Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing for Artists [was Cohousing for Senior Artists - Request from CNN

[Dick Margulis (dick]

On 3/15/2017 7:47 PM, Emilie Parker wrote:

> I'll keep this in mind though Sharon, because maybe I have a lesson to
> learn about cohousing.

This has been an interesting discussion to watch as it unfolds. Couple 
of thoughts:

This week's New York Times Magazine features an article about an artist, 
"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/magazine/derek-delgaudio-the-magician-who-wants-to-break-magic.html"; 
(unrelated to this discussion, but a fascinating article nonetheless) 
that contains this quote: “You don’t become a magician because ‘my 
grandfather bought me a magic kit.’ It’s because your parents fought and 
told you you were worthless. It’s because you were in circumstances so 
bad you needed to escape.”

I suspect that quote resonates with lots of artists.

Is a cohousing community a good place for an artist to live? Probably. I 
suspect many cohousing communities can be supportive environments for a 
few members who are artists, if those artists are also comfortable 
living among people whose devotion to art is less than theirs, and if 
they're willing to participate in the community to a reasonable degree.

What about the opposite polarity--a community of mostly artists that is 
a supportive environment for a few engineers and lawyers? Would that 
work? Or would the engineers and lawyers feel exploited and get burned 
out doing the bulk of the practical work?

But is a cohousing community made up of entirely of artists a viable, 
sustainable community? Maybe or maybe not. The pragmatic requirements 
may be too much of a distraction and time suck, depending on the 
individuals involved.

Dick Margulis
Rocky Corner cohousing, a 33-acre farm in Bethany, Connecticut.
Construction begins imminently, and we still have homes available.
www.rockycorner.org