I had the fortunate circumstances to connect with Aunt Kat. When I worked in the school district back home, I got to meet her and know her better. She and my mother have some good history as teacher union reps who were fighting the good fight against a tyrannical superintendent back in the day, and they have remained friendly to this day. Aunt Kat's classroom was down the hall from my office, and visiting her classroom was always a joy. She was old-school, and she would have the students stand and greet a visitor to her classroom with respect.
I have not spoken to her, or anyone really, for some time, and I decided that I would take advantage of my drive home to pop in my headset and give her a call. Retirement has been good for her, and I think that she is honestly far busier now than when she was teaching, although it is a different kind of busy. She was an art teacher, and then eventually the "Emperor Superintendent" moved her to teach 5th grade in a spiteful move.
While that hindered her time doing art, it did not dampen her teaching spirit or her artistic heart. Years before I moved to the seminary, she had given me a couple of cat illustrations that she had drawn, and I am honored to have some Aunt Kat originals in my collection of things.
We were talking last evening as I left work, and she was telling me of this group that she helped to found, "Random Acts of Art." I was intrigued, naturally, as it was something important to someone who I love and respect. When she invited me to join her group, I balked for a moment, as painting and drawing are not really my creative avenues. But when she told me that writers and musicians were welcomed as well, and that "art" meant anything that was creative and constructive, I was instantly on-board.
You can scroll through and find my creative writing and the (as of now) solo poem that I have posted here. I have some musical credits to my name, being a saxophonist for close to 30 years, and having picked up the clarinet and flute somewhere along the way (although it has been decades since I have played anything but the alto sax).
Tenor sax was my jam, I loved that even more than alto, and I also played baritone sax. While I was teching at the school district, I was assistant marching band director and I instructed the drum line, which was a crash-course in drummer lingo. So it is not to say that I cannot create at all, just that creating within the confines of the media of paint and pencils is not what I would call my strength.
That being said, there is a display and I am happy to say that I will be checking it out this coming Monday night, and then joining "RAoA" for the 2020 meetings. One of the problems that I faced was the lack of inspiration, due in part to my depression, and also due to the fact that an artist needs to surround him/herself with other artists at times. There is a certain sharing of ideas and concepts, an atmosphere that comes from being around like-minded folks. I like to be around painters, like Aunt Kat, and sculptors, to check out sketch books, and to listen to other musicians play their songs or their interpretations on old standards. That sort of thing allows for me to be happy for them; there is no jealousy, but just pure admiration and joy at the fact that they have created, and that is just something that is truly awesome.
I am wicked stoked to get to work with, alongside, and among talented local artists. I've needed something like this, and I cannot wait to see what everyone can create.
