Creativity = "an increasingly rare crime"

A recent post prompted a lively discussion about what exactly creativity actually is. My friend John, one of Creative DC's most active readers, turned to Google for help; among all the definitions he found, one that struck him most was that of Uruguayan writer and author Eduardo Galeano, who apparently defines creativity as "an increasingly rare crime."

Reader Scenic Artisan thinks this is the best definition he's heard yet. (Scenic, are you being facetious?)

What do you think? What does this quote mean to you? Is creativity necessarily transgressive? Heady stuff for a Thursday, to be sure, but hey, it's unseasonably warm here in DC... you should have some extra energy. :)

Outsider Art, Inside the Beltway

Art Enables presents:

...a Housewarming and Holiday party, from 2-6 p.m. at the Art Enables studio. Get more event details.

I just learned about Art Enables - here's how they describe themselves on their Web site:

Art Enables is an arts-and-enterprise program for adults with developmental and/or mental disabilities from throughout the Washington, DC, metropolitan area...

...Art Enables demonstrates that the visual arts are an effective training and employment tool for people who may have barriers to cognitive-based training systems but who are interested in drawing and painting. Their ability to express themselves through visual images can operate as the basis on which they build skills and capabilities, become integrated in the community and earn money. More importantly, they experience a growth in confidence and self-esteem as the natural and inevitable result of becoming achievers at something they do well

I highly encourage you to browse (and possibly buy) the art on the Art Enables Web site...some of it is really great. If you're interested in outsider, or visionary, art, also check out the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.

Let me know about any other local galleries or resources you'd recommend!

Housekeeping

Hola. Apologies for the dearth of posts - I've been swamped with work (boring excuse, I know - I've also been globe-trotting with Nobel Prize winners and rockstars, but I didn't want to seem braggy).

A few announcements (drum roll and/or throat clearing please):

1. In case you hadn't noticed, or are reading this via RSS feed, Creative DC has a new look. It's still a Blogger template, so let's not get too excited, but I couldn't stand the look of the old site anymore.

I'm hoping to have a spiffy original design by spring, when I also hope to add a bunch of new features to the site, and a lot more original coverage. My musings, which currently comprise the bulk of the site's content, have their place, but there is so much more I want to be doing - original profiles (not just text but photographs, audio, video), ways for you guys to submit content (nominate a creative person, share a project, share an insight), etc...all presented in a much more compelling and interactive way. Which brings me to point #2...

2. I am developing a business plan for Creative DC, and one of my first steps early in the new year will be to seek grant funding. The first funding would go towards the redesign I describe above. If you have any tips on organizations that might like to fund such a thing - please email me at amanda@creativedc.org. Thanks!

3. Last but not least, some exciting news: Creative DC is now the #1 result in Google when you search for , well,"creative DC." This sounds like a no-brainer, but let me just tell you how many Web sites there are about the Creative DC-CAM ultra-compact digital camera. Anyway, it feels like a rite of passage of some sort, so I thought I'd share.

That's it for the administrivia. I just wanted to catch you up and also - as always, I would really love any/all feedback about what you'd like to see from Creative DC. What kinds of features or coverage do you wish the site would offer? Speak now or forever hold your peace (well, not really - but speak now anyway!).

-Amanda

Amanda sees a show

So I've been writing this blog for about 6 months now, and you may have noticed, I don't mention music much. This is because I am and always have been uncool when it comes to music. I'm an only child, so I never had an older sibling to introduce me to what was new and cool; instead, I found myself contentedly singing along to the tapes my parents played in the car, from Michael Jackson to Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon and the Commitments.

Today, Aretha and Paul Simon are still among my favorites. A few others - Soul Coughing, Morphine, Bjork - have joined the list, and there a number of individual songs that I love for the purposes of roadtrip playlists, but in general, finding new music and listening to music are just pretty low on my priority list. (I know, for many of you, this is like saying I don't like to breathe much, but what can I say - I am who I am.)

