AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

Are you an artist of any kind with a project with a POSITIVE message? Is your art meant to INSPIRE and UPLIFT people or change the consciousness of the world in some way?

Want to meet talented, like-minded artists with creative visions as grand as yours?

Rather not keep the creative flame going all on your own? Want help backing up your vision with action through the support of others?

If yes, I WANT TO MEET YOU!

I am a visual artist and writer with a project of my own—one that excites and inspires me, but that I would love to have support in carrying out. I am forming a small group (no more than 8) for self-identified intelligent, creative visionaries—artists, writers, poets, dancers, filmmakers, theater people, those whose art doesn't fit into a category, etc.—who are experienced in their art form (whether known by the public or not), driven and serious in their commitment to sharing their work with the world, and have a project (or intention to start a project) that is positive and transformative. For people who believe in their work and would like a supportive community to uplift, inspire, motivate, and cheer you on!

The purpose of this group and main components of what we will do:

1. Friendship, support, community.

2. Share and get positive constructive feedback on work-in-progress.

3. Accountability for staying on track with goals and timelines.

4. Inspiration, excitement, motivation. Keep our creative juices flowing and help each other through blocks.

5. Support all the way through- getting projects published/produced/publicized and into the world when the time comes.

This is NOT:

1. A business development or entrepreneurial group. Our focus will be on the creative work and process of birthing the creative vision itself rather than financial or business aspects of it. However, we may make *limited* room from time to time to address the professional and financial aspects of carrying out our projects, acknowledging that it is a crucial part of the whole picture.

2. An artists' collaborative. There is no need, nor intention, for our projects to overlap in any way. However, if collaboration plans happen to spring up, we will embrace and nurture them as well if they are in the scope of our group mission.

The Details:

If you are interested, please email me at washingtoncarroll@gmail.com and tell me about yourself—what you do, what your project is, what draws you to the group, what qualities, experience and/or resources you would bring to the group, etc. Once I get a few people who are interested, I'll arrange a time for us all to get together in person over coffee or tea to meet each other and make a tentative plan for our regular meetings. We can adjust the frequency, schedule, and location for our meetings depending on who's in the group, but my initial setup would be to meet for 3 hours one evening every other week (or twice a month) at my house in Downtown Oakland (by BART), bring food and enjoy potluck dinner while we have our meeting.

*The goal is to have a committed group getting together regularly. Naturally, we will probably have a period of trying each other out to see if the people and style are a good fit for each of us, so I am not expecting anyone to "get married" on the first "date", or even the third, but I do hope to have people who, from the outset, at least feel like this is something they are excited about and could potentially commit to.

***DIVERSITY HIGHLY DESIRED: That means age, gender, race/ethnicity/culture, sexuality, ability, etc....As well as art form, subject matter of your project(s), level of professional experience, etc.

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU!