February 22, 2016--it was a bright but cold day in Cleveland, Ohio as I made my way to the sixth floor of the east wing of the old, beautiful, red-brick former Saint Luke's Hospital. Fresh off a layoff after moving from a career in international higher education to a very short-lived stint in grant writing, I was excited but nervous, but was warmly greeted into the bright, modern office.
But after an interesting professional journey (you can see in my LinkedIn), shortly after beginning this new life I could tell that the field of Grants Management was the right fit for me. And I still agree with that. I mean, I love creating order out of chaos, streamlining processes, working within software systems, pulling data reports, improving things. But I also have a big mouth and can fight when there is something I see that causes harm or is just "not right". I've always been the kid who would cry "that's not fair!" and could never accept it when people would tell me that's just how it is. Grants Management and working within Philanthropy is slightly more tolerant of good troublemakers like me than other places I've been, and I'll give myself a little credit that I've improved my "corporate speak" for when I disagree with something so I'm more likely to be listened to.
While I love Grants Management and the Philanthropy sector, it's not without its flaws. I am not the first to proclaim this bit of tough love, in fact there are tons of articles out there about it which I hope to share on this blog in the future, but we know it can be a stodgy old system that can continue oppression. Instead of being disillusioned, my stubborn, idealistic self wants to help change the system from the inside. And I want you all to join me. That's why I created recalciGrant as a passion project; to make more visible our recalcitrance in an effort to make good trouble, make a difference, and make a big change. Of course, some designs are silly and just for fun, which we also need!
Thank you for your orders and kind words so far! I'll keep working on adding new designs and new products as I can. I look forward to us fighting together.
Let's keep rocking the boat!
-Kristen
P.S. I also highly recommend reading/listening to the audiobook Professional Troublemaker by Luvvie Ajayi Jones! I'm currently listening to the audio version (which she narrates herself!) on loan from the library and it just speaks so well to what I'm trying to do that I had to order myself a written copy to keep as a reference. She has other books, a podcast, and a TED talk you can also consume.