Capstone Project
Foxy & Tails: It’s Paris for us! is the first book in a series and focuses on leadership qualities and self-reflection. The first book follows two foxes, Foxy and Tails, as they travel to Paris. Through their travels they get distracted, steering them away from their authentic selves. Then, in a moment of self-reflection, Foxy and Tails find themselves again. The end of the book provides a brief description of authentic leadership and self-reflection prompts for readers through many forms of journaling. Although the content is for all ages, the target audience is children ages 4-9. The reflection exercises at the end of the book are meant to be completed with an adult as an activity to do together. The subsequent books in the series will be related to leadership qualities that fit into my leadership philosophy and the concepts learned throughout the ORGL program.
Learn More!
Project Background
Project Outcomes
Artistic
Process
Collaboration
In Action
Book
1st Draft
Project Background
Self-reflection is the gateway to enhanced learning and connection, which are pillars of leadership practice. During the ORGL program, I have worked with a commissioned artist and my husband on a children's book that creatively combines leadership concepts with my passion for education and knowledge sharing for all ages. As an educator, this project pushes me to distill complex theory into understandable and relatable content to readers of all ages. It is a reminder that it is never too early to start learning about leadership and leadership qualities.
Throughout the ORGL program, classes like Imagine. Create. Lead. and Listen, Discern, Decide inspired me to become more open-minded through listening and self-reflection which brings new imagination and community into leadership practice. My project incorporates these concepts through the creative process of cultivating and actualizing a shared vision with team members and family and in stories presented to the reader.
Project Outcomes
Desired Project Outcome/Results:
The Foxy & Tails series is meant to engage and spur interest in leadership concepts for people of all ages and encourage enrollment into the community of leadership practice through self-reflection.
Project Goals
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Finalizing the artwork with the commissioned artist for Foxy & Tails: It’s Paris for us!
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Develop reflection questions and social media site for reader posting
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Research self-publishing and establish timeline for initial book release
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Storyboarding the concept for the next book in the series and identifying the leadership themes of the next few books
Indicators of Success
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Completed first edition of Foxy & Tails: It’s Paris for us!
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Number of individuals who use the QR code at the end of the book and post self-reflections through video, posts, drawings, etc.
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Copies of the book sold and social media followers
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Identification of leadership themes for books within the series
Artistic Process
Elyse Gambino is an artist and educator based in Lansing, Michigan. While her studio practice is concerned with oil painting and digital collage, her teaching includes foundations in drawing and design, life drawing, art appreciation and theory as well as painting.
Gambino received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Craft, with a concentration in Drawing and Painting from the Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2009. She received her Master of Fine Arts Degree, with a concentration in Painting from Michigan State University in 2017.
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Watch as artist and illustrator, Elyse Gambino, develops the characters of Foxy and Pablo.
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Collaboration In Action
Elyse and I met in 7th grade, bound by mutual interests in leadership, through student council, and art. Over the next two plus decades our interests grew, turning into passion and careers. Our friendship grew even while we watched each other get married and move to new and exotic locations across the US. Although we had done a lot together like epic long distant phone calls, rafting, and even international travel, neither of us expected that our two passions or careers would realign again.
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After a night at a pub in Austin, Texas, the concept of Foxy and Tails was born. I immediately saw this as an opportunity to metaphorically reunite the band and create something magical! When Elyse agreed to work on this project I was thrilled. This project gives us an opportunity to take our friendship into a new dimension. We are now exploring how to use our talents and how to lead each other to create a book that will invite others into the world of leadership and art. We have learned a lot about how to lead without position or title and how to collaborate through technology.
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