The Cultured Seed

A Letter From Your Chief Cultivator.

2012…what a year!

I know it’s been some time since I’ve sent out a Cultured Seed Newsletter. I have had a lot going on and unfortunately this aspect of the communication chain was the one to “fall off.”

To give you a short recap… In the span of the last twelve months, not only have I been busy cultivating my own babies and maintaining The Cultured Seed, but in my spare time I also completed graduate school at USC, got divorced, helped to start a school, and spent months looking for the perfect job.

None of these are small things. Needless to say, it has been a challenging year. One of those years that has built a resiliency that I know I will lean into for the rest of my life. There were definitely those moments when it became too much and you, my network, were there to catch me, support me, and lift me up through it all. So I begin this letter with a word of thanks…

Thanks for encouraging me through finals, papers and hours of reading. Thanks for the compliments on my writing; this made me want to keep doing what I am doing. Thanks for all of the article and event tips; as a small team this was invaluable. Thanks for babysitting when I just needed to get a cup of coffee and stare at the wall. Thanks for dinner invites when I was too tired to cook, and for paying my rent when the money ran out. Thanks for believing in me in those moments when it was hard to believe in myself. I am truly grateful, and I know that Arya and Edan have come through it relatively unscarred thanks to the love that our village has shown through the months.

I see great things ahead for 2013. In fact, in the last three weeks alone things have shifted quite dramatically for me. I have heard some folks joke about having made it through the Mayan “end of the world” unscathed. Well, I can tell you that I did not. I am not the Rebecca that you knew last year. My accomplishments are a result of my evolution and shedding what no longer serves me. I see bright horizons ahead and am excited about what my new life will bring. Thank GOD the world ended and we all get a chance to start over again!

Speaking of my new life… I am thrilled to share with you that in the new year I will be taking my work to the next level as an ambassador for one of the coolest kid-focused cultural institutions in LA. In January, I will be joining the Zimmer Children’s Museum as their new Development and Communications Manager. Seriously, I set out for the perfect job and there could not be a better application for what I have been building to date through The Cultured Seed. The museum is designed for children ages 0-8 and their mission is to teach people about the BIG IDEAS of global citizenship, community responsibility, social justice and cultural sensitivity. If that is not my life in a mission statement, I don’t know what is! I invite you all to grab a kid and come down and participate in the fun and transformative work that we do at the Zimmer through play. I am confident that my experiences at the museum will serve to inspire me on a daily basis and help The Cultured Seed continue to evolve as a communications platform and online community.

All in all, we have accomplished so much together this year! As The Cultured Seed we’ve hosted and attended picnics, concerts, performances, arts projects, meet ups, food tastings, holiday parties and more. We have partnered with numerous organizations and raised awareness for good causes like Shot@Life, City School West Adams, iDream for Racial Health Equity, and the March of Dimes. We have taken advantage of the best that this diverse city has to offer and supported our local cultural institutions. Most importantly, we have done it all with our kids right by our side. Many of you attended and helped to facilitate these activities, so thank you for being a part of The Cultured Seed community and for helping this dream to blossom.

Through the joys of the year and the tragedies, the conversations that we have chosen to have with our children and the moments spent creating diverse experiences are what help to generate their reality and formulate their beliefs about the world. I believe that these small experiences add up. That they somehow get magically woven together into a rich tapestry that our kids get to drape over their shoulders and march out into the world with as future adults.

The work that we do with our kids is time sensitive and critical. It can’t wait. Why? Because kids don’t wait. They grow whether we like it or not, and the research shows that by the age of 5 they have already established the foundation for their future belief systems. My two children just hit the 2-year and 4-year mark, so I am realizing how fast this window closes. What we choose for our families every day matters. It is what shapes us and we are all just doing the best that we can.

Looking back I have watched my work expand from my nuclear family, to my Cultured Seed family, and now the greater Los Angeles community. I do know, however, that the most important work that I do starts at home, with my two kids. Parents, we have the biggest and most important job on the planet! I commend you for the work that you do every day with your children. I thank you for considering me a friend and resource on this journey. And I look forward to cultivating an amazing year with you in 2013.

With love and best wishes for the new year,

Rebecca