I Took Notes: 2019 IAC On Ramp Experience Reflection.
I’ll do the announcements first.
I spent this past weekend in Nashville, IN (a very dope and arts filled space) surrounded by some amazingly gifted artist and creatives spanning the entire state of Indiana. The Indiana Arts Commission’ OnRamp Creative Entrepreneur Course is a competitive 3 day experience where you are offered one-on-one coaching with a business pro (the amazing Elaine of Minerva Financial Arts) and a certificate proving our completion of the three day intensive course preparing us to go out into the field with more colleagues, friends, support and business savviness than before we arrived. All of this has prepared the 32 of us to apply for a grant to apply what we’ve learned for our respective audiences.
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Okay , that was all the business yada, yada, yada (yada means important, majorly important). Let me tell you now how YADA this weekend was to me. The three things I will list below are certainly not all inclusive of everything—but they give a great summary of where I am.
Community
We often forget the power of community. Audre Lorde is quoted saying that “without community, there is no liberation”. The weekend was already full of bzzzzz at our initial arrival. Full of people eager to learn, to connect and to grow. The intentional space that was set was one where we were able to express our full selves (if we so decided to) with people we had known no more than two hours or minutes prior. Being sure that we all found different spaces and people to sit with during each session was pivotal to building the family that became the 2019 On-Ramp cohort (click the link to learn about each person). The stage was also already set with the FB group created by our fearless coordinator and leader, Anna Tragesser.
Major key for learners like me: each table was set with clay and pipe cleaners for those of us who needed to move our hands. I think this also allowed our deeper selves to shine through even when we weren’t speaking. It’s also a fantastic way to help all types of learners.
Knowledge, Expertise, & Learning.
We spent the majority of our days learning. Being students. Sometimes—you have to go back to the drawing board, especially when you didn’t spend enough time there. For myself personally I know I am often the Master of Jumping the Gun—I’m literally a pro. This opportunity made us set aside INTENTIONAL time to learn and plan. Each session usually had some sort of activity that led us into A C T I O N. To revisit community—I know it’s usually easier for me, or I am more motivated to complete something when the energy that is around me is doing the same thing. This is major for anyone wanting to build their creative life. You don’t have to do this alone. Now, I feel like I have an entire community of makers, creators and friends who would be willing to help me at the drop of a hat if they had the chance.
There’s still a LOT of work to do, but maybe that’s what the “On-Ramp” means—ya know? It’s like—
Hey, I’ve jumped on here now so I gotta either work to get off or remain stuck.
Imagine being stuck on the highway merging on the ramp—no one wants to stay there.
Creativity
The first thing the Bible chronicles God doing is what?
Creating (Gen. 1:1)
There is this thing we get the opportunity to do every single day whether intentionally or not— that is to bring things that weren’t into where we are presently. This means we have the chance to create happiness, sustained joy, laughter, complaining, a clay lady bug, a hand woven hand bag, or a poem. Whatever it is, it is always in our proverbial or literal hands.
To create is therapy. To create with others is healing. Plain and simple. It’s all about that energy.
In Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert says “The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them.” I think each and every one of us is a jewel that was found this past weekend. And now, we hope to find more of those jewels within ourselves to allow them breath and life on this earth.
I could say a whole bunch, but some of my copy-editor friends would probably say I could have made this a little shorter (OMIT POINTLESS WORDS, RIGHT Sam?)—ehh, right now I’m just expressing what’s coming from the heart.
I have plenty of clips and notes that I will soon post in vlog format on my YouTube Page—but I’ll end where we ended—in laughter, joy and celebration. <3 Or maybe, we’re just beginning.
Thank you also to Beyonce for making such a dope a** record.
