377 Days - Blog #36, Make Good Art

I’m not the sort of person who will invite a group of people over to watch the game.  Whatever game.  I think that disinterest in sports is pretty obvious by now.  Never mind the fact I don’t have cable.  

I am, however, the sort of person who will invite a bunch of people over to indulge in my favorite theme, ‘make good art.’  I totally lifted that from Neil Gaiman.  And if you haven’t been paying attention to me long enough to know my reference, here it is:

Anyway, the art that seems to happen most around my dining and living rooms is writing.  An informal day of a few silent hours, a meal, another dose of silence, and some sharing of what we wrote.  I love doing that sort of thing.

A few days ago, I gave that sort of gathering a twist as I hosted a play reading for a friend who is working on a farce.  After a meal of pizza and other snacks, we spent a couple hours reading and laughing through the dialogue.  At the end of each act, everyone gave their feedback.  Thoughtful, constructive opinions.  Honest, but respectful.  The electricity of creativity buzzed all around the table.

I used to think I had to go to a big city to find something like this.  Funny thing is, I found art in the bigger city.  There was a drive to be good, to be great even.  There were encouraging moments towards the pursuit of originality… but I never found anything like this.  I had to make it happen to find it.  It probably doesn’t matter where I am, but I realize I don’t have to wait for some miraculous opportunity to land in my lap.  The buzz of creativity will find me wherever I am if I make nights like these happen.

Nights when we ‘make good art.’