This week I had occasion to discover once again how connected we all are, and how powerful it can be to have a moment of "full immersion" in community with others. It started with an “if-you-are-interested” email last week from a long-time art buddy, regarding the SMASH 2018 event presented by Triangle ArtWorks. That email prompted another, which resulted in my registration for said event. …then it was Monday evening, and I had one of those “do-I-really-want-and/or-need-to-go-do-this-thing?” conversations with myself – you know: those monologues in which you question your own motives/suitability/value in any given situation wherein there is the actual (or even possible) likelihood of awkwardness/discomfort…
Second guessing aside, I approached my Tuesday with optimism and excitement, *it really, usually is simply a matter of choice/perspective (!)* and am so very glad of it! I enjoyed a quick visit with a couple o’ art pals in the afternoon to see the space and discuss the set-up for my first Private Event of the year. I also had time to enjoy a quick jaunt to The Scrap Exchange (all the more fortuitous as they had some FABULOUS paper that I can immediately put to use).
Then, it was time to go and do the thing! In addition to attending with 2 long-time friends, I encountered a handful of folks I already knew and don’t see nearly often enough. Funny, isn’t it, how a few moments with the familiar can put one so much more at ease in a crowd of strangers? As an added bonus (and, pretty much the stated purpose of the event) I met a few more folks that it will be quite lovely to get to know better. In the intervening two days, I have reached out to ensure that that will happen; happily, there has been a near immediate exchange of information to the betterment of us all. Plus: I had an incredible Strawberry Crepe and saw a section of the Berlin Wall (!)
As I headed home, I had to wonder where the resistance that I had experienced the night before came from? If I have learned anything in the past 10 years, it is that there exists a certain ‘constancy’ in coming together with like-minded folks. My evening at SMASH proved no exception to that rule (!) I had a lovely time, met some interesting (and interested) individuals, had the opportunity to talk about art (my own and that of others), and added a brand-new experience to my history. What’s NOT to love?
Artifacts of an evening well-spent...
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Until we meet again,
- PLA
