The most valuable thing I have discovered during my PATTERN fellowship is the more we create alone and together, good or bad, in perfect or imperfect settings, the better off we will all be.
Last month I attended Chromatic Collective’s “Off the Wall” gallery opening and anniversary party. I had to work at the cafe and missed most of the event, but even at the end of it my friends and I sat together to create collages and drawings, then wheat paste them onto the wall. Everyone made something and it showed me bits of them I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
Our hangout was carried by local DJs playing around on the decks—music to experiment or play intentionally, my inexperienced mind couldn’t tell, but it was groovy as hell. Hearing other people creating and witnessing people in this community just making stuff for the sake of it was enough to stop me in my tracks. Not to mention there was beautiful art hanging on the walls and locally designed lights and planters—things people had created surrounded me like air and light.
The past year has been filled with moments like that. Of seeing firsthand local musicians, artists, and leaders making space for people to express themselves. I’ve attended parties where the entire point is the music. To center in, hear the sounds, and let the body move freely. I’ve found myself making a point to stop by Dear Mom to chat with Liz about magazines that have inspired me to pursue more creative writing projects. I will soon attend a class hosted by my coworker and now friend, who is removing barriers for women wanting to DJ and make music, the point being to come together and literally touch the controllers.
These are the moments that make Indianapolis home. We like to talk about how we can make Indianapolis a booming creative scene, and how things are “siloed.” From what I’ve seen from my time at PATTERN, the key is not to keep talking about change, but to be it. Stop and savor the moments when you feel a beat drop and you wonder how they did that, when you are afraid to be vulnerable and make something around friends but do it anyway, when you feel a sense of pride watching models walk down runway wearing a friend’s designs, when you turn the pages of a magazine made by people trying their best to share these moments. Stop and savor it, and think, “How can I spread that energy?”
Something beautiful happens every time we come together to create. Kurt Vonnegut said, “Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake.” When we create together, we grow the soul of Indianapolis. There isn’t much more to it.
