Resident in Focus: Sarah Cunningham, Content Developer at Ormeau Baths

This month we caught up with Ormeau Baths Content Developer, Sarah Cunningham to find out more about her work as part of the Ormeau Baths team, her biggest lessons from 2020 and the habits that have helped her boost positivity throughout the 2020 pandemic.

Name and Role:

Sarah Cunningham, Content Developer at the Ormeau Baths

Describe yourself in 50 words

I enjoy a project and learning something new. I especially enjoy bringing together different ideas in a creative project. I live quite a lot in my thoughts of what could be, but am working on grounding myself in the moment more.

What are your biggest goals for wrapping up 2020?

We have been working on building our studio here at the Ormeau Baths. A lot of this work included planning and designing, but we are starting to see it come together over the past few weeks. So, finishing this off by 2021 would be amazing.

What excites you most about your role at Ormeau Baths?

A lot of things. I love my role and am excited to use our studio in the new year, and I’m especially excited to work with our members in creating this content. I also love the team and people here, it certainly is a special place. There’s a great spirit and feeling of inclusivity amongst everyone. People are willing to collaborate, share ideas or knowledge, and help each other. This makes coming into work a lovely thing.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in 2020?

I’ve learnt a lot in 2020 as I’m sure many have. Finishing and graduating university remotely, and then facing the immediate challenge of job hunting in the pandemic was tricky. Quite often I felt caught up in my thoughts of the future and forgot to enjoy what is happening right now. I came across this quote I love by Mark Twain which is “I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never came true”. This reminded me that there is no point in worrying about things which are out of my control, and instead focus on finding the sparks of joy which are all around us if we look for them.

What habits have helped you to stay positive throughout lockdown/pandemic?

This year has taught me that we are capable of a lot more than we think. We can adapt and take greater charge over our destinies than was once the narrative whilst growing up. Deciding to not limit myself to an idea of what my career can be or what I can do has helped me remain focused and positive. It’s also reinforced that although I can’t control everything, I can control the attitude I bring to this world, how I treat people, and how I can make my own little difference.

In times of struggle or stress, what keeps you motivated to keep working?

Honestly, a tidy workspace and a methodical list. I’m a big culprit for trying to work on three things at once, and when I’m working on one, worrying that I’m neglecting the other. Creating my own little critical path eases the stress and breaks down my workload into achievable sections.

What’s the biggest career lesson you’ve learned so far?

I've not had an extensive career (yet!) but the most immediate and impactful lesson I have learned is about treating people right. It doesn’t cost anything, and it’s arguably one of the most important elements of working in a team, in management, leadership and entrepreneurship.

Who is your dream business mentor?

My dream business mentor would be someone like Shonda Rhimes. She took her skill, passions and values and turned them into a successful production business. I would especially value her insight as she has scaled her output incredibly well, whilst maintaining her credibility and unique tone of voice.

If you could pick up a new skill in an instant, what would it be?

To be a pro piano player. That would be amazing.

What are you looking forward to in 2021?

Aside from an end to the pandemic, we hope, I am very excited about creating video content next year. Getting stuck in to working at our studio and on my own projects. And then just the little things, maybe a holiday or trips with four people in the car not wearing masks. The bar is pretty low after this year, which is great. It really will be the little things that will put a smile on my face!