COMMUNITY

The Oxford Dictionary defines Community as: a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

As an artist I work out of my house and I work alone (my two dogs keep me company but they don’t count, sorry Mickey and Lily). I spend many an hour all by myself with my own thoughts, especially my own thoughts about what I am working on. Can this be lonely? You bet, at times.

I need to connect with other artists, other creatives, other quilt artists. They are my tribe, well, one of my tribes. A very important tribe for my well being as an artist. They understand my need to create. They understand my doubts, my uncertainties, my insecurities. They understand my need for conversation about what we have in common.

When creating art I need feedback, I need critique. Else how do I grow? I need the opinions of artists that think like I do, and just as importantly, artists that have a different perspective. This helps me look more objectively at what I am creating. I need my community to have my back. I need my community to help me feel good about what I create, to encourage me. And I love helping other artists feel good about what they are doing. I need others that feel the same way I do about the importance of creating, to share my joy of creating and to share the downsides too.

This past week I had the pleasure of attending the Studio Art Quilters Association, SAQA, annual conference. It was virtual, of course, but that didn’t dampen the feeling of connection. I met artists from all over the world. Their generosity was amazing. We shared on Zoom or virtually through community chat rooms. I got to know the SAQA board a bit and a lot of the people that make this organization work so well. The presentations and the featured speakers were wonderful and we got glimpses into artists’ studios in Australia and New Zealand. It was a wonderful 10 days wrapped up in community! If you are in SAQA and reading this I send you virtual hugs.

Now that the conference is over I have to work to keep up the connections. Community isn’t a one way street, it’s a give and take. I hope to do more giving. I did submit a mini quilt for the Spotlight Auction at the conference, which sold for $80.00, and I am so pleased I helped raise money to put on more conferences!

Think across your life: the organizations you belong to, the activities you do, all the people you know. Have your found your community(ies)? How much give and take do you do within your community(ies)? With COVID still upon us maybe you can’t be as active as you wish but the time will come again.

Remember no man or woman is an island. The human psyche needs a tribe, a sense of belonging, a community. Find yours and celebrate it!

A musical treat to enjoy:

P.S. I really am not a writer, but I do enjoy doing this blog, coming up with ideas, etc. This is a shout out to my daughter Jaymie, my sounding board, my editor! You’re the best and I can’t thank you enough for your help and support!