Prairie Center: Connection

Ok, so I’ll just say it: It took a long time for me to find “my people” while in residence here at Prairie Center. Part of that was due to the fact that, for most of my 10 weeks here, there just haven’t been that many artists in residence even around. Don’t get me wrong–everyone I’ve met has been kind and talented; a very lovely combination of qualities. But for nearly two months I did not have pals to cook a meal with in the kitchen, no one to hang out with at night and talk to over a glass of wine, and no one to drink coffee with in the mornings. (The other artists didn’t really cook food, they didn’t necessarily interact in the mornings, and evenings were spent watching television). It was a startling experience, if for no other reason than the fact that I couldn’t make sense of living with perfectly nice people that I didn’t really ever feel a meaningful connection with. Go figure.

But it’s summer now and things have picked up! I’m leaving in a few days, but this handful of female artists that arrived in the last two weeks have brightened my days, lifted my spirits, and kept me up laughing at night. It’s a great way to go out with a bang, and I’m really thankful. Tonight, we had our all-house weekly meal together out on the porch: a big grill fest with beer and music and the lawn the perfect playground for the soccer ball and all the silliness of a crew of creative folks tipsy beneath the hot, Midwestern sun. A little more love in the air folks, and a little more laughter. It’s all we really need.