The Tribal Way of Life

WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ ALL ABOUT ME, YOU WILL WANT TO VISIT AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS, TO SEE MORE IMAGES THAT I WILL BE POSTING.

This is my first blog, and introduction to me.

I want you to read my blog.
I want you to know who I am.
I want you to know how I feel about the creative process.
I want to inspire some of you to start creating.
I want to give something back to the community, the way others have given to me, when I have needed it.
I have a variety of topics and thoughts I want to share with you.
For now, let's just get acquainted.

My name is Jerry, and I am a Southern California boy. We will definitely talk more about that later. I grew up 15 miles inland from Long Beach, CA.
I have been in Utah, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, back to Utah, on to Oregon, across the map to Georgia, and now back to Oregon.

My life has been in a rapidly changing mode for the last couple of years.
When my wife and I left the Oregon coast a couple of years ago to move to Georgia, we left a lot of things behind.
I loved being on the coast. I felt that I had found my "tribe", a term I never truly understood until we landed at the coast.

So when I use the word tribe, what do I mean? Simply put, I think it is a group of people who share interests, thoughts and feelings about a certain aspect of their life. In this case, I found my artist tribe.

I miss association with my tribe. They understood how important it was for me to express myself creatively, and were not only willing, but wanted to discuss the same things I wanted to discuss. Most importantly, they spoke the same language as me. They understood the language that artists speak.

It's funny how you can exist in a community and yet not really connect on subjects that are vitally important to you. When you find your tribe, you find a subculture in which others not only understand what you are talking about, they are passionate about sharing ideas with you.

EXAMPLE; I miss the connection with those who do not find it insane to think that something you are creating, can and will speak to you about what it wants to be.

IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY WITHOUT AT TRIBE, LET ME SUGGEST PLACES TO FIND THEM.


1. They are in the store where you buy your creative supplies. If you see someone buying similar supplies, make conversation, ask a question? Remember most of them want to talk about what they do.
2. They are at craft shows showing and trying to sell their work. Ask questions.
3. They are doing demonstrations for local groups. Ask questions.
4. They approach you in the store. Smile, let them ask a question.
5. Use the word "artist" as you describe yourself and what you do. It is a huge clue to others that you are passionate about what you create.
8. Start an artist cooperative. It's easy. You need at least two of you. You don't all have to do the same thing.
On the coast, I was the only male member of a group that formed. We shared thoughts. We did show and tell. We critiqued each others work. We had swap nights where we each brought a stash of creative things we were no longer using and spread those things on the floor for others to take home as inspiration in their work.
We listened as others talked about being "stuck" in their process. We encouraged growth, we eased pain, we motivated each other to keep working, or to get moving after a period of being stagnant.
In short, we shared what we all loved, being creative. It worked wonderfully well.

REMEMBER, BE BRAVE. YOU NEED THEM, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY,THEY ARE WAITING FOR YOU TO FIND THEM.

Wow! That is a lot of information. I hope you survived it. I actually loved writing it.

I want to end this first blog by giving thanks to my Mom, Dad, siblings, my beautiful wife and family, and a whole lot of wonderful friends for who have supported me as I try to discover who I am.