So, it's not surprising that I don't spend much of my free time (or money) going to shows. I used to tag along with my husband, in the spirit of being open to new things, but more often than not, it just felt like a waste of money: I got antsy, my back hurt from standing, and on occasion, the music started annoying me so much that I had to wait outside. (The last time this happened was at a Wilco show, I think - I just couldn't take one more song descending into discordant chaos. The first time it happened was at a Verve show at the old 9:30 Club - I liked their older stuff, so I took a chance, and hated the new stuff they were playing so much that I hid in the side room and pressed my hands over my ears, wishing it would stop.)

But last week, I decided to get over it and check out Joanna Newsom at the Black Cat. My husband had played me her music, and I liked it, and I was tired of being such an old lady before my time. So I put on my most comfortable shoes, with extra orthopedic support (yes, I'm serious - they're Earth brand, and I love them - hence my photographic ode to them in this post), and off we went.

The first few songs were a lot of fun... but halfway through the set, my back started hurting, and I started to wonder why I'd paid money to stand in a crowded room staring at a tall guy's back. Ten minutes later, and I was sitting on the floor in the back of the club, hoping that each song would be the last so I could go home and watch The Wire on DVD.

[a moment of hushed awe for The Wire]

I've once again concluded that the only place I'll see a show is the Birchmere, with its room full of seats - precious, precious seats. I saw Alejandro Escovedar there last year, and it was fabulous - I'm seeing him there again in a couple of weeks. I saw Aimee Mann there, too. I just don't see the point of standing - dancing, yes, but not standing.

The high point of the Joanna Newsom show, for me, was people-watching. I thought I was spying on a lesbian couple until I realized one of the women was a man. And I thought I was spying on a too-cool-for-school hipster guy until I realized he was a she.

That was fun.

"I'm not high maintenance, I just want what I want
the way I want it."
-Sally, When Harry Met Sally

Deep thoughts

The other night at a schmoozy networking event, I met a guy who argued vehemently against one of my most deeply held beliefs, which is that everyone is creative.

Me, describing Creative DC: "I believe that everyone is creative."

Him: "That's like saying everyone's nice, or everyone's smart."

Me: "You mean like in The Incredibles, when the kid says, 'If everyone's incredible, then no one is?'"

Him: "Yeah, exactly."

Me: "I disagree. I think the urge to create is a fundamental part of being human."

As Linda Richman of Saturday Night Live's Coffee Talk would say:
Discuss.

Don't Say I Never Did Anything For You

I'm pleased to be able to offer $15 tickets to see Keegan Theatre's production of Agnes of God this weekend at the Church Street Theater. Performances are at 8pm Friday and Saturday nights. The show has been getting great reviews, and it closes Saturday, so carpe diem! If you're interested, call 703.892.0202 x 2 and mention Creative DC.

Silver Spring: Creative Outpost?

I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, and as a kid, Silver Spring meant the place where mom worked. When I moved back to DC after college, in 1998, Silver Spring was the (bland, slightly rundown, unappealing) place where mom still worked. In other words, it wasn't for me.

When places like the AFI and Round House Theatre opened up, along with Whole Foods and Baja Fresh, it didn't increase Silver Spring's appeal to this city girl; instead, it felt like a suburb getting cleaned up to try to provide a quasi-urban experience for people like my parents, or in-laws -- an attractive alternative, for them, to the over the top yuppiedom, and ridiculous parking situation, of downtown Bethesda.

But lately, I've started to find myself wondering if Silver Spring may not have something for me, after all. First, I've never been Mayorga Coffee Factory, but have heard such wonderful things about it - it sounds like somewhere I'd love. I know Mayorga isn't new, but what is new are the arts and cultural offerings that are developing right around it. I'm intrigued by projects such as the Artist's Market at Arts Alley and the Heliport Gallery, whose email list I'm on. There seems to be a fresh creative energy to a growing number of places and events, and I find it appealing.

