“Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” – Kurt Vonnegut

This year as arts and culture focuses on words and word-based art I find myself thinking more and more of the wordsmiths that shaped my creativity, offered new perspectives on the human experience or connected with an emotion that showed me others felt what I did.

Kurt Vonnegut was an author whose work I devoured once I discovered it through the gateway drug of Slaughter-House Five. Deceptively packaged as science fiction, Vonnegut was more than anything a humanist, and so much of his writing reflected that our mission on this planet is to be kind. To ourselves, to each other, to the planet, to animals, we need to be kind as much as we can.

Connecting our humanity is, at the end of the day, what all creative practice is about. Taking something from deep inside and finding a way to communicate it to other people. Through a painting, a song, a story, a poem, a play, a movie, a carving, a website, a podcast…the list could go on and on but they are all united by a someone wanting to share an idea, an emotion, a story, a point of view, some element of being human.

That is what I believe Vonnegut is talking about in the quote at the top, that everyone has something inside them that they want to share, and that engaging with the creative process is a huge reward to you as a person. Creativity and creation are not owned by the professionals and the highly trained, they are the gifts of being human. From the drawings in the Chauvet Cave created 30,000 years ago to the newest episode of White Lotus, it’s all connected and connects us all.

There are currently a couple of opportunities for people to become involved in community-wide culture and creativity: applying to be on the Cultural Resources Committee and attending our next Creative Conversation.

Applications are open until April 15 for the Cultural Resources Committee, which serves in an advisory capacity to help develop the City’s direction with regards to arts and culture. Think of it as a sounding board, to offer thoughts and ideas on upcoming directions and initiatives, but also to bring the ideas and concerns of the different parts of the Mission community you participate in to staff and council. Meetings are every two months, from 5-6 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month.

We’re looking for people with knowledge and experience in the arts and cultural activities of Mission and an interest in serving the community. The criteria is intentionally broad to encourage interested people to apply even if they feel they may not have the “right” experience or qualifications. Culture and creativity belong to all of us, and we are hoping to have a committee with a diverse range of lived experience and perspectives on culture and creativity.

As staff liaison to the committee, I find it to be an incredibly valuable resource and my favourite of all the meetings I attend. In the last year the committee has sparked new ideas and direction, helped to define some projects and initiatives, and brought community knowledge and experience to planning the direction for arts and culture. Visit https://www.mission.ca/council-government/mayor-council/committees/cultural-resources-committee to apply. If you are, or know of, a young person involved with or interested in arts and culture, we hope to hear from you.

Our next Creative Conversation is Tuesday, April 29 from 7-9 p.m., onstage at the Clarke Theatre. Our focus is going to be on Culture Days, and how we can really showcase all of Mission’s creativity during this annual, national focus on arts and culture. Last year Mission ranked ninth nationally for Small Municipalities based on the number of Culture Days activities that were available. Many partner organizations create Culture Days programming every year (Mission Museum, Mission Community Archives, Mission Arts Council, Fraser Valley Regional Library, Mission Folk Music Festival, Opening Nite Theatre) and we’re hoping to find ways to spark more grass-roots, independent, small events.

We will look at potential for initiatives to get support from arts and culture staff and resources, or perhaps through the Community Small Grants program. This is meant to be a brainstorming, sharing of ideas, and the start of planning for Culture Days 2025. Join us, be part of the conversation, and help imagine ways to spotlight all the various creative practices you can find in Mission.

Questions or comments? Please email [email protected]