Creative
Creation is essential to the vitality of a community. Without creative activity, one could say that the very intent of community is defeated. After all, we don't live just to drink tea and smoke cigarettes, there is surely something more than this.
Artist-in-residence communities fulfill a key role in society. A member of the Digger Street community says "artists should have a place they can live on the dole" - and who can really diasgree? It has always been tradition that the artist should have a benefactor, and in the aristocracies of earliar times this was something quite easy to find, because there were many who considered the principle that the artist would likely achieve more of lasting value and benefit to society if not forced to do some menial labour in order to support themselves. A 'true artist', a true creator spirit, is a precious thing, as the great Russian novelist Solzhenitsyn said ""It is within the power of writers and artists to do much more: to defeat the lie!".
We all agree that the world would be a worse place without artists, and yet in our society it seems that rarely are the true artists funded. Who gets the benefactor now? Is it the musician who strives to bring down the music of the spheres to earth, or is it the vacous copy-cat of banal pop songs about corporate products? Is it the painter who strives to find the true colour in everything and to manifest what in nature is most sublime and resonant in the human soul, or is it the 'graphic designer' skilled in creating factory-line logos to sell more consumer goods? (please note, we are not saying all graphic designers are like this etc)...
Regrettably we must say that it is generally the latter rather than the former who 'get things easy'. The big business, the 'new aristocracy' have little of the sense of culture of the old aristocracy (even Victor Hugo in Les Miserables mentions the character of an old 'bourgeouis' of his age who is saying "the new ones just don't get it anymore") - the big business are really only concerned with money, money and more money. We hope no-one will find this eminently factual view too controversial.
Anyway, organisations such as Arts Nexus do much to help the 'true artist', grant making bodies and artists-in-residence communities and programs to support the artist and musician and poet's work are of the greatest value. Under 'Creative Links' you will find a selection of links to organisations involved in this.
Aside from this - what can be better for an artist than living in intentional community - one of the major sufferings we experience as an artist is being unable to find like-minded creative souls, and the 'pains of creation' can be too much in solitude - so community is really an ideal approach. Any artist is encouraged therefore to check out the possibilities...
ZaRaThusTRa
please note: the author's opinion is not neccessarily that of 'humancommunities.org'
