raw creativity, part one

I feel so inspired tonight! I have to admit I was dragging my feet a little bit before we left the house for the Hive...I am so not a night person. But this particular art venue never ceases to inspire me. I'm not sure how to quite describe the vibe there. But it is full of people (not only the artists, but the musicians and attendees as well) who exude creativity in a raw form. Most of it tends to be very outside the box. Often unconventional. And SO refreshing. And a lot of it is really, really good. I always come away feeling like I have to up my game. Like, I need to get on it and get better. In a good way. It inspires me. D's comment was that you come away wanting to immediately make something or build something. It just has that effect on you.

I think this is part of why I'm drawn to this kind of sub-culture of "outsider" art. Mainstream art tends to not be as appealing to me. Not that you don't also find excellent work in mainstream settings, you do. It's just that everything can sometimes start to feel the same, a bit too cookie cutter-ish for my taste.

I didn't bring my camera tonight, but I did snap a few cell phone shots of the rapper who was performing...he was quite the entertainer. I am always impressed with one-man acts like him who can sustain the kind of energy needed to captivate a crowd. Here's my little montage of images...