Tomorrow is the last day of summer camp and tonight we did something we’ve never done before. We held a banquet just to be together after a wonderful week at “writing camp”. Bonds were formed, camaraderie was evident, business cards and emails were exchanged and hugs were hugged.
Whether it be writers, teachers, artists, musicians, or in my husband’s case, anodizers, aluminum extruders, and waste treatment operators, it’s important to commune with one’s community. It’s fine, and even necessary, to hole up and create our craft, but there must be time for sharing the work and the personalities and the lives of others that spend time doing whatever it is we do.
When a writer or an artist comes out of the cocoon to share and help others, connections are formed and the spirit is nourished. The world opens up and clarity takes hold. People that are different from us, with ideas we, ourselves, never entertained, inspire and enrich us.
This is true for any profession. If you get the chance to attend conferences and trainings offered in your area of expertise, go – and partake. Be open to all the classes, lectures, and trainings offered. By spending time with your “birds of a feather” you will shed old, tattered worn out feathers and arrive back home on the job with a whole new set.
I’d like to thank Adam and Brian, my teachers this week. Adam shared his life and made us stop and think about what we were trying to communicate to children by the stories we create and Brian showed us the path to publishing those stories and getting them out there. I come away from both classes confident and inspired that I’m right where I’m supposed to be doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.
Working in the bookstore introduced me to people in other classes that I would’ve never had the pleasure of meeting. We shared war stories and chatted up the hundreds of books surrounding us. I’m amazed at the neighbors I met that live in my town. Working in the bookstore reminded me just how very vast the world is – even on my small island. There is no need to travel far and wide to experience people from all walks of life – just attend the Cape Cod Writers Center annual conference.
And so, as another day goes by, this camper goes to bed happy, and…I have written.
Great post, Linda! Have a great time at the conference! xo