And what of me? I have spent much of my time in small rooms with other people, making invisible connections, and creating energy.
A Life of Vibes!
Folks will often say to my primary collaborator and I: "I love the vibe you guys create." Hah! Creating vibes. What's up with that? It's always a bit surprising. This comment usually comes up when we are in a room trying to create something. We are just doing our thing. Being. Maybe we have kind of developed a "way to the vibe," or discovered how to get to a creative space here we can facilitate a vibe, but this comes very naturally, without thought. We have no idea how this really happens.
What kind of vibes do we conjure? I'd guess, Creative, Supportive, Theatrical, Musical. Sometimes, hopefully Transcendent. If all goes well, we conjure vibes bending/working towards the spiritual. It's just a result of our creative efforts. To conjure something (a song, a set of music, a scene, a monologue, a stage picture) that didn't exist until we all got in a room together.
Vibes are invisible, ephemeral, insubstantial. They don't have a long shelf-life. They are hard to define, hard to pin down, you can't store them and keep them for another day. They are not the "coin of the realm," they won't pay the rent, but once you experience them, you realize you are on the right track. The Life-Track!
The process, the work of creating vibes is essential, powerful, beautiful and soul-enriching. It's not an intentional process, it's instinctual, this "vibe-creating" just kind of happens when you focus on the work, when you sink deeply into the moment. You lose yourself to the flow. It's a beautiful thing when it happens. Especially with a small group of creators.
I do believe the creative work is sort of a branch of magic. Conjuring up something new, something that never existed before. Even simple things, little things. Focusing on the act of creating is a powerful endeavor.
The vehicle is the song, the scene, the word, the action, but the greater thing we are creating, the thing we are shooting for, is a collective vibe. A process where 2+2=5. All for the vibe. Glory be to the vibe.