I am at a stage in my life where I must start with myself and devote time to myself if I am to be able to support others.
I am a sociologist by training and have extensive experience in social and commercial research, particularly in design research. I have always had a close relationship with art and culture. My professional activities have spanned various disciplines: I have curated design exhibitions, completed an art coaching course, created a programme and a team of sociologists who lecture at the School of Form art college, collaborated with designers and edited Futu magazine. Today, I feel that I have the knowledge and experience to support others in their development. My strengths lie in supporting people, recognising potential and working with resources. I have been doing this for years, almost incidentally, and I am now ready to build my professional identity around it.
During my residency, I would like to focus on planning my development as a creativity mentor, including finding the right term for it, outlining goals, testing methods and identifying the needs of the environment.
Although I have conducted extensive theoretical research, I am in need of lively discussion, diverse perspectives, an exchange of ideas and inspiration from the experiences of others. Therefore, I would be delighted to meet and discuss with a group of residents. I would gladly take advantage of the opportunity to use the WOK space for meetings and conversations with interested parties in order to test various working models (e.g. group meetings and networking of creative people). I am open to the idea of further training and organising my mentoring skills.