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Posts tagged ‘Doc Waller’

Feb 15

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Carnivale: A Review!

It is finally here! The Carnivale review post! This past Friday, I had the pleasure of helping The Layman Group produce their second annual Carnival Gala and Masquerade. What a great time! We were able to present The Layman Group’s mission and current projects to so many businesses and community leaders at the Gala and then welcomed the rest of the community at the Masquerade. A dual purpose event that succeeded fantastically.

I will have to brag on the entertainment for just a bit. Adventure the Great was the featured band and there was also a performance from Ayinde Hurrey, a West African percussionist. The two performances couldn’t have been on more opposite ends of the spectrum, but they were so wonderful. Such an accurate portrayal of the types of artists that The Layman Group supports.

I had to admit that I felt like a proud mother watching the event unfold and seeing the guests enjoy everything that had been prepared for them. Executive Artistic Director, client and friend – Doc Waller – did his normal mastery of crowd involvement. His enthusiasm for his organization and passion for the arts at large is evident in everything he does. And, that is why I love working with him.

So, here are a few photos from the night. We all had a great time and hope to see everyone there next year! Until next time… XOXO, Julie

Doc and Ayinde having a great duet on the drums. A great performance!

Adventure the Great playing for the Masquerade crowd. It was awesome!

Me and Doc. Very rare to get us both to stop at the same time.

Some of the best gals around – Shelly and Channing. Couldn’t have gotten everything done without them!

The main crew. Such a fun group!

Some of my favorite masks of the night.

Me and my faithful assistant, Emily. So glad she could come as a guest to this one!

 

Aug 31

Business and the Arts Cocktail Party: A Review

Last week, The Layman Group hosted their Business and the Arts Cocktail Party. I had such a great time with Doc, Kelsey (Community Relations Director), Vicky and all the others that make up The Layman Group. There were various folks from the community business scene in attendance. It was wonderful. Doc, the perfect speaker, inspiration and performer, gave a very heartfelt speech about how the businesses in the community can’t exist in a vacuum. We have to be involved in what is going on around us. As a business owner myself, I was moved. This is why I am involved with The Layman Group to begin with. I love their mission and I see Doc’s passion. It’s wonderful.

Then, We Rhetoric, a spoken word ensemble, gave their first performance. They were absolutely great! Other fabulous points to make: Jimmy’s (a WONDERFUL restaurant in downtown Opelika) provided our appetizers and they were delish. My favorite? The shrimp/pineapple/sausage kabob. Yum!!! Also, Back Forty Beer Company provided beer for the occasion. Lovely. The wine (also available from Jimmy’s) was from a vineyard in Shelby County, Ala. and included a white infused with Chilton County Peaches. If you are from Alabama, you know what Chilton County Peaches are. The best ever (sorry, Georgia). Added just the right local touch along with Back Forty which is also an Alabama brewery. Also, the Mary Slaton Trio added a special touch with their jazz music. Wonderful. In all, we had a lovely time introducing the community to The Layman Group.

So, here are some of the photos from the night. Taken by the very talented Rebecca Croomes. Please visit The Layman Group‘s site and learn more about them. I think you might be intrigued… And, stay tuned for more exciting events with Doc and The Layman Group!!!

Me, Kelsey and Doc giving Jim Sikes at Jimmy’s a good shout out. Thank you, Jim!

Some of those kabobs I was telling you about. Awesome.

Doc and Lisa Beck of The Event Center Downtown in Opelika.

Me and Kelsey Brown, Community Relations Director for The Layman Group. Love this girl!

Tim and Brooke Patton and Kevin Manning of Society South Magazine. Glad to have them!

Doc, in his element, speaking to the audience.

Some of the wonderful art featured that night.

We Rhetoric performing.

There are many more photo that I didn’t get to include in this post, but I will be posting the album on our Facebook page, so please watch for that. Like us! And, like The Layman Group! Keep up with all the fun things going on!

Until next week – XOXO, Julie

Aug 24

Events and the Arts – from guest blogger Doc Waller of The Layman Group

Doc Waller - Executive Artistic Director, The Layman Group

While this blog is generally meant for wedding discussion, I do get the chance to spread my event planning/design wings from time to time on other types of events. And it is really fun! Recently, that has been for The Layman Group here in Auburn, Ala. – see my posts on the Carnivale events earlier this year here. So, I have asked Doc Waller, the Executive Artistic Director of The Layman Group, to be a guest blogger for me this week. Doc and I (and many others) are working hard on the Business and the Arts Cocktail Party that will be happening this week and I wanted him to weigh in on events and non-profit organizations. Doc is not only one of the most creative people I’ve ever worked with – which is really saying something – but, he is also completely passionate about his work, The Layman Group and the arts in general. And, that is ridiculously inspiring to me and has made me an avid supporter of The Layman Group’s mission. So, please enjoy his musings and I will be back next week with a review of the Business and the Arts Cocktail Party. Until next time… XOXO – Julie

by: Doc Waller – Executive Artistic Director, The Layman Group

I’ll admit it, I’m a bit stubborn. I’d even go as far as to say anyone looney enough to launch a grassroots nonprofit organization has somewhat of a stubborn side. At times, it can be an advantage, as when needing to find the gusto to fight through the day-to-day adversity. However, it can also be a disadvantage, as when attempting to take on more than one can successfully chew. Ok, well, let’s say you can chew it. It doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

I’ve learned over this past year with The Layman Group, that no matter how infinitely natural I am at everything (that was a joke – I’m not that egotistical), there are always people who do certain things…well…better. The key is either recognizing this about those individuals who are around you, or going outside your business/organization to find them.

Masqueraders at Carnivale - 2011

Meeting Julie of Invision has been a blessing in many ways. Her presence in the designing/planning stage of recent TLG events has shed a very valuable light on how much of my focus and energy had been spread thin across the many hats I’m forced to wear as the Executive Artistic Director. This, at times, is a problem. Especially when decisions being made are determining how the public view/experience this organization, or when an extremely important events are on the plate. The social events for TLG’s upcoming season (Business & The Arts Cocktail Party & Carnivale Masquerade Ball) hold a great deal of weight for our organization. These events engage those vibrant leaders within the community who have the ability to generate an audience for us, as well as serve as a supportive foundation for our organization. Furthermore these events allow us to develop significant collaborations/partnerships that will propel our organization to higher levels of productivity and closer to our mission. On more occasions than not, this requires an event that successfully taps into, not only the creative aspects of our organization, but also the professional/practical aesthetic with which other businesses are familiar.

Doc and board members at Carnival

The truth is that event planning (Julie’s niche) is not my specialty. Sure, I can turn the ingredients on a Ketchup bottle into a performance, but that’s only because of my training/experience. And sure, I can make things happen in other fields. But, why wing anything when the expertise of other individuals is available? Recognizing where other people exceed, and either taking their advice or taking a back seat, is a skill to learn. Not that I have mastered it by any means (I haven’t). But, I do plan on getting better at it. And if it results in better choices, fluent collaboration, and a happy audience, well…anything otherwise would just be…stubborn.

- Doc

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