art + community = paradise

Whenever artists come together to build community, to share ideas and to collaborate, they bring a vibrancy and energy to their community that is palpable. While I've been fortunate enough to have shared in that kind of community here in the Berkshires, I'm also aware of the many ways artists can reap these benefits through online communities.

One of my favorites is the Visual Artists Street Team (VAST) through Etsy. "We are an eclectic group of artists motivated to create successful artistic shops. Our goal is to promote the extraordinary talent of artists selling on Etsy. We are excited to be able to open our doors to you and share our creative world!" Through group emails and blogging we have the opportunity to share the ups and downs of the working artist's life. We offer each other encouragement, understanding, critiques, networking opportunities, and share great tips and solutions to some of the inevitable bumps in the road.

It goes without saying really, that the blogging community is an incredible source of friendship, education, support and sharing, too. I'm thankful for the friends I've made and the generous sharing of information over the years.

Sometimes an artist's life can feel a bit lonely - working alone tucked away in a studio for hours, but through community connection, we combine the best of all worlds.