“A carrot in boiling water softens, an egg in boiling water hardens, but a coffee bean in boiling water changes the water around it.”
Carla Angus runs a consulting business, Transforming Minds, and serves as the Director of Community Engagement at ArtFields Junior. She is originally from Lake City, SC, but now lives with her family in Florence, SC. Carla also directs Dramatic Coffee Beans, a youth development organization that uses performing arts to help children make positive choices.
Interview
Transcript
Sara Sobota
Can you please do us the favor of introducing yourself, spell out your name and tell us where you’re from.
Carla Angus
well, my name is Carla Angus and a C, A, R, L, A, and then last name, Angus, A, N, G, U, S. I’m originally from Lake City, South Carolina, right here and but I currently live in Florence, South Carolina with my husband and two children.
Sara Sobota
Okay, what do you do for work? And where are you currently working from?
Carla Angus
I have a consulting business called Transforming minds. I am I was a principal, believe it or not, in education, and I was fortunate to have this opportunity with the art fields team. I came on when it was when we didn’t even have a name. So I guess I’m the old head. And so I started here as an employee as well as a contractor, and from that point, I’ve continued to have the pleasure and the honor of continuing to work in the role as a contractor. So right now, as far as title, most people refer to me as the director of community engagement and art fields Junior my main responsibilities at this time
Sara Sobota
okay, great, great.
Carla Angus
The other thing I have is I am director over dramatic coffee beans, which is youth development organization. It is geared towards helping kids make positive choices during difficult times, and we use the performing arts to help kids express themselves and deal with different issues. So that is my passion. That is my something that I, you know, I consider myself a youth advocate. So that’s my my heart.
Sara Sobota
Okay, that program, dramatic coffee, means I’ve, I’ve read a couple articles about it, is it? Is it in Lake City, Florence area? Or where does it live?
Carla Angus
In Lake City, it’s open to all students who can get here. But I would say, if I had to say a target area, we do, Florence County, Williamsburg County, and we want to advance out to Clarendon County this year. Okay,
Sara Sobota
wow, that’s great. When was dramatic coffee beans founded?
Carla Angus
we started brewing in 2011
Sara Sobota
explain briefly what coffee beans has to do with Children’s Advocacy.
Carla Angus
you know, I heard this story a while back, and I’ll be very brief with it, but it said in life, you can deal with your trials and tribulations as a carrot to egg or a coffee bean, and as a carrot, you start off hard and strong, and you know what you want to do, and you know, but as soon as you get in that boiling water, which is in common tribulations of life, you get soft and you get weak, you know, kind of like that diet. You’re like, Oh, I’m going to start my diet day. And somebody brings a donut, and you say, I’ll eat it and start tomorrow. But then you also can be like an egg, which is very fluid on the inside and golden, it seems at peace, but as soon as it hits that boiling water, it gets hard and stiff. And I know you don’t know anybody like that, Sarah, you know, but they seem good until they’re not getting their way and they get an attitude. But then that coffee bean, as soon as it hits the boiling water, and letting, instead of letting the water change it, it changes the water. And so we encourage all our young people that when they’re dealing with different things in society, to not the society impact them in a negative way, but for them instead, to impact society in a positive way. So all our kids that be coffee beans, but not just a coffee bean, but a dramatic that’s amazing. That’s kind of the story behind it.
Sara Sobota
Okay, great, great. What background do you have that helped you land the roles that you have?
Carla Angus
I would probably have to say art fields Junior, because when we first came in, this was very much an adult based competition, and we were targeting 12 southeastern states. And being on the team at the time, I was very excited about the possibility of art making a difference in our community, but I just felt that need to involve the youth, because I feel like if you get them when they’re young, maybe they’ll continue as they get older, and so through the out of the out there of having a, you know, a younger base competition with the same expectations as art fields, but just targeting first grade through 12th grade and, you know, fast forward now, years later, is statewide. It has a traveling exhibition. You know, it’s just really grown beyond what I originally thought of it to be, because originally it was just a competition for first grade through students.
Sara Sobota
But you’re excited about that? Yeah. I mean, you are the founder. Was it your brainchild to begin with? It sounds like, yeah
Carla Angus
yes
Sara Sobota
wow, wow. Okay. Can you recommend any specific skills that an aspiring applicant should have to increase their chances of landing a role in your field? And I guess we’re gonna have to have a broad definition of your field.
Carla Angus
I would say open minded, flexible, very flexible, quick, on their feet, okay, problem solving. Okay, then I would definitely say a zest of creativity this, you know, and everybody’s creative skills and talents are different, but I think all of that brings about change in something. So for me, I would have to say that I think I’ve got it, flexibility, open minded creativeness, quick on your feet
Sara Sobota
yeah, yeah. Okay, awesome.
