The Fredösphere

The one headline I did not expect to read today:  Black Bear Busts Secret Utah Pot Farm.

The work of gearing up for the fall season has left me with little energy for blogging.  Today I taught my first choir class for my kids' homeschool co-op.  I'm directly in charge of about a dozen of the older elementary children, plus sharing responsibility with a co-teacher for about a half-dozen younger elementary kids.  I've always been out of touch with the co-op, the Wifeosphere being much more involved, and I was stunned by how many of the children I didn't even know.  Nevertheless, the hour went well, and I'm very glad now to have gained experience working with young voices through giving lessons to my own kids.  By the end of the hour I had them singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight like angels, and I thought I had walked onto the set of a sequel to Les Choiristes--okay, okay, not quite that impossibly good, but still....

My other new effort involves organizing a study group for creative artists within a Christian context.  I have absolutely no idea if this group has a chance of taking off, but I badly want to give it a try.  This effort (for me, at least) is more about making an opportunity for a group like this to exist than succeeding in making it exist.  Ann Arbor cannot be a half-bad place to try, of course, and I'll be advertising the group on two major campuses (University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University) so we'll see.  I spoke last night to the three other people whom I expect to form the core of the group, and that filled me with optimism.  Also present was the estimable Pastor Scott Geiger of the University Lutheran Chapel, who is cheering us on with cries of "great idea," which is nice.

One core member of the study group is Norma, a graphic artist who also happens to be the Wifeosphere's best friend.  She showed me her ideas for the logo of the group, which we're calling Ex Nihilo.  (I wanted X Nihilo--ooh, that's so trendy, so edgy) but Norma let me know that change completely screwed up her logo idea, so nevermind.  She's chosen a swirl to represent the creative process, which I think it a great idea.  (We both also thought about a potter working clay on a wheel but I was afraid that idea was a bit stale.)  I've talked before about another artist who thinks swirly whenever he thinks creation.

Labels: Choral, Creativity, Design