Hosannas for the creative life

My brother-in-law sent me this provocative quote from a graphic novel called Finder by Carla Speed:

"Everybody sings hosannas to the creative life. The act of creation is really that split second inside your own mind, when an idea comes to you. It's utterly private, personal and cryptic. Everything else is just trying to get other people to see the tiniest fraction of what you saw."

This resonates for me as an artist, but I think it's inspiration, not creation, that happens inside your mind. It's inspiration that you can't quite touch, or name, that your work strives to communicate. To me, living a creative life is having enough faith and courage to seek and act on inspiration - and that's something worth singing hosannas for.

What do you think?

Happy Blog Day 06

Ok, this feels kind of strange, but I'm trying to be a good citizen of the blogsphere and participate in the "Blog Day 06" festivities.

What is Blog Day, you ask? It's apparently an event conceived of by an Israeli blogger, Nir Ofir, intended to celebrate people's right to express themselves online. Nir says,

"...BlogDay is a celebration...of the ability to visit blogs that are different from our own culture, point of view and attitude and it is a celebration of free content written by people like you and me."

Learn more at Global Voices, a roundup of blogs from around the world (the official Blog Day site, blogday.org, seems to be down).

Bloggers have been invited to take this occasion to explain why they blog. I blog because I care passionately about inspiring people to live creatively. Last week, when I guest blogged over at Hip Tranquil Chick, a woman posted the following comment, and it meant so much to me:

"thanks for this great posting. actually, after just yesterday listening to your podcast with kimberly, i took time after work to break my regular evening routine and try something more creative. instead of going home and cleaning or cooking (like i thought i "ought" to do), i lit a half dozen candles, sat at the table on my townhouse patio, and wrote in my journal by candle light. i listed out things in my day that made me happy and some things that i wish i could have done. i brainstormed on how i could incorporate more of those things into my life in the future. it's been very reassuring and inspiring to come across messages like yours that really resonate with what i'm feeling. i also truly believe that it's our funny idiosyncracies that make us all different and interesting, and i'm grateful for the time you've taken to reach out through the blog. many thanks!"

So - that's why I blog. That, and the great dental plan.

Speakeasy

Stop by HR-57 on September 12 for the latest and greatest Speakeasy event - an evening of open mic storytelling, this time centered around the theme of "Intoxication: Being Swept Away."

Happy Hour starts at 7, show starts at 8
HR-57 - 1610 14th St, NW
$5 cover, plus $3 if you BYOB

I've never been to one of these events, but they've always looked interesting - of course I'm busy on the 12th, but I highly encourage you to check it out, and let me know what you think. To learn more about the Speakeasy series, check out their official site, which is apparently set to relaunch very soon. The project is definitely a labor of love, with a marketing budget of probably $0, so if you think this looks interesting: spread the word!

Rock-N-Romp

So one day a local mom decided to start holding rock concerts in her backyard.

She wanted to hear more good, live music, and she wanted to expose her kids to the same. What do I mean by "good, live
music"? According to the official Rock-N-Romp Web site,

"We’re mostly selfish in booking bands that we like. Deb can’t always get to the Black Cat and Paige isn’t able to head down to The Parish at the drop of a hat, so why not bring them to us? Think indie-type stuff: punk, bluegrass, power-pop — stuff you don’t hear on the radio. Sometimes there’s acoustic stuff, but for the most part we prefer plugged in guitars and well-beaten snares."

This is a perfect example of Creative DC - a creative offering for creative people, and something someone started because she wanted to see it happen. If you wish DC had a bigger indie film production scene: pull together a team and start shooting a film. Rock-N-Romp also shows that other members of the creative community may be very interested in whatever you cook up - note that Deb feels bands enjoy playing her backyard as much as they do a packed club (and check out a list of bands from past romps). The bottom line: don't assume no one wants to connect with you.

To learn more about Rock-N-Romp, check out their site:
-Frequently asked questions
-Schedule of upcoming shows

Thanks to my friend Trish for telling me about this - in response to reading about what I was trying to do with this blog, she wrote to tell me how her friends (who she described as "old punks who want to raise their kids creatively") were living "DIY arty lifestyles" in the area, and she mentioned Rock-N-Romp as one example.

If you're an artsy mom, tell me about your pursuits - how do you find time for your art? How do you connect with an artistic community? What services do you wish someone offered?

And to everyone: are there other groups or events like Romp-N-Romp that you think other Creative DC readers should know about? Something someone runs out of their home, for example, that provides a way for like-minded people to connect?

Let me know!

Union Station

I just got back from a weekend in New York, and want to say that if you're starved for inspiration, get yourself a notebook and spend an hour people-watching at Union Station. What better a spot to find characters than a place where people are coming and going, beginning and ending journeys. Pay attention to who gets a shoe shine. Pay attention to all the different ways people kill time in line at Starbucks (one well-coiffed woman on a Blackberry, a young girl on her cell phone, an older woman waiting patiently, eyes straight ahead). Duck into the Body Shop and notice how the sales clerk greets you. Sit at a gate and watch the interactions between mothers and daughters, business colleagues, strangers striking up conversation. I've gotten to the point where I can't help but collect fodder - a strange walk and I've got the beginning of an improv character; a man's taut forearm covered in faint scars, and I'm writing the description of a character in a short story. 'Just another reminder that inspiration is all around us - we just need to pay attention.

