Art Club

Home Sweet Home!

Cleveland is an incredible city to live in if you are an artist. It is large enough to have several thriving art districts and small enough that a newcomer can have a shot of showing in one. More importantly, the people here are amazing. I am constantly blown away by their talent, warmth, and camaraderie and the way that they welcomed me in with open arms. There is a feeling of "we're all in this together" unique to rust-belt cities. It's something special and I'm proud to be a part of it.

Once a month, I attend Group Therapy Art Club at a local wine bar. There, both amateurs and professionals alike come together to talk about what it means to be an artist. We also draw too, but that really isn't the point. As it turns out, we all have the same thoughts, neuroses, insecurities and awe over what we do. Discovering this and having a group available to talk through tough issues has made me a better artist and person.

Here are a few things I've learned:

• The only competition that matters is the one against yourself
• Artist need other artists to thrive
• It is destructive - on many levels - if an artist stops making art
• Everyone has something to teach; Everyone has something to learn
• It is OK to have multiple artistic identities
• Artists in a group have more power that an artist alone
• It is important to help others succeed

Many of these were not easy concepts for me to come to. Like other artists in this incredibly subjective and visible field, I have a problem with competition. Keeping myself positive, supportive of others, and competitively neutral is a challenge and I am happy to have a group of peers that understand that in me and help me work toward my goals.

When recent art school grads ask me for advice, this message always comes first: Find a Community. I will say more on these sacred words in future posts, but the essence of the concept is this: we are all in this together. I am thrilled and lucky to have found my community. Cleveland Rocks!

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Here are a few amazing Cleveland art communites:

• Dr. Sketchy Cleveland (my peeps!)
• Sunday Art Club
• the Rust Belt Monster Collective (my amazing weekly sketch club)
• BayArts
• the Beck Center
• Murray Hill Drawing Group
• the Pretentious Artists of the Literary Cafe