I'm getting a bit reflective in my old age. Well, my middle age. And I always reflect on things when I'm losing a job (that being one as a blogger for MKE which will be bye-bye after this week). So, I went back and read my first post that I created for Artsy Schmartsy almost two years ago. If you haven't read it, track back now by clicking here and you'll be captivated by the prose.
If you've decided not to read that post, let me tell you a little bit about the creation impulse of this blog back in 2006. I had just recently lost another job (that of Artistic Director of Bialystock & Bloom, one of the fallen soliders of Milwaukee theater) and basically was looking for something to do. So, instead of focusing my energies on creating art, I thought back then, I would write about art and if it mattered for everyday folk like you and me.
But, of course, I got mucked up in the business of creating art during all that pondering and, of course, decided early on that art does really matter in the normal everyday lives of people like accountants and garbage collectors. Problem is, I just talked a lot to artists. (The crack head sticks with his own because they don't mind the lack of bathing and dental hygiene, you know).
I still think that art matters. And I still think that the artist matters, too. But now, a couple years into running a blog about art for everyday people, I know what matters most to art: a community.
And I'm not talking about a community of black turtle neck wearing espresso drinking cigarette smoking free loving writers/actor/dancer/flutist/sculptor/waiter types. I'm talking about people who choose to wear Brett Favre jerseys to church on Sunday and men and women too busy working and thinking about a $100 gas tank fill up to make art a big priority in their lives.
Art matters and it is going to matter more to the men and women in our community if I have anything to do with it. I plan to sharpen my focus on that with more content, more opinions and more experiences as I move Artsy Schmartsy to a new arena.
I'll give you the new site to follow tomorrow. Check back on Thursday for my final MKE post before the dawn of a new Artsy Schmartsy. It's gonna be good.