As an example, the Heliport Gallery's current exhibit is called FREEDOM, and features work by four refugees who came to the U.S. seeking political asylum. What I find so fascinating is that rather than featuring artwork that is explicitly about oppression, the exhibit apparently emphasizes how being in the U.S. has affected the nature of these individuals' art. Here's how the Heliport Web site explains it:

The exhibit is not overtly political, nor does it shout oppression. On the other hand, it shows four artists at different stages in their careers that have each utilized art and their new found ‘freedom’ as a means for emotional release and chance to redefine themselves. An example is Dr. Kyi May Kaung. While growing up in Burma, Dr. Kaung was only allowed to paint realistic images because the government could understand them. Abstract art was more or less forbidden. Conversely, now living here in the US, Dr. Kaung is exploring the boundaries of abstract art through her vivid and emotional watercolors and mixed media pieces.

The Web site doesn't attribute the image it features (which I, too, feature, above), but I assume it's a piece by Dr. Kaung.

Of course, the title of this post is a bit facetious, because I believe (say it with me, folks) that creativity is everywhere. But it's exciting to see it flourish somewhere, as it seems to be flourishing in Silver Spring right now.

What do you think? Am I right that there's increased creative activity in Silver Spring these days, or is that activity just being more effectively marketed? (or am I just finally learning about it?) Are there other examples of creative projects in Silver Spring that I should link to? Share your thoughts.

Not the one by Sofia Coppola

Who: SpeakeasyDC (if that doesn't clear things up for you, learn what the heck Speakeasy DC here)

What: An open-mic storytelling night. This month's theme: "LOST IN TRANSLATION - Stories about cross-cultural adventures, mishaps and misunderstandings."

When: Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 8pm

Where: HR-57, a wonderful spot on 14th Street (1610 14th Street NW, to be exact)

How much: $5 ($3 corking fee per person if you BYOB)

C'est tout.

Two nerds from Chicago

A postcard featuring the artwork at left caught my eye at Tryst the other day.


The tagline read:

"What can two nerds from Chicago do about the crisis in Darfur?"

Ok, you have my attention.

Turns out these particular nerds are making a film about the crisis in Darfur and those who put their lives on the line to help. The film is called Christmas in Darfur, and the postcard was promoting an upcoming fundraising event at Bourbon in Adams Morgan.

The event, happening next Wednesday, Nov. 15, will feature "DJs Neville C. and D-Mac, plus a very special happy-hour set by Jason Mojica pitting two of the greatest crooners of our generation against each other: Frank Sinatra and Glen Danzig." Additional performances TBA. More info here.

At first I thought, What a creative way to help raise money for a good cause.

Then I thought, How odd to party down to raise money to document genocide.

And while the tag line above drew me in, the more I thought about it, the more the arty postcard pissed me off. This isn't a "cause," it's mass murder. It's about the people being murdered, not two guys from Chicago. Then again, the film these two guys are making could help mobilize Americans to do something. And they're certainly doing more than I am - so who am I to judge how they do it?

This whole inner debate is a familiar one for me. Over the years, I've struggled to balance my compulsion to create art with my sense of responsibility to help make the world a better place. Sometimes I feel like art is selfish, certainly compared to saving lives in Darfur; other times I convince myself that we all help the world in different ways, using our different gifts.

Tonight, I say a prayer for the people of Sudan, and for people suffering everywhere. Tonight, it's all I can do.

I encourage us all to contemplate the question,

What does your life do to remove the causes of war?

One thing we can do is vote tomorrow. Please do.

Also:
Learn more about the Darfur crisis.

Ode to Chief Ike's

Oh Chief Ike's,
I live in your neighborhood,
Yet rarely visit -
I'm not sure why.

Oh Chief Ike's,
I love that you allow dogs,
And offer weekly yoga classes (yoga and beer: yes),
And that you have a make-your-own Bloody Mary bar on Sundays, though I could do without the football.

I love that you're not pretty,
That one night last winter my husband and I watched the Simpsons with you while drinking Anchor Steam, lots of Anchor Steam -
That you're right downstairs from a lounge named after my dog (or so I like to think),
And that tonight, you are celebrating All Souls Day (see advert at left), exhibiting joie de vivre even as you celebrate the dead.

Oh Chief Ike's, I wish you well, and hope this blog post brings you at least one visitor you wouldn't have had otherwise.

[Blast from the past: previous Creative DC post featuring a photo of the bar at Chief Ike's.]