The Power of Community

I’ve heard a few people badmouth the power of community, and I guess I can understand why. Sometimes it feels like you’re standing in the middle of this great big creative world all by yourself, even when there are a hundred other creative souls standing all around you. It is in our nature to be solitary people on some level, often enjoying the company of our creations sometimes more than that of actual people.

Creative types, despite what many might think based on our struggles to survive in a world where “hard work” and the “American Dream” have fooled people into believing there is no place for art and creativity, tend to some of the most competitive people in the world. I believe that competition is the result of society’s negative reception of creative arts, especially when that is your chosen career.

Most of us struggle to get our work out to a wider audience, and maybe we feel even just a little bit threatened by our creative peers, but in my Pollyanna world, where anything is possible and there’s enough cheesecake for everyone, I also believe there is room in the spotlight for everyone. On top of that belief, there is also confirmation from the universe that not all creative types are afraid to put themselves out there to help out their fellow creators.

A couple weeks ago, my friend Michael Bekemeyer was mulling in a coffee shop over how much money he would need to get his film project off the ground. In filmmaking terms, the number is actually rather small, but to an every day person like you or me without George Lucas’s wallet and production team, a mere $75,000 seems about as hard to get your hands on as $1,000,000.

I read Michael’s script last year. I talked with him a dozen or more times about how amazing it would be to see that script and his vision realized. He probably doesn’t remember, and that’s okay, but I do. I also remember the passion he expressed when we were talking. It was the kind of passion I’ve felt myself, when thinking about reaching a wider audience with my writing. So, when he started talking about taking a step toward producing and filming that script, I wanted to help.

James and I put our heads together quickly. What could we do, short of selling my kidney, to help Michael raise a portion of the funds he needed?

We could use our gift. Of course, selling short stories through Amazon and Smashwords doesn’t exactly pay the rent, so even if I wrote up like ten and donated all the proceeds to Michael, I’d still barely make a dent in the cause. But… what if I got ten or fifteen people to write stories and contribute them to an anthology? What if we sold that anthology for $12-$15 and donated every cent it earned to the Michael Bekemeyer film project?

In order to raise $75K, we’d have to sell about 6000 copies of the anthology… but I think we can do it.

You want to know why? Because when I asked if people wanted to help us raise money for Michael’s film project, so many writers came out of the woodwork and offered up their work without question. No one wanted to know, “What will I get from this?” No one asked if they’d get paid. They just wanted to help.

That, people, is the power of community. The power I’ve been talking about for weeks. The power to make a difference and an impact on the creative world that people will be talking about for years to come. Because we’re not going to get there as individuals. Sure, maybe one or two of us could do it on our own, but a lot more of us can do it if we stick together like the awesome band of people who leaped on the chance to help an amazing filmmaker see the chance to actualize his vision.

The anthology will be titled “Farrago” and I’ve already begun piecing together stories. This amazing group of writers will blow your mind, I promise. So stay tuned for more news about the release of “Farrago” and our endeavor to keep on furthering the dream as a community.