Day 2 - SCAC and SC Artists HOORAY

I am always inspired by getting to match faces with names, especially if the faces are those of individuals who work hard for artists (and arts orgs!) everyday. I have so much affection for my friends at the South Carolina Arts Commission. My morning presentation with staff was quite fun; we had a good set up (thanks Randall and Laurel), Earl Grey tea, and a SouthernArtistry.org artist present to boot!

The workshop finished with enough time to go to an area of Columbia, SC undergoing a renaissance (we see these in Atlanta ALOT) - the Vista. Laurel and Jeanette picked out the spot. We talked about everything from the hardships facing the local arts community in the current economic downturn to Cirque du Soleil. I ate organic chicken and brown rice (all for under the amount of my nonprofit meal per-diem) with enough left over for dinner.

I returned to find about twenty SouthernArtistry.org artists in the conference room ready to learn about how to maximize their profiles on the registry. Lots of visual artists, a good showing of writers, a magician and a folk-singer too! Here's a pic of those fine folks who turned out and hopefully got something out of our hour together.

For those artists reading this who did not get to attend, the presentation resources can be found here. Also, for those wanting to see what the 'freestyle poling' that I do is all about, check out Crossover Movement Arts. You can also watch a video of our founder, Blake Dalton, performing on the pole.

I got on the road about 4:30 in the afternoon to miss rush hour traffic out of Columbia. Unfortunately, I hit a stand still a mere 2 hours into my drive up to Raleigh, NC. Despite the frustration that my drive would now be closer to 4 hours, this gave me the perfect opportunity to actually eat my leftover brown rice and chicken without ever having to get up out of my car!

I have so much respect for George and Gretchin, my hosts at Woodburn Cottage. They took my late check in, and revised late check in, and "I think I missed the turn" calls in stride. Once I arrived, they offered me a night cap and a sit by the fire. It did wonders. They entertained my road brain with stories of the short stint that Margaret Mitchell had living in this very house and of their Torpedo-inspired gallery space. I fell in love with my room the minute I saw the bookshelf.