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Notes.
Notes from the house

Essays, observations and unfinished thoughts on art, story, audience, and the work of building things. A director’s notes column, kept in public.

Issue no. 02•3 essays•October 2026
Latest · On building · October 2026

I Have a Master’s in Opera. I Built a CRM Anyway

The first time I watched a real relationship with a donor slip through the cracks, nobody stopped caring.

The billIn order of appearance
Also in the file · Audiences · August

Sometimes the Show Is the Problem

Nobody says this out loud at opera conferences: sometimes people don’t come back because the show was a dud.

Also in the file · On craft · July

What Opera Taught Me About Building

I spent fifteen years preparing to walk onto stages I couldn't fully see until the lights came up.

In the wings

What I’m thinking through next.

IVHow Do You Balance the Budget?Earned against contributed. Safe programming against brave. And the myth that a bigger budget means a healthier organization.

The column continues. New essays when the work asks for them.

Standing room
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© 2026 Katie Spencer · Art · Real life · Meaningful work
Katie Spencer.