Rejuvenated.

I had the good fortune of catching with a dear old friend last night who happened to be in town for about 24 hours. A kindred spirit, really, his vision to integrate creative energy with community building and empowerment have always inspired me, and I'm really glad that he's thinking about plunging into a really important project in the near future.

Seeing him (and walking through the city in the rain) was what I needed to remember a past life, and to remember the power of bonds that don't grow weak over distance or time. And finally, I'm excited about creating and maintaining a dynamic exchange with a trusted comrade, as well as a more private laboratory for my nascent steps in a creative space. I really enjoy trying to make connections across my many interests, and the arts and creative work feel like the only way to make those leaps without having to explain everything.

More than anything, it will be nice to just talk freely and openly about the potential of creative work that can transform the lives of individuals and even communities in ways that research, legal advocacy, and services never can. Especially when folks are able to reach out and touch the stories, and the lines between performer and audience are blurred to the point where it’s not clear who is who. And it’s really exciting when members of those communities themselves take theater, performance, writing, video, or another form of art as a form of expressing their own stories.

Creative work springs from and affects the heart, and it is so exciting that there are folks out there finding new ways to nurture work (both their own and that of non-professionals) that is honest, rooted in communities, and not voyeuristic. I’m really proud to know some of them, and honestly, they usually don’t have a lot of money, but time with them reminds me of what’s important and sustains my own energy to strive for what I want to do in this life.

Perhaps even just regular conversations will keep my head above the thudding cascade of legal fictions that currently surround me. And with that, back to my work.