Jason Driskill

This past summer I started checking Craigslist for creative events or groups that I might attend (like church, except focusing on creativity rather than spirituality).  I found a group called the GuyWriters that had a group for playwrights.  Unfortunately they only met once a month, and their meeting date always fell in a timeslot when I had class.  When the summer ended, their meetings continued to be postponed or cancelled.  I continued to receive their group e-blasts, through which I received a forwarded forwarded invitation to attend a screening at the home of playwright Joe Besecker.  I decided to attend.

After clumsily exchanging small-talk with a few strangers, someone introduced me to Joe, telling him I was interested in joining his playwright group.  I told him that I’d been trying to attend for months but had been thwarted by the many schedule conflicts.  He explained that his group meets once a week and it’s their meetings aren’t open to the public.  At this point we figured out that we were each talking about two different groups.  After a little more conversation he kindly invited me to attend his group the following week to try it on for size, but only if I’m serious about writing.

I’ve attended three meetings so far.  The conversations are constructive and inspiring, and keep me on track with putting words on paper.  I am looking for opportunities to bring some of my art projects to this advantageous forum.  After meeting with my guided study yesterday I realize my video work has the possibility to grow in a much more writing-specific direction.  This excites me.  I am discovering that on less conscious levels I’ve been looking for a way to bring more writing to my artwork.  It will be nice to see how these two forms of expression intermingle.