Vibrant Village ™

Plein Aire painting in the beauty of nature

As an artist in a vibrant village, you have certain advantages over those creative souls working in a big city. In my vibrant village for example, the natural beauty surrounding us is a source of inspiration and renewal that is so different from the inspiration one gains from the cultural richness of the big city. Both are nurturing to art, but it depends on your personality to know which one sustains you.

The thing is, in addition to the natural beauty of our area, there is a richness of artistic talent here.

Perhaps those artists who strive to reach the pinnacle of the art world in New York City would disagree, but for those of us who are simply interested in finding out what we can do to express ourselves and make the best art of which we are capable, the welcoming cocoon of a close-knit artistic community is so much more conducive to creation than the destructive competitiveness of the art market in big cities.

I offer here an example.

Last year I lost my husband of 18 years unexpectedly to a sudden heart attack. I was understandably devastated. My community truly rallied around me and has helped me through in the nine months since that happened.

This month we had our local art show, which we have every year in February, called Art from the Heart. I decided to take the plunge and enter a very personal piece I have been working on called On the Mend.

In this work I delved deep to express not only the pain I feel but also the incredible mending that my friends and family have helped me achieve. It is a heartfelt expression not only of hurt but of gratitude that so many people have helped me pull through.

Then tonight I find a message on my cell phone from a fellow artist. Now, in a competitive big city environment this artist and I might have been rivals. But here in the Beaufort area, we are friends.

Here is her message:

Sally, your On the Mend is so well done! All the rich varieties of materials and creative combination. I just really love it. Great work. Keep going!

I was so moved by this generosity of spirit. It is like a breath of fresh air that flows through your studio and lifts you up to tackle the next creative challenge. For me, that is priceless. And in this community there are many examples of fellow artists offering un-selfish encouragement and support like this. This what feeds my spirit.

As David Bayles and Ted Orland write in their book Art & Fear:

After all, art is rarely made by Mozart-like people – essentially (statistically speaking) there aren’t any people like that. But while geniuses may get made once-a-century or so, good art gets made all the time. Making art is a common and intimately human activity filled with all the perils (and rewards) that accompany any worthwhile effort. The difficulties artmakers face are not remote and heroic, but universal and familiar.

This is why it is essential for me to create in the nurturing atmosphere of a vibrant village. We help each other along the path, realizing that we each have a unique voice to share. Quoting again from Art and Fear:

To make art is to sing with the human voice. To do this you must first learn that the only voice you need is the voice you already have. Art work is ordinary work, but it takes courage to embrace that work, and wisdom to mediate the interplay of art & fear…Your art does not arrive miraculously from the darkness, but is made uneventfully in the light.

Here’s to the light.

Sally Anger grew up in the coastal town of Beaufort, North Carolina after moving there at the age of nine. She has loved art all her life, and attended workshops and painted for many years. In 2002, Sally took the plunge and left a career as a nutritionist to pursue art full time. She is grateful to make her living through the art she loves. She lives in Morehead City, NC.