Yesterday I attended the awards ceremony for my daughter’s speech and debate team. They had a stellar year, and I most enjoyed watching the video, which showed talented kids working hard to win, but also creating memories as a team.
As artists we often work in isolation. As entrepreneurs, we handle every aspect of our businesses on our own. At times, I miss the camaraderie of being on a team, the satisfaction of collaboration, the ability to hand off just one decision to someone else.
I’ve always been amazed by the generosity of artists. We are quick to support each other’s work, recommend it, buy it, promote it. You’d rarely see two tire salesmen sharing leads or business opportunities or buying each other’s products, but artists do it all the time. We share our knowledge, our connections, even our methods. But we tend to associate mostly with artists who work in our own mediums. I know writers who never attend the theater, and musicians who never go to art galleries. But when you chat with an artist of any medium, you’ll be surprised how very much we have in common.
That’s why I’m sharing my newest video in my Great Ideas Giveaway series here today. It’s called Art Nights and it’s born of my firm belief that artists of all kinds need to support each other, and that when we do, we all benefit. I’m proposing here an evening of entertainment that will bring artists of different mediums together to expose their work to new audiences and to cross-promote. But it’s also an opportunity to learn from each other and to have fun in the company of fellow creatives. Best of all, at the end of the night, the artists take the house, which means they must work as a team to fill every seat.
As artists, we often need those hours of quiet contemplation, of focused study, and solitary effort, but we also benefit from connections with like-minded people and the energy of a supportive audience. There are moments when our muses whisper in the silence of a quiet room, and times when they prefer to shout above the roar of a crowd.
To bring Arts Nights to your community, watch the video below. A downloadable PDF will also be available soon on my website.
