We are worker coop of Artists…
Educators, and Professionals… but this post is about the Artists.
Art is important. Actual Art, not clever design, not imitation, not spoof, not covers(ok maybe some covers) NOT AI imitation… What we are aiming for is a series of studio’s to give room to all of the realms of ART. For the making, the creating, the getting out of the way, the arriving of such beauty. From sculpture and puppetry, animation and film, sound and costuming for the ritual, ceremony and performances we shall be creating.
As each artist arrives, we shall build together the tools needed for them to do their work they are here, on this blessed earth, to do. This business model, the worker coop, where we have agency, and livelihood woven together, to balance life with the actual living well, together. Turning on tap after tap. Caring for the art and the business of the art at the same time, respectfully, that the resonance, the essence is valued not just the value.
Can we imagine that kind of life? A global community of artists here to do the work of our times, to share the humanity we need to build our next iteration of human. Be with earth, balanced, living with each other as well as can be hoped for in these coming decades of repercussion. We have a 1000 year clean up in front of us. We need all the inspiration that we can do this, we can build the vessels to live well within to do this work, be the custodians earth needs us to be.
Not only do we need to think for ourselves, we need to act for ourselves. Stop feeding the corporate beasts, stop participating in the noise, being complicit in the tyranny because it’s comfortable, what we know. The water is getting warmer, we will be cooked into this mess if we don’t exercise the capacity to think for ourselves, if we keep letting the system decide for us, we will have no choices left.
Over the years I have come to understand that the creative process, art for want of a better word, is a human capability… we all have a way that we do this, that we express our self, our feeling nature, our lives. Finding and using your art to create your life is a power-filled way to live… finding the others to do it with, may well bring the way we get to fix “Human beings are facing a Crisis of Belonging.” as Amanda Palmer frames it. We have an opportunity here, in a worker cooperative of artists, to build livelihoods, living in community and collective wealth that would enable so much more.
When we add the educators and all those different professionals to this mix, we get to truly choose what comes next for us, as human, with earth.