Citizenship...

When we set out on this journey, we thought it would be something that would be simple.  we were right.  It is simple.  The concept overall is simple.  It is easy to grasp and to hold on to.  Sadly, though, simplicity and ease are not the same thing.  It is very simple to lead a horse to water.The trick has been to make it easier and easier and that is the beauty of the modern world.

We set out to create a space where everyone can do what they want, so long as those things do not harm anyone else.
We set out to create a place where the art and the viewer are closer together...
We set out to create a place where the music and the listener are closer together...
There is less between good food and the tongue...
There is less between the artist and their art.
We looked at situations and we solved the problems.

We have already pledged that this is going to be the year that we speak but it is also going to be the year that we listen.

We are building our city in the woods and the wheels are in motion. A nation needs its citizens or it is not a nation and a nation must provide for those citizens.  We reward our supporters so those who are coming to and pay full price for one event, you are a citizen.  Every time you see something that we post at EQgreenville, there will be a citizen option.  This is the year that the more you support these things that you believe in, the easier we make it...The more the artist gets, the more we support the venue, the more we can make happen.
To become a citizen, become a part of any of these things... Spend your values this year and support something that means something to you!
Subscribe to our CSA...
http://briarstfarm.blogspot.com/2013/12/what-exactly-is-csa-and-other.html

OR get your tickets to ....

The Paris Mountain Music Festival  March 13, 14, 15
http://parismountainmf.blogspot.com/2013/12/tickets-tickets-tickets.html

OR get your tickets to...

Women's Weekend in the Woods April 4, 5, 6th
http://mountainwomenweekend2012.blogspot.com/2013/12/womens-weekend-in-woods-2014.html

We are bullding a community and there are many paths to citizenship...Join and support in your own way, with the things that mean something to you!

Greenville Ink...My Ink Tells a Story

Tattoos are amazing things.  It is one of the few true collaborative arts between the art and the artist.  When we came up with the idea for this project, we forgot about that.  We forgot about what these things mean and what even the name of the event means.  My ink tells a story.  It is a representation of a moment in time that was meant to be remembered.  It is a snapshot of an event.  It is about the remembrance of a loved one, about the celebration of love, and/or the capture of beauty.

For a few weeks in the planning of this event, I got to be the weird guy who talked to people about their tattoos in odd circumstances.  I talked to people in bars and in parking lots and I asked them who did their tattoos.  The link between the artist and the person getting the tattoo is s close one, but not many of the people I approached talked about their artists.

They would look at their tattoos and tell me about them.  They would tell me about what was going on in their lives that made them get the tattoo.  They would tell me how the day went and how the tattoo that they got was something that they had thought about for weeks, months, or years.  They would talk about what would make them take that fateful step and have something on their body that they would have to look at every time they stepped out of the shower.  They would have to endure people like me stopping them in parking lots and asking them about them.

Some people want them to be seen.  Some put them in a special place on their body that only they can see.  Their little secret.  So when we say that "My ink tells a story." it does.

Those are the things that we wanted to highlight.  Those are the things that we wanted to promote and at some point we lost sight of that in the face of egos and food costs and promo and what they were going to get out of the deal and who gets credit.  We forgot that your ink tells a story.  We forgot that some people got tattoos because they lost a child or had cancer.  We forget the stories.

Getting a tattoo is a collaborative effort.  What story does your ink tell?  Let us know! We have talked about the artists, let's talk about the art.  No matter where you got your tattoo, if you want to tell the story of it, please write us at eqgreenville@gmail.com.  We will record the story that you want to tell to be aired on our podcast on Dec. 20. Let your ink tell its story.

Why We Do This...

I made a big mistake this morning... I took a moment to read the Facebook page of an organization I have been trying to support.  It is easy to step back and say, we are going to have an event and give the money to charity, but it is quite another thing to actually interact with that charity or organization that is doing some good.
Let me back up a bit.  A few months ago, we started working with some organizations to do some pretty unique things we thought.  We wanted to get a lot of people together and have some fun.  I didn't think we could or should do something like that without it having some sort of positive component.  If we are going to get wild, let's get wild for good.
The economy this year has been horrible.  People have been struggling and when the economy struggles, donations to non-profits go down.  People begin to worry about how they are going to get to and from work, how they are going to pay for college or medical expenses and so on.  When that is the case, they stop thinking about what they can do for others and do the airplane thing, which is make sure they have oxygen before helping others.
It is all well and good to say that we want to help others but it is quite another to actually SEE it and to think about what the results are going to be.  That is where I messed up.  I took a look at the Facebook page of the organization that we are trying to support with Greenville Ink and I had to take a moment to cry.
For those of you who do not know me in person, I am a big dude, scruffy and dirty, but I melt like a child when I see someone in need.  There is a stream of consciousness thing that I do when see something that frustrates me.  I think about what led to that thing and I think about what the results will be.  I think about what could have been done to avoid it.
What got me was a post that school was going to be cancelled because of flooding issues in the classroom.  I took a moment to let that sink in.  School on Nov. 27 was cancelled because the classroom was flooding.  This is a school where working parents drop their children off for education and care while they head to work.  For those who cannot afford it, this school, provides scholarships and partial scholarships and on November 27, they had to cancel classes.
That means not only were there no classes, but working people forced to find other means to take care of their children.  Someone, somewhere had to stay home or get someone to babysit.  The school was flooded.
So, whether or not you believe me when I say I want to help them.  Whether or not you think EQGreenville is a scam or some sort of thing, that is fine.  My concern is school was cancelled on Nov. 27 because it was flooded and we can help.
Skip us.  Fine. Go to UU World of Children and make a donation. Come to Greenville Ink and make a donation to another organization that these artists support, like Autism Speaks or Wounded Warrior...EQGreenville will find other ways to make money to support the things that we do. When people ask why I do what I do, it is because they cancelled school on Nov. 27 because the school was flooded, go to their Facebook page and see for yourself.