Creativity in the Twin Cities

Sorry, readers, it's been a while since my last post. I've been downtown, doing creative things with creative people.

Last Thursday, the 7th, I went to downtown St. Paul with a few friends. We all are part of a collective called Random Receipts, with the purpose of fostering creativity with a light emphasis on music and spoken-word poetry. Around St. Paul are scattered pianos, painted and sheltered from the weather, in tune and everything, free for the public to play. So, naturally, a group of creative souls such as ourselves couldn't resist. We found a piano in front of a music college, and just began creating. I myself elaborated on a piece I had written earlier, played my friend's djembe, and plunked out a few melodies on the piano.

Fidelis on Piano and myself on Djembe

There was a young  girl, about 13 or 14, there with her younger brother, and she was listening very attentively to what we were performing. Eventually, we asked her to do something with us. After a lot of coercing and friendly encouragement, she sang something for us... And it blew us all away. The girl had talent, there was no doubt of that, but what really astounded me was her willingness to walk up to a group of older guys and perform something herself. This girl was ballsier than any of us there.

Then, just yesterday, we went back to downtown St. Paul to a small deli near the farmer's market. There, we performed spoken word, hip-hop, classical, and foreign music with a slight rock vibe to a fairly good sized audience. It was the first time I had done something like that, and the crowd (as well as my fellow members) were all very supportive. I met a lot of very cool people and my family and a few friends were able to see exactly what it is I do. That, I think, was the main reason I wanted to go so badly.

Left to Right: my brothers Fidelis, Joe, Jeremy, and myself

I wrote the following piece while I was at the deli waiting for others to show up-- I was the first to arrive, so I opened up my notebook, found my favorite pen and just freewrote to pass the time. I was somewhat surprised with how organized it turned out.

Black Coffee

 "No, I'm waiting for a few friends, don't mind me.
Well, maybe some coffee, black as midnight and bitter as my ex.
I do need to wake up. Don't we all?
Sure, I got up in the morning. I got up.
But I'm not awake.

I'm sorry, Miss, say that again?
Oh, no, I'm not from around here.
But, say, this coffee's not bad."

I carried this smalltalk on for another hour,
waiting for my own Godot to show up.

These days, if I have any money, I waste it.
If I have any time, I waste it.
If I have any energy, I waste it.
But, say, this coffee's not bad.
Maybe it's time to wake up.

The Twin Cities area has a very unique art scene, so I'm very happy to be so close to such a diverse movement. The best thing about the feel of the area is that it's all very supportive, very open, and very kind. You might get harsh criticism every now and then, but that's because they do genuinely want you to get better.

If anyone is interested in getting involved with Random Receipts, you can sent me a private message or leave a line in the comments. We'd love to create with you.

You can also follow me on Twitter or become a follower on the right if you're so inclined. I'm also considering a Speaking with Storms page on Facebook, so we'll see where that idea goes.  I went ahead and created the Facebook fan page, so if you like what you read, click here to "Like" me on Facebook! Thanks for reading, everyone.