Rhoda

Ok, this is admittedly off topic, but I had to share this photo of my parents' bassett hound, Rhoda. She is a hoot. I'm sitting in a hotel room in NY, exhausted from a day of talking and walking in heels, and I get an email from my mom with this photo attached. Dogs rock. Dogs are my muse. (Thanks, mom.)

(I once pitched a TV show called Dog Park Diaries - my vision was that it would be done in the style of the movie Waking Life by Richard Linklater. It would all take place at the dog park - my inspiration was the park at Kalorama and 19th Street NW - and we'd follow the stories of the oddball dog owners, but of course the dogs would be characters too. Come to think of it, if you have the means to execute something like this, please tell me, and let's do it. It would be so much fun.)

Creativity Workshop Avec Moi

I'll be leading a creativity workshop this fall, and I hope you'll consider joining me, and/or spreading the word to others who might be interested. It's a 7-week course that begins Sunday, September 17. Get more info and register online here.

I Heart Kramerbooks

Last night after yoga class I treated myself to dinner and a good browse at Kramerbooks, and was reminded of how much I love that place.

I highly recommend taking yourself there solo and getting in some good people-watching (and eavesdropping) while you savor one of their yummy dishes - my personal favorite being the cornflake-crusted catfish, but the nachos are good, too. (The best nachos ever were at Planet X in College Park, before it closed - raise your hand if you loved Planet X! I seriously mourn for that place at least once every few months. But I digress.) I also recommend their brownie sundae.

Last night I bought 3 travel books for a friend, a book for my sister-in-law (which I won't name in case she reads this), and On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt for my husband, which I inscribed lovingly (he takes solace in tirades :)). Afterwards I walked across the circle (Dupont that is) and savored the feeling of being out and about on my own.

Where do you like to go solo in DC?

More at Hip Tranquil Chick

My guest blogging stint at Hip Tranquil Chick continues - check out today's post. (You don't have to be hip, tranquil or a chick to read it - I promise.)

Ah, the incestuous blogosphere

I'm guest blogging this week for my friend Kimberly over at Hip Tranquil Chick - check out today's post, on The Artist's Way and living creatively (a familiar theme if you're a regular reader of Creative DC!).

Note that I'll be leading a creativity circle centered around The Artist's Way starting September 17 - you can sign up here starting later today; or just email me and I'll let you know when the registration form is live.

Related links:

-My profile of Kimberly -- one of my first posts to this blog
-Kimberly's book, Hip Tranquil Chick, coming this fall
-Kimberly's podcast interview with me from back in July, on living life creatively and 'off script'

(Like I said: incestuous :)).

Soul Mining

Raise your hand if you've heard of Studio One Eight in Adams Morgan. I hadn't, until Saturday night, when a friend handed me a postcard for their latest exhibit, Soul Mining, featuring the painting at left by Matt Sesow and J. Coleman. Turns out the gallery's only open during opening and closing receptions; otherwise, you need to schedule an appointment. If you're appointment phobic like me, mark your calendar for September 9th from 7-1opm -- the closing reception.

(You can put your hand down, now.)

Drinking for a Good Cause at Madam's Organ

NARAL is hosting a Happy Hour Fundraiser at Madam's Organ on Thursday, August 31 from 5:00 - 9:00 pm. I'm all in favor of drinking for a good cause, but what really convinced me to mark my calendar was the promise of "pro-choice trivia"... maybe if we're lucky we can play "pro-choice Scrabble" and "pro-choice Twister," too. In all seriousness, if you live or work in the area, try to stop by.

And if you haven't been to Madam's Organ before, let me also recommend checking out their Wednesday bluegrass nights, featuring Bob Perilla and the Big Hillbilly Bluegrass Band... great music, plus I'm a sucker for beer served in Mason jars.

Team Wet Dog

Yo, what up. Sorry for the lack of posts (as if you're eagerly checking the site each day) - I was in Albany visiting one of my best friends. So there. But now I'm back and feeling saucy and also feeling very glad that my friend Zack forwarded me the link to Team Wet Dog.

First of all, very cool name. (Of course anything involving dogs or even the word 'dog' gets points in my book.) Second - I admire what this artist, Robert Walton, is trying to do with his new book, called Twelve Dreams, which he's self-publishing:

"The project represents a lot of time spent writing and editing, trying to ensure that the final work really said what I wanted it to say. It’s intended as a statement about a lot of things — home and dreams and faith and family. But perhaps more that that, it’s a statement about making something, setting it out for others to see, and hoping they connect with it."

Yes yes yes yes yes. This is what we must do - have the faith to make something, and to share it. The point isn't whether the rest of us love Robert's book - it's that he made it. Sharing something you made with love is probably the greatest gift you can give the world.

