A Personal Introduction

As many of you know, I am writing a book. I call it a novel. When asked what it is about, I say that it is a study of several characters. But that is not entirely true.

This book is pieces of their lives. Each character expresses himself or herself differently. Jake in thoughts and extracts of his life, Dvora in her blog, Sharon in stories. Some want to express themselves and don't really know how.

They express their reality. Or bits of it. They display parts of their world.

To put it together, I use a structure, the structure of the Torah (the Jewish version of the first part of the Bible) written in 5 books and read in the synagogue (shul) in sections (parashot) throughout the year.

When I went to the Chagall exhibit in Montreal, I saw bits and pieces of life on canvases, on walls, in costumes, in set design, on stained glass accompanied by music.

When I write my book, I write bits and pieces of their lives as they come to me. To try to explain that I don't write in order, I have said that I am writing pieces of a puzzle, and then put them together. But that too is not entirely accurate. I do not know how to do puzzles. I just place them on my canvas of words where I think they belong. Somewhat like Chagall placing his characters and scenes on his canvas.

Wow. An illumination. A revelation. The way I write my novel is the way I look at art, at the arts, all the arts and crafts . The way i understand the world. All the arts together as part of a disjointed whole.

Apollinaire writes (I read this in the exhibit) all the arts are one: “Poets are preparing a new art that is more vast than the art of words alone. One day, they will direct an orchestra of prodigious dimensions, an orchestra that'll include the whole world, its sights and sounds, human though and language, song, dance, all the arts and all the artifices.”

My vision for ArtsKeeper. All the arts are one and all art and artists integral parts of it. Does that sound too much like "all the world's a stage"? But not merely players. Important integral players without whom the art threatens to fail.

How is it that others don't see it? How they don't see all the connections between writing, painting, music etc. like Chagall and Appolinaire did? Not only painting, but also music and sculpture. Aĺl the arts.

I look at it as all the senses working together to create one gigantic work of art, to which all artists and artisans contribute in their own way.

I wanted to understand how we organize our understanding of the world; so I studied philosophy. But with a few exceptions, our organization, our understanding, is lacking. So why not the organization of our pictures of the world as we express it in the theatre, music, movies, the circus (I cannot forget Chagall's clowns).

Not only Chagall. I think of my friends. I think of David Kaufman a singer and poet who became a filmmaker and photographer. I think of Stephen Lack, an actor and painter, who did pictures for my first book of poetry. I think of Peter Adamakos who started a film company, Disada Productions. His memoires will be on this site.

What we do need is to help artists, to give them (to give us) the infrastructure, the tools, the resources, the apps to make it easier. Not necessarily to create the art (that too sometimes), but to make it easier for them to create.

That is ArtsKeeper. We look at what the artist needs and we put it into 4 categories, not necessarily the only or best categories, but useful ones: exposure, community, resources, and marketing.

• Enable the artist to expose his work, show it to others, his fellow artists, enthusiasts or fans, a group or the world, as he requires or wishes.

• Enable the artist to participate in his Community, be it a community of peers in a virtual artists colony, with his friends or with his fans or those who are interested in his/her art.

• Enable the artist by making it easier for him/her to have the tools and resources he/she needs.

• Enable the artist to market or sell his art or better put, earn money from his work.

Some artists succeed beyond their dreams, and have exposure, community, resources and money. But most do not. Most struggle or eke out their existence. Would it not be great for patrons of the arts and there are many, large and small and those who have succeeded to help them out by donating, by investing, by volunteering time and talent to ArtsKeeper?

Who is a patron? Anyone who helps, by giving money, a place to stay and create, tools, resources, even encouragement.

Noah was commissioned by God to build an arc. Noah did not know how to do this project or have the money for it, so he went to his in laws. He thought that they would be his patrons.

• Shem's father in law was very well to do; he had many profitable investments. But unfortunately, not very generous. "Look at the risk inherent in the project, he said. Too risky for me to invest."

• Ham's father in law was a carpenter, perfect for helping him out. "I have too much to do, too many paying jobs. I'd love to but I have no time."

• Yephet's father in law was a self made man, who thought that independence builds character.

"Never depend on anyone else" he said "just yourself. Otherwise you will owe success to others and if you fail, you will blame them for your failure."

So maybe it's best not to look for help or investment from friends and family but from others who believe in you and your projects. We believe that ArtsKeeper will succeed in every way, bring help to artists who need it, help create the great canvas of all art, help us with advice, encouragement and talent and if it is an investment, result in fabulous profits.

So I ask you, what is your art or craft? What drives you even when the prospect of making money seems far away? Or are you the enthusiast, the fan who loves jazz or a special kind of woodcarving? Or are you the patron, who wants to help certain artists?

In any case, help ArtsKeeper. Tell us what you can do or wish to do, what you think ArtsKeeper can and should do, by filling out our online survey.

ArtsKeeper is dedicated to helping artists with their needs, to make their lives better and to make the costs less for the patron and the enthusiast.