By Jennifer Sadler

Columbus is home to hundreds of artists, crafters, shop keepers, arts organizations and creative businesses who give life to the undercurrent of creativity that exists every day around us. In October 2007, the title of “Independent Art Capital of the World” was announced and awarded to the City of Columbus. The bold proclamation sparked some lively discussion in the arts community, but the intention behind the movement was clear—to draw attention to the grass-roots efforts in Columbus and to boost the city's image throughout the world as a place where all types of art produced with an independent spirit are embraced.

GCAC recently interviewed three local individuals who have a strong foothold in the arts in Columbus—Elizabeth Lessner, owner of Betty’s Family Restaurants; Melissa Starker, former longtime arts editor for the alive!, creative force behind the former Deep Focus Film Festival and current sales and marketing manager at Gateway Film Center; and Olivera Bratich, owner of Wholly Craft!, a popular shop featuring handmade items from local crafters. Each of these women has stepped up and offered their unique skills and talents to give back to local artists and has been instrumental in fostering the collaborative spirit of the Columbus indie arts movement.

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Guest Columnist:  ARTIE ISAAC

A teacher of creativity at The Ohio State University and co-founder of SpeakerSite.com, guest columnist, Artie Isaac, shares his thoughts on creative "togetherness."

DONE RIGHT, TOGETHER

When we were kids, our parents and teachers worried about us.

Our work wasn't always finished. And sometimes, it was downright sloppy.

Why? Perhaps we had asked the other kids to help us. But those other kids didn't finish our work. (Dang it.) Or they produced sloppy work. (Because they were kids!)

So our parents and teachers taught us: "Louise (or Louie), if you want to see something done right, do it yourself."

Huh? "If you want to see something done right, do it yourself."

Done right = done alone.

And that lesson, repeated just a few times, became a deep-seated belief.
It became a mantra, a way of life. And it worked! It made Louise -- that's you, unless you're Louie -- highly functional at an early age. We developed personal responsibility over our creative work, a sense of authorship, a proprietary care.

That's good.

Or, rather, that was good.

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