C.S. Lewis had it.
Hemingway had it.
Jack Kerouac had it.
So did Henry David Thoreau, Robert Penn Warren, Langston Hughes, St. Peter, U2, Nora Ephron, Sofia Coppola and countless other Creatives, past and present.
Heck, even Randy Elrod has it.
So what is it?
Community.
But not community in the general sense.
An intentional, intimate community of Creatives.
This post emerged from a side comment I made over breakfast with Randy a few weeks back. Randy was sharing about “The Campus” in Franklin, Tennessee, which is a close-knit community of Creatives that eat, share and collaborate together.
As Randy described The Campus, I interjected that many of the greatest artists and artistic “schools” in Art, Literature, Music, etc. grew out of small communities.
In Randy’s romping grounds, a small group of Vanderbilt poets, called the Fugitives, led a Southern literary renaissance and changed the way literature is critically assessed.
C.S. Lewis was part of an Oxford community called The Inklings, which included J.R.R. Tolkien.
Thoreau attended a group that went by the name “Hedge’s Club” in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Along with intellectuals like Ralph Waldo Emerson, they became known as the Transcendentalists, and laid a strong foundation for the emergence of a truly American voice in Literature.
Hemingway, through his mentor Gertrude Stein, joined American expatriates in the Montparnasse Quarter in Paris, from which the leading voices of the Lost Generation emerged. Picasso also emerged from this community.
As you do your homework, you quickly learn that nearly all great Creatives belong to a small community of artists, intellectuals and leaders.
Writer/director Nora Ephron (a la When Harry Met Sally… and You’ve Got Mail), belonged to a New York City community of Creatives led by agent, Sam Cohn.
U2 emerged from a Dublin avant-garde community called Lypton Village.
Dada, one of the 20th century’s most influential art movements started as a small community in Zürich’s Cabaret Voltaire.
And this idea of community extends beyond Art.
In my hometown of Dalton, Georgia, a handful of men, all friends, built the carpet empire that put the town on the map.
A group of guys, dubbed the PayPal mafia, were behind an extraordinary list of web technologies and innovations.
Some of the most popular bloggers grew out of a small alliance of bloggers that helped each other earn links and subscribers. Look at what Brian Clark has done with Copyblogger.
Even Jesus built the Church through a small community, right?
Let’s look at what community offers you and I as Creatives:
1. Identity: It gives us a sense of belonging. In addition, it gives us direction, purpose and values.
2. Collaboration: It gives us people to push and challenge us. It also gives us people off which we can bounce our ideas.
3. Competition: It gives us momentum and pressure to contribute and innovate.
4. Credibility: It gives us what’s also known as social proof. In other words, it shows others that what we’re doing matters, because they see the interest, comments and support of our community. Plus, it influences them to want to join us.
5. Courage: It gives us the strength to withstand criticism and attack. More importantly, it gives us a support system that understands what we’re trying to do, as we explore and experiment.
As you study creative communities, you will learn that, just like the individuals within the community, no two are exactly alike.
Some are formal and structured. Others are informal and ad hoc.
Let’s face it, we can’t all move to Franklin and join The Campus!
And we shouldn’t.
The world needs us to create communities where we are. To scatter seeds. To discover new “schools” and voices and sonic landscapes for others to explore.
And just as Creatives within a small community benefit from each other, small communities can benefit from other small communities in exactly the same way. Just Google “Six Poets at Six Gallery” to see what happened when a small East coast community of writers met a small West coast community.
I’ve sprinkled a lot of links throughout this post so you can learn more about some of the many creative communities that have existed.
I’m very interested in what’s going through your mind right now! So let’s talk…
Are you part of a small community of Creatives?
If so, how has this changed and challenged you?
If not, how are you going to cultivate one?
What questions do you have for Randy and The Campus on creating a creative community?
Keith Jennings is a professional writer and emerging poet based in Atlanta, Georgia. His blog, Keitharsis, teaches readers ways to deliberately cultivate depth & imagination in everyday life. Connect with him at www.keithjennings.com and on Twitter at @keithjennings.
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66 responses to “What Every Creative Needs — Guest Post by Keith Jennings”
[…] post about what every Creative needs. Do you have something like this? If not, who around you should be helping you with this? (hint: […]
I work in a Creative Co-working space that reminds me a lot of what you’re talking about. It’s called Camp, http://www.campcoworking.com/
Right now, we have a fashion designer, 2 graphic design firms, and a bridal designer, all working in the same space, as well as the random freelancers that often come in. It’s awesome! I love being around other creative types all day, they keep my imagination working.
