Aren Murray, U.S. Operations Director for Tixly, recently gave a presentation to Ontario Professional Ticketing Association (OPTA) members titled “Turn That Frown Upside Down.” The webinar session was all about dealing with the “crushing pressure” of life as a ticketing and live event professional and how to still maintain a positive attitude.
Aren Murray
In discussing what she had hoped to achieve with “Turn That Frown Upside Down,” Murray says, “I have noticed that people who faced the crushing pressure with positivity found a gentler path through the storm. I wanted to share the impact of a positive attitude on the ability to face adversity in the work world; how attitudes can be infectious and affect problem solving, team building and personal advancement; and that it is possible to face struggles with a vision of hope. It is a scientific fact that your situation is not the deciding factor in your opportunity for joy."
Murray was the perfect person to give such a talk. First of all, you can’t be in her presence for long without her energy, enthusiasm for her work, and overall good humor bringing a smile to your face. She’s also been battle-tested in a career in which she says she has faced challenges like layoffs, software changes, management changes and even the creation of a new organization.
Prior to taking on her current position at Tixly, she was Director of Ticketing at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio from April 2013 to November 2020. Before that, she was Assistant Director at Texas A&M University’s Memorial Student Center where she was responsible for the direction of its regional arts and entertainment ticketing services program.
“Pressures in ticketing start with a universal lack of understanding of the jobs we fulfill by even our own co-workers,” she says. “Due to this, expectations and the struggle for others to empathize with tasks and workloads tend to build. Some very specific stressors in the market today are a fear of job stability after the layoffs during COVID, lack of experienced staff for the same reason, office politics, budget fears, a pressure to maintain work-life balance without the resources to actually do this, the epidemic of fraud and chargebacks, changing laws, regulations and procedures, and the general public’s lack of people skills with the world becoming so segmented and separated from social interaction. [chucking] Just to name a few!”
With so many factors working against ticketing professionals, Murray says it is more important now than ever to keep a positive attitude. She describes the work that INTIX and OPTA members do as “two sided. We must be highly skilled in technical aspects such as database management and show settlements. Then, at the same time, there is the requirement to do the ‘emotional labor’ of customer service, interoffice negotiations, client interactions and managing staff. Emotional labor is higher and much more difficult when we must flex beyond our current negative mood to express and encourage positivity in others. We are in entertainment, so positive experiences are the name of the game.”
During her OPTA presentation, she cited research that if leaders reinforce and model positive attitudes behind closed doors, those positive attitudes will trickle down and reflect in their teams’ behaviors. “It is based in hope,” Murray says. “If we believe we can succeed, we will, because we will believe the effort we put forward will eventually result in success. We will see problems as opportunities and not roadblocks.”
Also, during her session, Murray advocated meditation as a way to deal with stress and bring out the positive. Of course, meditation looks different for everyone. “For you, it might be yoga, prayer, immersion in music, exercise or deep breathing,” Murray says. “It doesn’t have to be complex. The basic goal is bringing yourself back to a blank state … a place where the pressures that cause your [blood pressure] to increase and your fears to take over doesn’t envelop you.”
She notes that there are two methods that even beginners can try. One is a relaxation technique, and the other is a concept created by a Vipassana teacher, Michele McDonald, called RAIN. Murray was taught the relaxation technique by concentrating on the different muscles in her body and then progressing from her extremities to her body’s core. “It goes a bit like this: ‘Feel your toes and only your toes. Stretch your toes. Tense your toes. Know the power in your toes and the beauty of their ability. Now relax your toes.’ Move on to your fingers, then your ankles, wrists and up each extremity to the core. When you concentrate on such a finite concrete item, you become centered and knowledgeable of the fact that you are miraculously made. This allows you to reach a mental point where you are not dwelling on the negatives anymore.”
As for the RAIN technique, it uses an acronym: R is recognize what is happening. A is allow what is happening to happen. Murray explains, “Some might say ‘honor’ the moment and the knowledge that the problem is a reality.” I stands for investigate or “think about why you are responding in the way you are to the reality.” Finally, N is for non-identification. “Realize that the experience, pressure, problem is not a definition of who you are. It is something to solve, set aside or develop. It is not a label you take on yourself,” she says.
Additionally, Murray warned of going on Facebook and social media when stressed. After all, social media has become a great tool for watching others from afar. “It is not a substitute for true interaction,” Murray says. “Social media is a skewed view of the world. This view can lead quickly to comparing our lives with others, doomsday beliefs and spiraling negativity. … Don’t substitute these posts for real-life relationships and experiences.”
Recognizing the power of words is something Murray and this journalist have in common. “Vibrant Vocabulary” is a term she used to describe the effect that words — especially positive words — can have each day on the people around us, stating, “Vibrant Vocabulary is a positivity exercise where you collect exceptional words for use later. This can be done on your own in a document, on your cell phone, a journal, even in a jar. You can have your team join you in the activity and post it on a bulletin board.”
She adds, “There are several ways in which this improves the atmosphere. By committing to collecting words for Vibrant Vocabulary, you are already focusing on the search for positivity in your world. Then, as you see the list growing and commit to using the words in daily interactions, your communications become glowingly descriptive. The readers or listeners will experience your dialogue as forward thinking and enjoyable, even eloquent and intelligent. Now you have your best foot forward!”
Finally, Murray was asked, “Is there one piece of advice you would like to impart on someone reading this article who is stressed, who didn’t get to attend your OPTA presentation, but who is eager to ‘turn that frown upside down?’” She was quick to answer: “Always take breaks! We tend to get to work before everyone else and stay after as well. We physically cannot function effectively for that long. With moments to breathe, your attitude will be improved and your health will as well. Take a walk around the block. Grab a quick — or a long — lunch. Say ‘Hello’ to a co-worker. Enjoy your life. Put that joy back in by taking these small moments to see the beauty that exists all around you. And then … share it!”
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A few days after this interview was conducted, Murray got back in touch with me and thought it best if we add the following in conclusion: “These concepts and ideas are for increasing positive thought patterns and future solution-based thinking. If you are in an abusive or toxic situation whether at work, in life, or in the way you treat yourself, please get outside help. Just as in physical health, a small headache can be treated with a walk or a little pain reliever. But a migraine should be treated by a professional. Get help as appropriate and do not ignore serious mental health issues. The phone number for the National Mental Health Hotline is 866-0903-3787 and their website is: https://mentalhealthhotline.org/.
If you are in crisis and need immediate help, please call or text 988 in the United States and Canada or call 999 in the U.K. There is a list of additional mental health and suicide prevention resources for American, Canadian and UK ticketing pros at the end of this article.
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