Carla Angus
And communicative,
Sara Sobota
okay
Carla Angus
And I think that’s when I see open mindedness, being able to dialog with with the diverse amount of people, backgrounds, ages, everything. Because one other part of my role is I work a lot with volunteers, and our volunteers make what we do. And so when I think of volunteers, I’m thinking about individuals that may not be a part of the art world and helping to be, you know, empowered through the arts, instead of intimidated by the arts. Because let’s be real. You know, when you’re looking at to the art and things like that, most of the time is certain clientele that have that opportunity to really engage in the arts. So it can be very intimidating to just the general population. So I think being able to communicate with them in a way that they can appreciate and feel respected, yeah, it helps them feel free to explore. So, you know, so communication is a big one, yeah?
Sara Sobota
what are some techniques you use specifically with volunteers, when they show up and are are willing and interested, but feel that sense of, maybe I don’t belong here.
Carla Angus
I think giving them a voice and letting them be the ones to tell me what they’re looking for. You know, what they think about things, and then taking what they saying, and then being able to, then drive what I would like for them to get out of what they’re doing, right? You know, so, so definitely hearing what they what they have to say, and how they’re thinking
Sara Sobota
Yeah, okay. Are there any other well, you can include art fields, of course. But are there any local organizations, programs or events that you recommend for aspiring creatives in South Carolina?
Carla Angus
Well, you know, we have a great little theater here in Lake City. And I think sometimes, because we don’t have the Grand Theater and the grand stage that, you know, we lose people coming to this area, but I think they have a great little the Lake City community theater. And I was a kid in high school, I participated in it, and so I think that that has a lot of room, and when you hear about it, you want to come see it. Yeah? Concert Series here does a wonderful job of doing local concerts and things like that. I think they do a great job. And I’m trying to think locally here, yeah, I think that our chamber is working really hard to come back around and institute some events that can bring forth people I know they have Crossroads music and market that’s coming up. They used to be back in the day, something we call the tobacco festival, okay? And they’re really working hard to engage more and make everyone feel welcome. And so they’ve restructured what that event was in. To something new. So,
Sara Sobota
okay, great
Carla Angus
at hometown holiday. We have hometown holiday December. So everybody’s got to come to Lake City for hometown holiday.
Sara Sobota
Is that Christmas sort of
Carla Angus
yes, the first weekend of December.
Sara Sobota
Great. What advice do you have for current college students or pre professional adults who are pursuing a career in the creative world?
Carla Angus
I would say to definitely take part in creative events. You know why the art fields, art competition and festival? I don’t think there’s anyone from this area that should not have come to that particular event at this point. So definitely, to engage me a part of those things, I say, work with artists from different disciplines, visit the museums and things like that, surround yourself by other creatives, those who are wanting to be creative, I think can help drive you as well as you drive them, you know, good back and forth type of thing, right? Oh, and definitely work with those who are older, who already in it. So you can learn from the learning curves. And I call them learning curves because you hit those bumps sometimes in life that may knock you out the car you have to get back again and climb and try to drive again. So finding those mentors who can help you along the way, I think, is is really key, because to this day, I may have individuals that I’ll call and I’m maybe trying to troubleshoot through something, and they are a good voice, and they tell me that I’m right or wrong they dont hold back.
Sara Sobota
who would have been your mentors when you were 18 or so?
Carla Angus
You know, I was very fortunate. I had, I know, one or two teachers that I remember talking to because it seems like they heard me. They listened. I think it was Miss Floyd. She was an English teacher at Lake City High School, and I felt like she listened. She wasn’t just looking at me as this crazy teen, like she made me feel like I had a voice. Oh, my goodness. I wish I could think of her name right now, because she was over student council for years, just a wonderful lady, so I remember those adults along the way that made me feel like I had a voice. Yeah,
Sara Sobota
yeah. Okay, great. Wow. I’m just so impressed with all the different ways that you impact community, and I cannot imagine how you find time to do it all. What could you maybe tell me a lesson or two that you have learned from the experience of a dramatic coffee beans,
two lessons from that. It’s so fun because I’m in the process of meeting with my staff now to try to fix things, I would say lesson lesson learned. Am I correct what you’re telling me? Lessons Learned. Just because it’s your idea, don’t mean you have to do everything.
Carla Angus
two lessons from that. It’s so fun because I’m in the process of meeting with my staff now to try to fix things, I would say lesson lesson learned. Am I correct what you’re telling me? Lessons Learned. Just because it’s your idea, don’t mean you have to do everything.
Sara Sobota
Yes, yes.
Carla Angus
I think that don’t be afraid to let go. You know? I think that’s that’s one thing for me. I always want to make everything easier for everybody else, and not recognizing how it doesn’t allow them to be as strongly as they can be, because they they then get into this thing where they’re waiting on me or waiting on the other person. So sometimes you empower people by stepping back and letting them fall and then helping them get back up. You know. So for me, being now at the age that I am, I’m learning that in a hard way. So, but a good way, but a hard way, right, right? I could have confused a lot of this head, like I had alone.
Sara Sobota
It’s a lesson and advice together,
Carla Angus
yes, but I mean, basically, I think that’s the biggest thing. Like, there’s enough to share, enough to give you know, be happy to share the spotlight. Because when that spotlight is shined on somebody else, you know, you feel good to know that you are part of that, what’s happening so embracing others, being in their life.
Sara Sobota
great, okay, well, yeah, that’s, that’s all my questions, and you have been fabulous.