Reminds me of Napoleon Hill’s Mastermind Groups
Love this. Slowly building community as a Creative has been my life-line to becoming and discovering . . . in all senses of those words. Becoming a writer, discovering myself AS a writer, becoming more authentic, discovering more and more of my authentic self. I started blogging a year ago last January, after having been hounded by my agent to do it. I was terrified, but it has helped me to “meet” people and share ideas. My community isn’t limited to one state because of it! Now I make sure I “talk” to another Creative every day, whether it is over lattes, lunch, or on-line!
When I started writing my novel, I had two babies and I was taking care of my grandmother who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. I had no community, and therefore the voices in my head telling me that I was a dilettante for even attempting to write were very loud. But the more people I met who were willing to live their lives creatively, the quieter that mean voice became, and the louder my true voice was able to sing.
Today I breathe-eat-sleep the writing life. I teach kids, tweens and teens creative writing and am the program manager of Writopia in Westchester, providing 8-18 year olds with community. I volunteer with Girls Write Now, a non-profit that has professional writers mentoring teen writers.
Oh my! My comment has turned into a mini blog post!
Thank you for this thoughtful post, Keith! And Randy – so great to “meet” you – you are doing something truly wonderful with your blog!
Wow, Lena, what a beautiful comment! I encourage you to explore this idea of community within your story futher, in order to turn this into a narrative nonfiction piece or extended blog post. I think your story would connect with and inspire a boat load of folks.
Thank you for the encouragement Keith!
Thank you for the encouragement Keith!
Thanks so much, Lena. So beautifully written and so well said.
I find one of the strengths of the types of community you describe is that they are permission givers. You can leave aside your certainty with such a small community and go to work questioning your faith and examining your doubts. That’s where growth happens for me.
Yes, Forrest! Exactly!! That is a great aspect of community. We creatives all need courage!
Yes, Forrest! Exactly!! That is a great aspect of community. We creatives all need courage!
Randy, Forrest is a good friend of mine. He leads the small community of “heretic tribesmen” to which I belong (yes, it’s tongue-in-cheek). We give each other the freedom to question, doubt, challenge and search theologically, professionally, creatively, etc. It’s a beautiful small community that feeds my soul!
I love it! “Heretic Tribesman!!”
I think this is definitely something that is lacking for me – connecting with a solid group of creatives. Thanks for the challenge.
Thanks, David. I feel it is a must in order to be ALL we are to be!
Thanks, David. I feel it is a must in order to be ALL we are to be!
This post is fantastic! Thanks Randy for introducing me to Keith via this post! Wow–and he is in Georgia, Randy!!! I am so happy!
Georgia rocks!! Thanks, Lindsey!! Glad to provide the intro!!
Hi Lindsey! I’m in Kennesaw, in the north Atlanta burbs. Looks like you are in Warner Robins. Let’s connect on Twitter: @keithjennings.
thanks for the perspective. Thinking about a creative community.
Yes, sheri. We had a foretaste of what this can be on the cruise!
Excellent post! I appreciate the thoughts and information. Makes a good deal of sense.
Thanks, Barbara!!
Now I know what’s missing!!!! Thank you for this wonderful encouragement.
Yes, indeed. There is no replacement for community!!
There is something so completely energising about great conversation with like-hearted souls. My Dad builds beautiful Australian jarrah furniture on his days off from pastoring and has done this for years on his own. He discovered a little woodworking community a few months back and it has completely released him into a new level of creativity and productivity.
Awesome!!!!! Thanks so much!! Community is community!!
This is very encouraging Keith! I need to find me a group of Inklings…
Yes, we all do!!
You should call your community Rocco Co!!! Get it?
Rococo captures the late Baroque period in which artists moved away from structure toward the ornate and playful. The symbolism and metaphors are there for the taking!
Sincerely appreciate your comment and tweets today, Rocco! Thank you.
Amen and amen.
As someone who is relatively new/green to the blogging scene I cannot agree with you more on the importance of community. I’ve connected with a number of other bloggers on twitter and via Tentblogger.com and the support/encouragement has been instrumental in the success I’ve experienced thus far.
Amen and amen.
As someone who is relatively new/green to the blogging scene I cannot agree with you more on the importance of community. I’ve connected with a number of other bloggers on twitter and via Tentblogger.com and the support/encouragement has been instrumental in the success I’ve experienced thus far.
