I’m not sure whether it was my only child upbringing or my introverted nature, but I have a habit of collecting hobbies that are, by default, isolating.
Creative writing, making jewelry, even sewing. When it comes to creativity, it’s typically a solo venture. Sometimes, I find myself missing my high school days, afternoons spent in the art studio, sculpting clay and painting creatures of nightmare among my peers, the Cirque du Soleil Alegria soundtrack playing in the background. Workshopping stories in college, lugging around pages adorned with a classroom’s worth of notes and suggestions.
Something happens in adulthood (or maybe just in our post-Covid, internet-obsessed world). The mandated camaraderie of our school days slips away and it becomes all too easy to spend weekends, creative pursuits, free hobby time, alone at home. Whether you write or not, a consensus I’ve found is this: Adulthood is isolating. Community becomes a choice, and often for the introvert, one that can feel like a chore.
And yet, its incredibly difficult to create in a bubble. Staring at the same four walls where I spend my workdays (hello remote work), rendered a deep deficit of inspiration. Coffee shops and libraries offer reprieve, but creatively I was still solo.
One thing became increasingly clear as I sat spinning circles, editing the same four paragraphs over and over, wanting someone to bounce ideas off of, to simply share in my misery in the struggles of creative constipation: I need a real-life creative community outlet.
Meet Up to the rescue. I’d used Meet Up before, to attend (and sometimes chicken out of) social gatherings centered around a lot of talking with strangers. In time, I found a writing group. It promised, simply, time to discuss and an opportunity to be amongst fellow writers. After months of perusing their available gatherings, I mustered the courage to attend my first meeting, expectations unclear. What I found was a group of friendly writers, who welcomed me with an introvert’s favorite words, “You don’t have to share anything you don’t want to.” I’d been eager to dedicate a block of time to writing each week, though left to my own devices, it was much too easy to push it off in favor of other more important things.
In my writing group, I’ve found accountability and community. A group of people willing to tell me - No, revising your story from 3rd to 1st isn’t a good use of time. Just finish it and worry about editing later.
I found others who struggled with completing projects, just like me, who abandoned stories in favor of newer, shinier ideas, left with a desktop full of half-finished drafts and unresolved conflicts.
No matter your creative pursuit, or preference for social interaction, community is imperative. Online community is great, but there’s something incredibly valuable about showing up to a group in person, sitting around a table, sharing character flaws and plot struggles, doing writing sprints. Despite the friendly chit chat, the shop talk, and the mandatory break for snacks, I’ve accomplished more in the last few weeks at my writing group than I have all year.
Community keeps us human, feet on the ground, fingers on the keyboard. Here’s to us all finding our community of creatives. 🥂