Artist Files #1

Last fall, I started hearing the phrase “Choreography Fellowship.” 

It felt like a directive. Perhaps I was being asked to go off and find a place to study? Work? Exchange? As happens often with me, I just sat with it for a bit. I was waiting for the universe to expound on this fellowship idea. The funny thing is, I had started keeping audio notes on ideas to investigate for my next work. I called them Artist Files.

Intuition is not linear. Much like healing or personal growth, it comes in a code that is substantial in the sense that it has a quality felt in the body as well as understood in the mind. It spirals into the heart over time until the snippets come together in a way that can be expressed outwardly. It requires mindful attention, patience, and trust. It is multidimensional indeed.

I am finding that my artistry is a reflection of the deepening intuitive faculty that I believe every human has the opportunity and ability to develop. And so, when those ethereal directives drop into my awareness, I know I am in for a ride! I put on my tin foil hat, get really receptive, and wait. 

What if…there was a way for me to fill my creative cup with a mentor who could identify patterns and provide an opportunity for me to break them? And thus, Artist Files: Works in Progress was born. But it gets better. What if I were doing this with a cohort of artists who wanted to grow as much as I did? I know I can’t be the only one craving growth and refinement of my craft. 

Fast forward to now. 

I have been in the studio working since late November, generating new work all based on the idea that Trust is the Most Needed Currency. In fact, 3 other artists are working alongside me, chewing on the same idea. Each with a mentor of their choice, each looking to push the envelope of their craft. Each sharing the progress of their work with me and SMDC. 

The thing about trust is…well, you are human! What has your experience of trust been throughout your existence on the planet? What about currency? What is the first thing you think of with the word currency? Money comes to mind. An exchange of something for another. Currents flow. Current is now. 

With that, my attention is immediately brought to the state of our nation with all the division, aggression, violations of human and constitutional rights, and don’t get me started on inflation. Have no fear, I am an artist, not a politician. I am not here to inundate you with information you are likely researching and following for yourself (please do your due diligence). 

In my view, artists have a responsibility to humanity. Actually, I have had an ongoing hypothesis that art is where we see dissent in society, and that the health of a society can actually be measured by the subject matter presented in the art of the times.  There is a certain truth that can only be found in art, because it's subjective. If an artist is clear and honest in their process, those who view the art have an experience that reminds them of who they are, where they are, where they belong, what they value, etc.

So not only am I seeking to grow as an artist, I am also seeking to create ongoing conversations with other artists and with the people who I have met at shows. I am so curious as to what people experience when they view art. And then I remember how vulnerable it feels to share your impressions with a stranger. 

Just like that, we come full circle back to trust. Human to human, we can not underestimate the importance of trust. This entire project is a social experiment designed to bring you to a place where you trust your community and can rest in the space of belonging to be inspired. There is a lot of noise out in the world today. I would like to contrast that noise with some joy and upliftment, and the best way I know how to do that (besides going to commune with the divine) is through art.

I invite you to be with us on this 10 month journey of artistry where we focus on the process over the polish. We want to know what you see, what you value, what you love. We want to share our process with you so we can not only show the public what it means to create art for a living, but so we can include your ideas in our work. We have two showings set up for the audience to give the artists feedback before we hit the stage with a polished evening length work scheduled to premiere in 2027. We want you on this journey where there are no wrong answers, only curiosity and possibility, and of course, trust.