Today we sing!

Kirtanarama starts at FIGMENT on Governor’s Island with Robin Renee @ 1pm, Joelle Danant @2pm and Rick Jarow @ 3pm.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a day of sunshine and no rain. Weather, like everything, changes. The weekend forecast is thunderstorms. I am trying to hold neither too tightly nor too loosely to my desires for clear skies, with minimal downpours.

From the get go, KIRTANARAMA has been a “neither too loosely nor too tightly” project for me. I’m not a concert organizer, and never thought of it as such. My intention was to create a sudden community under the trees instead of starry skies, around the fire in our hearts and souls instead of a campfire.

I had a conversation with founder David Koren, early on at one of the FIGMENT meet and greets, about how one creates community and collaboration around art – around anything. One needs to create enough form, structure and definition to hold the idea, to create a sure container, and enough freedom and lack of confinement to leave people room to participate in their own way, to be a part of something larger.

I like the sound of that. And I’m an idealist. The reality isn’t so easy. People take convincing. And schedules aren’t as forgiving as one might wish. Everybody is busy. And our priorities are our own. So it’s even more of a surprise and delight when things eventually come together.

Project management isn’t really my forte. But I’m learning. Stretching out of comfort zones is good. Knowing what it takes to pull something like this together, gives me an even greater appreciation for those who organize and manage people and projects of all shapes and sizes.

And today, like every day, I am human. I have to keep reminding myself. It’s all about the process.