Sounding Board

I had coffee with a friend this morning.

My friend is a creative type with lots of idea. Kind of like me, haha.

Over lunch a couple months ago, she mentioned she had an idea to write and create mystery parties. She would develop the story lines, then, as a side hustle, would offer to host the mystery parties in client’s homes for a fee. It was in the beginning stages of an idea (As that’s how they usually start) and I really encouraged her to go for it, put the work in and do it. And she did. She really did.

My friend wanted to do a trial run of the party to test it out to see how it would work in reality, so this past Saturday my husband, myself and another couple went to her house and did a run through. At the end, we gave her feedback so she would work on developing the game more.

This morning we had a coffee follow up meeting to talk more about the mystery party idea/busness.

As I’m sitting in the coffee shop, engaging in conversation, I hear a voice inside me (The Holy Spirit?) say, ‘Sounding board’.

Hmmmm…

I’m chewing on this.

Sounding board.

You know my angst, my restlessness, my ‘itchy feet’, my wanderlusting heart, my creative spirit…

…my desire to help people, to spur others on in their creative interests….

Ever since my friend and I had lunch a couple months ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about creative community and how I can facilitate that in my life. Like, out of my head and into reality.

Because I think of creative community a LOT.

I want something real, tangible, non-virtual. Something like The Rabbit Room (Which started virtual, but it’s way more than that now, although I’ve only looked into it virtually since it’s in another state. And remember, no compensation).

I don’t want to ‘start’ something that I have to maintain.

I don’t want to start something that becomes dull, boring, too habitual, a drag, a bore, something I ‘have’ to do, religious.

I long for and desire non-virtual, creative community here in my hometown of St. Louis, MO.

I want a group of creative, like-minded individuals that will spur each other on in their creativity.

Not a book group, study or club.

Not just a batting back and foth of ideas with no work involved.

Not really structured, but structured enough so we’re not just shooting the breeze and then two hours go by and we haven’t talked about our creative goals.

Not a networking group.

Something more like: A group of friends who have creative ideas they want to pursue individually, but need someone to support them, bounce ideas off of and help them set goals to reach those said creative ideas and bring them into reality. A safe, non-judgmental space.

But…the trick is, sure, you get together once, set goals, put your plan into action…then there’s no follow up.

How do you keep it going without it being something you ‘have’ to do and then become boring and unstimulating?

Get together once a quarter for follow up and goal setting?

And limiting the size of the group too. No more than three or four individuals. Because then ppl get lost and there’s not time to get to everyone’s ideas and goals.

And I think that focusing on one thing per person, one goal or one idea that each person has would also be key to making something like this work.

Real, tangible, non-virtual creative community.

I mentioned in this post that I had lots of thoughts on the subject of community (‘Working together, eating together, enjoying recreation together, BEING together. No stress, no pressure, just peace, tranquility, calmness. Of spirituality being a focus, of art being a focus, of JESUS being a focus. Maybe this is my brain’s utopia…life when things are unstressful, unhindered, free, where I can be myself, away from the pressures of life…’).

This current post is another one of those thoughts.

So, yeah, sounding board.

My friend and I talked for a good hour and a half this morning, mostly about her mystery parties. I didn’t want her to leave without setting a date for another trial party. So we did. She’s got a lot of work to do between now and the next party. I know she’ll get it done.

I feel like the Lord gave me insight into part of my calling. Being a ‘sounding board’ for others and their creativity.

I need this too in my own life, for my own creative work.

In your life, who is your sounding board?? Are you a sounding board for someone? Do you have a group of friends who you can go to with ideas and help you reach them?