On April 15 we had a potluck dinner where we made a new holiday.  Broken Hearts Day.  It’ll happen six months after Valentine’s Day on August 14.  Get ready.  We even made some greeting cards, scroll down to see one:

Three more cards and an empty box of candy at http://makeyourown.wikispaces.com/April15-2007

Make Your Own

You’re invited to potluck dinners where people make things in teams.

At the first potluck we made interpersonal games, at the second we made art projects, and this time we’ll choose to make games, art or your own holiday celebration in teams (what holiday would you like to bring into the world? a friend recently told me April 15 is “Peppers Day” the day that families get together to buy peppers). In addition to bonding with strangers and taking home something playful you made, you’ll have the option to continue with your team on more ambitious adventures of your choice to combine the best of work and play.

What are these potlucks for? Community organizing across teams, involving people in what you care about, and inspiring yourself to live more of your dreams, take action and live playfully. We have diverse perspectives and backgrounds. Fascinating similarities and shared interests have emerged when we make things together.

John Jay High School
237 Seventh Avenue, cross-street is 4th Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn
5:15 p.m., Sunday April 15; $5 covers the cost of space and please bring 16 servings of a healthy food or beverage to share
347 983 0087
alexlinsker@gmail.com
http://makeyourown.wikispaces.com

Tessa Gross writes about a key to rehearsing in an orchestra without a conductor:

“Performing without a conductor is freedom. Rehearsing without a conductor is insane….I got so frustrated with how the pieces we rehearsed were rationed out in rehearsals, that I made sure I would be rehearsal coordinator the following year….I figured I can’t complain if I am not being part of the process….This personal involvement is what made rehearsals go by a whole lot easier. If you take initiative to lead, people will follow. Then again, if you just talk to much and demand things from people, the rest of the group will INSTANTLY close their ears and ignore you.”

- from “Frustration and Freedom” by Tessa Gross, Orpheus in the Blogosphere

Lately I’ve had a crazy theory.  What do you think of this?  If you only do what you love, then people will want to work with you on what you love.  They’ll refer you to other people for what you love.  And then you take these opportunities and find ways to make money from doing what you love.

But there’s three catches:  you gotta love it, and you can’t compromise to turn what you love into something you don’t love just to make money, and you gotta commit to making it happen.