Awesome, K.C. Community is so important!
What an incredibly wonderful, well-researched post. It brought out all kinds of emotions in me: excitement, hope, sadness…and motivation (not that that’s an emotion). It reminded me, once again, what I’m missing in my setting. It reminded me to finish what I’ve tried to begin in getting a group of creatives together at least once a month. In that monthly meeting we will host an “interesting” person who will give us ten minutes of thoughts, and then we will spend 50 minutes in discussion and conversation. I’m considering this the impetus to get that thing going! Thanks, Keith…and Randy! You guys are the best!
Awesome, Tom!!! Awesome!!
This is great news, Tom! Communities produce “fruits,” right? So you can know if it’s working or not by the fruits being produced. I’m quick to pull the plug on things that don’t produce beneficial fruits.
I would add Accountability as a sixth point. Thank you for sharing this.
ah. I suppose that is a good point-if you are referring to the Pressfield sort of accountability-not the McCartney kind. Thanks, Len.
I’ve definitely formed a community of writers through my blog. A few are very like-minded. I’m looking to grow that. You’ve really got me thinking about some ideas on how to better cultivate this. As always, loved this Keith!
Tony: Thank you, my friend! You and I have gotta figure out a way to meet!
Awesome, Tony!!
Thanks for hosting Keith today. You guys are two of my biggest creative inspirations!
Here we go again.
My blog tomorrow will make my above-comment make so much more sense. oh man.
Ha!!! Love it, Fred!!
Well said.
And yes we need to start developing our own community.
But I think we do not need to wait until we are older (at least in my case) but it needs to be developed now. I think that was the biggest thing that was holding me back. Like a wait until I get to this stage of my life then I can develop this community. But if it does not start now it will never happen.
Well said, Kyle. “But if it does not start now it will never happen.”
Really. Great. Post. Thank you so much …
As Marcel the Shell (and the Chick-fil-A team) says, “It is my pleasure!”
Love Keith! Thanks for letting him guest-blog, Randy.
Here! Here!!!! A toast to Keith and you, Jeff and all the other uber-talented creative writers!!
Thanks, Randy. Nice use of the word “uber”!
Yay, two of my favorite creatives and bloggers in one place…Makes me happy!!
As for needing a creative community?..I wholeheartedly agree…If it were not for some people who have entered my world and me theirs; I would not have gotten back into drawing…So thankful for my little community of creatives who brought back that spark…I’m loving myself and life ever more
Thank you both for sharing..Love it!!
Awesome, Julie. Yes, Keith is definitely one of my all-time fav creative bloggers!!!
He is really good.
Great post, Randy! I’m in the middle of the “birth” of a creative community right here in Brunswick/St. Simons Island. Some of the folks you know personally! We’ve met off and on over various projects over the last few months, but just chatted last night about intentionally creating a “rabbit room” of sorts to make our creative community happen! This post is just confirmation for us! Blessings!
Russ
I LOVE it, Russ. If you can’t be creative at St. Simons, you can’t create anywhere!! Thankful for your community there!
Russ – clue me in!
Fred, you’re technically already in! Haha. There’s a few of us (folks you know) who are going to be more intentional about getting together regularly to pursue the more literary and/or lyrical side of creating music/art. Our own “rabbit room” of sorts. Details coming!
Fred, you’re technically already in! Haha. There’s a few of us (folks you know) who are going to be more intentional about getting together regularly to pursue the more literary and/or lyrical side of creating music/art. Our own “rabbit room” of sorts. Details coming!
Great post Keith. All of us know “the campus” and our joke is the “we are just branch campuses of the CAMPUS in Franklin”. Honestly, we all long for a place where we are known, inspired and challenged in our “being”. What THE CAMPUS has created is inspiring.
Thanks, Jim. The ripple effect is what we want!!!
Thank you, Jim!
This has really been on my mind since the cruise. I now have creative friends from all over the US and Canada, but I don’t have a small group in my own community. I’m not sure how I’ll cultivate it yet, but I’m definitely going to try!! Thank you for this…it is sincerely motivating!!
Awesome, Kim!! There must be a balance between real physical community and our social network. Your desire for it will begin to form it…
Thank you so much, Randy!
Keith,
You are a gifted writer and communicator. And a brilliant creative. Thanks for this wonderful post and I hope it will be the first of many!
Randy