Leveraging location

• Julia Jornsay-Silverberg


• 11 Mar 2015

One of the things that I think made Ruckusmakers weekend so special, and successful, was the location.

Hastings-On-Hudson is a beautiful town right on the water.

It made for an incredible backdrop to the work we were doing inside The Purple Crayon.

The experiences and interactions that occurred throughout the weekend, inside the four walls of the learning center, served as a reminder to me that beauty helps spark creativity and closeness.

I have no doubt that the beauty that surrounded us, both inside and outside of the Purple Crayon, played a large role in our ability to immediately open up to a room filled with strangers.

The small space of the venue made for an intimate setting.

It was this intimacy that made us feel safe and comfortable with the idea of speaking aloud our greatest hopes, dreams and fears.

Similarly, the colorful decorations surrounding us helped spark our creativity and desire for collaboration.

I have no doubt that the beauty that enveloped us made it easier for us to make ourselves vulnerable and open to criticism and feedback, which is exactly what the weekend was about.

While I credit our group of Ruckusmakers for the amount of growth and transformation that occurred throughout the weekend, I have to credit the Purple Crayon (and Seth for choosing the venue) for providing the perfect setting for us to “get naked.”

My fellow Ruckusmaker, Julia Indichova, said it best: “Fear is a welcome pupil in this classroom. Failure is nothing more than courage in disguise. People like us do things like this…People like us grow braver doing things like this.”