I'm Not An Artist

I am completely humbled that I was offered a position at Flagstaff Cultural Partners. I promote concerts, but I'm not a musician. I work in an art gallery, but I'm not an artist. I update press, but I'm not a journalist. But I love it.

I genuinely love working for Flagstaff Cultural Partners. I love the artists we represent on our walls; I love the little kids that come into the gallery with dropped jaws; I love the wrinkled couple swaying to the classical guitar; I love my boss; I love my coworkers. I love that I'm not an artist, but art is still a part of who I am.

This is why I'm so heartbroken by cutting and underfunding of public art programs. Whether or not a person is artistic, musical, creative, or talented, they're made better by the culture of art. When I was 11-years-old, I started playing the flute for my middle school band. In high school, I played the saxophone (which I affectionately referred to as the "sexy-phone"). My freshman year at NAU, I took an entry-level art course. And now looking back, those were my most memorable experiences in school. I didn't cultivate my creativity so far that I became a working artist, but those interactions with the world of art literally made me the person I am today.

I'd challenge you to write down the most impressionable personal experiences of your life. When you remove relations from the equation, I'd wager you are most innately tied to art. Think of the reasons you love Flagstaff. The people, the environment, and the art. Every business is this town is plastered with someone's masterpieces. The walls of alleyways are covered in self-expression. Music floats in the air of every street corner.

Flagstaff is art. And so am I.