On Community

Before I get too far along here, I feel the need to give a big shout out to my Scarf Sisters.  Well, I guess it’s only the 4^th post so far...so I’m not that far in.  But I likely wouldn’t have started this blog had I not met this community of amazing women.

I could tell you lots about communities.  I studied them in university.  I work with them in my day job.  There are communities of interest and communities of place – in fact, according to Wikipedia there are 45 different types of communities! (ok, enough random factoids)

But I’ve never really stopped to think about how I fit into these communities.  I’m very grateful to have supportive friends - simply amazing girlfriends - and family around me, and I’ve always been keen to travel & meet new people.  So, I’ve never really questioned that I wasn’t part of a community.  But I guess what I didn’t realize was how much I longed for a certain community - the creative community - until it hit me smack in the face in the fall of 2009!

I’ve always had creative longings...which, long story short, led me to serendipitously land myself at Liz Lamoreux’s Unearth - A Be Present Retreat, where I was opened up to a whole new world of creative dreamers and doers!

It’s such a good feeling to be surrounded by like-minded people.  To go on photo walks and not feel like you’re holding others up because you need to photograph Every. Single. Thing.   Not needing to explain that you are not narcissistic when you’re taking endless self-portraits.  And being able to share your love of buttons, funky fabric, scrapbook paper…and cute hats! 

We’re all on our unique paths, spread wide over Canada and the United States, but the strength of this community is demonstrated by the fact that a year later – this past November – we reunited.  Of course not everyone was able to make it, but those that couldn’t were definitely there in spirit! 

And so, by meeting these wonderful women I have introduced myself into another new community – of creative bloggers – and I can't wait to see what the future holds.  

Whatever your dream, whatever your passion, know that there is a whole community of like-minded people out there just waiting to be discovered.  What is your place in community? Do you long for a certain community?  Perhaps you’re already a part of it…  (daytime group shots taken by Patty Waite)