Why Home is Where the Art is

One of my goals, when we founded Hickory Arts, was to raise awareness and help folks in the arts community discover and find value in who and what’s in their own backyard. Home truly is where the art is.

I’ve lived in the Hickory area for 30 years. I grew up in New Jersey prior to that and my career has taken me around the country. Every town has a story and a Starbucks. It’s how well you come to know and tell that story that matters. Catawba County has a wealth of resources and talent—and technology has made it even easier to develop your career from the comfort of your own home.

Who doesn’t love a good coming-of-age story—or a Bildungsroman? A “Bildungsroman” is a literary genre that “relates the growing up or ‘coming of age’ of a sensitive person who goes in search of answers to life’s questions with the expectation that these will result in gaining experience of the world.” Sound familiar? That’s, like, every script—ever! We’ve worked with hundreds of young, developing artists. There’s a Bildungsroman in all of us. So, challenging this supposition that the grass is always greener on the other side takes a village (two idioms for the price of one).

David Townsend, Jeff Hartman and the West Caldwell High School 2019-2020 Image Players

My brother-in-theatre of 30 years, David Townsend, and I were invited to speak to the latest Image Players occupying our high school alma mater’s theatre program. Long story short—if someone told me 30 years ago that I could write, record, publish, perform, tour, score for picture, design, act, direct, produce, teach, train, apprentice, work and consume the arts on a professional, competitive level comparable to New York City, Nashville or L.A.—here—a wave of teenage disbelief would have washed over me just as easily as it did these young Padawans. But I did—and I am—and it’s important to me for folks in our community to know that you can, too—and how.

I hit the arts running when I was 9, engulfing myself in piano and music. The theatre bug bit me at 12. Across these 36 years, my career and education have taken me to every corner of theatre, music, and film. In 2010, I began my segue from a person of the arts to a person for the arts and helped found Down to Hear Studios in an effort to supplement the artistic needs of developing artists and organizations in Hickory and surrounding areas. The studio relocated closer to Union Square in 2011 as Hickory Arts. Hickory Arts have since served as a crossroads between area theatres and other organizations over the past decade.

Communities suffer unnecessarily when there’s an overwhelming sense of, “I can’t do that here.” Convincing homegrowners to think inside the box is tougher than you think. Sometimes we want that drifter to roll into town and subvert our expectations (another literary trope). It makes a great headline. Often times we need that. Other times we underestimate the value, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of tapping into our own well. Most studies prove it pays to invest, cultivate and promote from within your community. There’s less pomp and circumstance in it, but when it’s to the exclusion of what’s right in front of you, the alternative is a transplanted community of drifters. Islands. Disconnected pockets of networks and fewer relationships that sew the past, present, and future together. Indigenes flee your community in pursuit of opportunity, continuing this silly “outside in, inside out” cycle.

Balance is everything. There’s beauty and freedom in relocating and it’s not completely without reward. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Forgetting where you came from or appreciating where you are can be hazardous to an artist’s health. “I live in L.A.” “I recorded that in Nashville.” “I’m moving to New York.” “We hired someone from Massachusetts.” Well, we all live somewhere. Is it smart? Was it necessary? If it’s accolades you’re seeking, your priorities are in the wrong place.

I believe the key to this business is personal relationships. As a husband and father, I’m committed to family and representing something much larger than myself. As a teaching artist, I’m dedicated to investing in and elevating others. As an on- and off-stage arts professional, I’ve chosen to commit much of my career to the arts in my community. Your community should be synonymous with involvement and foster a safe place for folks to take risks, connect, learn, and transform the lives of those who participate and consume its culture. People. Community. Experience. Networking. Encouragement. “Re-volve” and balance fresh faces with familiar ones—tradition and innovation.

Special thanks to Tara Blake Hatton and West Caldwell for hosting us. Our high school theatre program was a sanctuary for me and so many others.

Here are a few articles and blogs we highly recommend.
Top 5 Mistakes Singer/Songwriters Make
Top 10 Reasons NOT to Invest in Nashville
Why Promoting From Within Usually Beats Hiring From Outside
I’m an Actor. Should I Move to New York or Hollywood?
I’m a Writer. Should I Move to New York or Hollywood?
Do I Need to Move to Hollywood?