Money Is No Object

From time to time, I hear rumbles that the concept of a creative community is, well,……perhaps the word is high falutin’.

Somewhere along the line, creative thinking and wanting something beautiful and expressive became all mixed up with elitism.  I have two simple examples of how profoundly off-base this idea is.

Recently my husband and I took the long way home from a trip out of town, and wandered back to Charleston by way of Route 39.  This winding and extremely rural road boasts some lovely natural scenery, and yet sadly some of the more dilapidated housing and isolated communities I’ve seen in some time.  Just at the point I thought it was too heavy to manage, along came the brightest of bright spots – a small white house, tucked back from the road, with an exterior covered in cast iron skillets.  http://www.castironcookware.com/lodge-combo-cooker.html

I’d include a picture, but I didn’t have my camera ready (most regretfully).  When I say covered, I mean it was as if every skillet that had ever been owned and passed down for generations had been saved and lovingly hung like shingles as a protective coating over the home’s exterior; but it obviously wasn’t just practical, it was artistic.  The sizes were balanced, and the negative space between each pan created a pattern as fascinating as the pans themselves.  All I could think was, “How much would I love to meet those homeowners, and how much could they teach others about innovation and art!”

The second example is the blossoming celebration and mystery in Charleston around Minni Purl (http://thegazz.com/gblogs/downtownwv/2008/03/03/guestphoto-minni-purl-strikes-again/).  This is a phenomenon of creative expression you really have to see and feel to appreciate!  An anonymous individual with knitting skills is creating unique pieces and, I assume under cover of darkness, selectively wrapping local statues in hats and scarves, as well as making soft doorway handles and fence buffers.  He or she is establishing an identity as possibly the world’s first knitwear graffiti artist.  That’s right – a possible world’s first right here in our little state.

Neither of these efforts required gobs of cash or college educations.  Now while I am the last person you will hear downplaying the importance of education, l simply say let’s remember that a creative community is made up of more than degrees.  An artistic eye, a sense of self expression, and a willingness to embrace non-traditional fun is often all it takes to engage as a full-fledged member of the creative community – thank goodness for all of us!

Posted by Elizabeth Damewood Gaucher