By Erika Ni
One month ago, I was in charge of the May art project. Because May is the month of mothers, I said to myself, this is easy! We can make something for Mother’s Day! After browsing for a unique craft, the Art Group chose the Heart String-Art. But after one month of preparation and various problems, I came to a realization: being a leader is hard. For example, in order to make the project, we needed wooden boards, strings, and a specific sizes of nails. The resulting price was pretty expensive. I learnt to use coupons and compare prices. This way, I would be able to keep the costs down but not sacrifice the quality. Also, after I finalized the amount of materials we needed to buy, I found out that the nearby Michaels didn’t have enough boards. Instead, I had to go to Jo-Ann and Michaels in Issaquah to look for more. But in the end, I had to change our original design because both Jo-Ann and the other stores didn’t have them either.
As for the sign-ups, I wasn’t aware of how important advertisement is. Next time, some improvements are: broadcasting simple pictures of the craft to answer and clarify any questions, and posting the sign-up sheet on more group chats and even inviting friends.
The day before Mother’s Day, the big day had come! I led the children to make adorable Mother’s Day String-Art, and I loved the experience! They were amazing and I enjoyed it! Next time, I will improve by speaking in a louder voice when teaching, having more enthusiasm, and stating directions clearly!
Thank you, Little Masters Club! I learned a lot about leadership. Just like the “Entrepreneur” magazine said, the top three qualities to make a great leader are: focus, confidence and transparency.