And the good news is: you can do this anywhere. In DC, or in Albany, where my friend lives in what she describes as a "brown box" rental apartment with crazy neighbors who tote shotguns. There's nothing there that inspires her - lots of nondescript shopping strips - but I told her, there are people in this town who take photographs, who write stories, who plant gardens...even in the corners of the globe where nothing calls out to say "Step right up, getcher creativity" -- it's still there, waiting patiently for you to discover it.

If you'd like to check out Robert's book, stop by a release party he's having at the DCAC in Adams Morgan tomorrow, August 20, at 5pm.

• Learn more about Twelve Dreams.
• Also, be sure to check out Robert's photos of Mount Pleasant - they're evocative and, I think, combine a richness of storytelling with a strong eye for aesthetic detail.

Over and out...

5 ways

5 ways to get inspired this week:

1. Go to a cafe, order a beverage of choice, and observe. Do not pass Go, do not distract yourself with a book or magazine or Blackberry. Eavesdrop on conversations. Focus in on one person and imagine - how did they decide what to wear today? What are they afraid of? What do they love?

2. Visit one of the city's many dog parks at around 8am or 6pm and observe. Nutty, obsessive dog-owners and a motley crew of dogs scampering and scuttling: great entertainment, and fodder for any storyteller.

3. Find 5 minutes to do something indulgent. Maybe it's taking the time to sit down and enjoy your cup of coffee instead of slurping it down while you do 5 other things. Maybe it's doodling on a napkin, or taking a slightly different route that goes past something you find beautiful or interesting. Maybe it's signing up for a class you've always kind of wondered about.

4. Try something completely new. Take a different route home from work. Read a different section of the newspaper. Instead of zoning out in front of the TV, pack a picnic dinner and take it to a park nearby. Fingerpaint.

5. Put on a favorite piece of music, and really listen to it. Play it again. If you want, let yourself start writing as you listen: what does it make you think of? What images come to mind?

'Just a few ideas.

New plays + free dance

I was at the Flashpoint Gallery for a meeting the other night and picked up postcards for 2 events:

NEW PLAYS
The Hatchery Festival 2006 (through August 20)
DC Arts Center (DCAC)/Adams Morgan

A showcase of new plays by emerging playwrights, plus a late night comedy series. Tickets are $15, or $12 for DCAC members. Visit the festival's Web site for more info.

FREE DANCE
Metro DC Dances (August 12, 7:30pm - free)
Carter Barron Amphitheater

Featuring performances by winners and nominees from last year's Metro Dance awards:
BosmaDance
CrossCurrents Dance Company
Culture Shock DC
Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh & Company
JazzDanz/dc

If you go to either event, let me know what you think!

A day job ain't the whole story

I found this great photo on the local "Prod and Ponder" photo blog, which is run by John, a professional photographer who trained at Annie Liebowitz's knee.

Just kidding: he's really a professor of negotiations conflict management. In addition to teaching, he does consulting work and research in international development and alternative dispute resolution. In addition to academia, John loves playing poker and...taking photos.

'Just another reminder that your day job ain't the whole story.

P.S. The photo, entitled 'Better Than Cups,' is of pitchers hanging over the bar at Chief Ike's.

News and opportunities for DC Artists

I imagine many of you know about this, but for those who don't: The Cultural Development Corporation maintains an active list of opportunities for artists on its Web site - ranging from writing contests to residencies and job opportunities. It's a pretty nice testament to the range of artistic activity across the city. Check it out.

Tell me what you think

Some people might blog because they want a megaphone. Not me. What I'm looking for is dialogue. And a little over 3 months into this here blog, I find myself wondering...what do you guys think? Do you buy my thesis, that DC is a creative city? I feel like I'm only skimming the surface. Do you agree?

You've heard my message: DC is a creative place, full of creative people and places. Creativity is all around us, not just in the form of published or celebrated work.

So....what do you see? Tell me about the creative people you know, or admire. Tell me where you go to be inspired. Or, tell me what you think is missing from DC - maybe another reader can tell you where to find it, or can help you fill the gap.

And tell me what you think about the comment, recently posted to this blog, that creativity is a luxury for the privileged. Is that true?

Tell me what you think.

Does this count?

My husband and I just ordered a pizza with one set of toppings on one half, and another set on the other half.

Does that count as creative???

It's that kind of day...

Crafty Bastards

So, I've seen "Crafty Bastards" in the Washington City Paper classifieds, but I didn't realize it was more than a cute label for arts-and-crafts-related ads. Turns out it's also an annual arts and crafts fair, and it looks like a lot of fun. Check out the photo gallery (presumably from last year's event), and mark your calendars: the big day this year is October 1, from 10-5.

I personally hope there's a reprise of the stringy stuffed animal alien thingies (gallery, photo #13).



Sock puppet, as featured on the
Crafty Bastards site

Summertime in DC

Summertime in DC by tragicallypale on Flickr