A Collaborative Writing Project

I was wondering if people would be willing to help to me with a problem?

I’m learning that one of my major skill deficiencies (or challenges) is learning how to write concisely. I always get sucked into the complexity and interconnectedness of ideas and feel compelled to try to demonstrate how it all connects and how that makes meaning, sometimes unexpected meaning. But in my desire to be comprehensive I often lose the immediacy & impact I would like to achieve. Could you help me write this more simply, directly and effectively?

I’m going to list some of the key ideas & goals of The Brooklyn Commune Project – maybe you can help make this more concise and focused so we can get the word out and get more people involved? We’ve got a great core but I feel like people think it is the same boring B.S. and horrible lectures & workshops that are usually out there and so maybe are scared off. It isn’t!

So here are some of the ideas/goals/beliefs:

We believe that EVERYONE IN THE ARTS has the same desired outcome for the arts ecology: a healthy, vibrant, dynamic, diverse, inclusive, resilient and sustainable arts and culture sector America. If we all want that, how do we bring the artists, institutions, administrators and funders to the table together in a thoughtful, respectful, collaborative, rigorous way to create a path to get there?

We believe that artists and creative people in all sectors – given space, time, information and incentive – are able to imagine a world that operates differently than this one. Our goal is to create an artist-driven vision of a healthy arts ecosystem in America and to bring artists, institutions, administrators and funders to the table together for mutually respectful, open, horizontal discourse around difficult topics like resource allocation, capital, value, labor, quality of life, and more.

We believe we must model the behaviors we are asking others to adopt: openness, transparency, inclusivity, responsibility, respect & rigor.

We believe that we are NOT really in an environment of resource scarcity but rather a resource rich environment that has developed deeply dysfunctional systems for resource allocation & management. We intend to avoid unrealistic fantasies and unworkable utopian “solutions” and instead identify the actual systemic dysfunctions and obstacles to progress.

We believe our project is not reactive but proactive; that insofar as we are able, given existing conditions, we will use assiduous research and rigorous thought to develop proposals based on what actually exists in the world, what resources & systems are currently available and can be improved upon and maximized.

We intend to apply our creativity to envisioning meaningful, actionable pathways towards solutions. Our desired outcome for the Brooklyn Commune Project is to create a plan with actionable proposals for artists, institutions, administrators and funders to move forward together.

We are what a friend is. We want to be the person who says, “I think you shouldn’t smoke so much pot, sleeping late and being irresponsible because you keep saying you want a better life and a better world, but your current behavior isn’t going to get you there.” We are all in this together and we will only make things better together.