Community

After being relieved of my  commercial gallery job in the spring of 2017, I began to slowly slip away from the local art community. It certainly wasn’t a conscious effort, as I worked for a year or so hosting other artists’ exhibits in my studio, seeking to continue my engagement and service with that crowd. But, it was happening underneath like a mid-life plate tectonics, professionally, socially, and emotionally. I am still baring witness to the trembling and effects of the subtle shifts, watching old, weakened structures fall.  Thankfully, while alone in the studio amidst the ruins, I have found support from a new community.

Until this past year, I have not had the capacity to listen to podcasts in the studio… they seemed to demand too much attention for me (and, I am an active music addict). I have still barely scratched the surface of all the many recommended ones to binge on, but I’m off to a fair start. On Being was the first to feel like it helped fill the void of community that I was experiencing. Krista Tippett’s approach to her program fed many of the hungry parts of me, and I ate it up. I found favorite episodes (John O’Donohue, The Inner Landscape of Beauty) that I enjoyed multiple times, and I lost a bit of loneliness, as I felt at home with a new family of folks exploring the human condition. It could seem a bit sad if I were to think about it too long (so, I won’t), how these podcast conversations have carried me through some of the dimmer days of my adult life, when purpose and identity questions clanged daily. Instead of sad, I am extremely grateful that lots of people are out there doing the work to help advance the human race, at a time when we are so in need of deep lessons.