It is time to unearth the meaning of the name: “Beneath Our Feet”. You will find I like metaphors and will utilize the soil/land metaphor henceforth (Exhibit A: the use of the word unearth in the first sentence). Now, as I explain the name, I hope to shed some light (photosynthesis anyone?) on the heart of Beneath our Feet as a whole. I figured it would be easiest to organize my thoughts by framing this post as a series of questions and answers. (Part 2 can be found here).

Where did the phrase Beneath our Feet come from?

A while back when I was stewing with the seed of the idea for this community, I knew I wanted it to revolve around the local, physical place of Nebraska. I thought back to my walks along Antelope Creek trail near downtown Lincoln. During those sunny walks near the algae-ridden creek, I often noticed quotes by Willa Cather carved into the stone. Thus, when brainstorming names, I did what any modern American would do: I googled “quotes by Willa Cather”. I proceeded to skim through several quotes looking for interesting phrases that made my heart flutter. I wanted something earthy, something quirky, without being too trendy. Anyway, I stumbled upon this quote: “Let your fiction grow from the land beneath your feet” and immediately felt that familiar resonance that comes when words click together with an idea like a puzzle. I scribbled “beneath our feet” on paper and circled it. Well, that name also circled around in my brain for the weeks and months to follow. From that point, the name became synonymous with the idea. Thus, Beneath our Feet was born as most things are- with a simple google search and a little creative imagination. 

What is this? A blog? Is there more?

I have decided to sum up Beneath our Feet into three phrases all beginning with the letter C (because along with metaphors, I also like alliterations)

1- A creative community

2- A collection of stories

3- A curated resource

1. A creative community. Right or wrong, I tend to have the thought that if I struggle with something, most people are also struggling with said thing. So, when I realized one struggle I have living in Lincoln (Nebraska) is finding and connecting with like-minded creatives (aka those who share a love and appreciation for creativity, art, living outside the box). I wrestled with this question: do I simply settle with this feeling of “otherness”? Or can I do something about it? After months of mulling over this concept in rather vague terms, I have slowly come up with some concrete action steps to move toward forming a community of like-minded creatives living in the Midwest. Community is vital to the health of our hearts, I would say especially so for the “artists”. This is a gathering of those people. Perhaps some of you reading this already feel very interwoven into the artist scene, and that is great. (Please help me! ha) But, there may be some of you, like me, who haven’t quite found what you are looking for. On either side of the coin, I hope to create something worth belonging to. Whether you are an artist in the traditional sense or identify more with me (someone who is creatively minded and wanting to increasingly give expression to those inklings), I hope you find a place here. On that note, one essential rhythm of this community will be a quarterly gathering. I really want to see this thing turn into actual, real-life, flesh and blood relationships. 

2. A collection of stories. Don’t we all learn best through stories? Or if we don’t learn best that way, we are at least captivated by a story over a dry text. The living stories of people in particular places doing what people do- giving into and fighting in the dark, avoiding and then looking for and living in the light. Stories tug at something primal within us all and remind us that, by looking outside ourselves, we find a tale as old as time. We are pulled back to a place of wonder, of connection, of longing. Here at Beneath our Feet, we hope to offer a collection of these types of down-to-earth stories. This will be communicated in two main ways: a monthly artist celebration (a photo-journalistic article covering a local artist), and a seasonal podcast release. 

3. A curated resource. As artists, I think we are all looking to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. At the heart of our search for inspiration, we are looking across the abyss hoping to come across something real that confirms “oh, it’s not just me” I am not the only one on a hunt for beauty and meaning. My hope for this space is to offer a curated resource that actually adds value to your creative process. It may not be direct value all the time (ie here are three ways to stay inspired) although it may do that at times. Most essential, I want to offer inspiration that goes beyond a mere how to. By the sharing of stories and artistic creations and ideas, may you be inspired to continue living creatively within your own context. Through the collection of stories, this inspiration will also be shared with you in one main rhythm: a weekly blog post (shared in this space every Tuesday). The weekly blog posts will be written by yours truly and will include practical and philosophical ideas about art. Some weeks I will share my photo work in a way that will also include application for your life. Other weeks, the blogs will center around the community, sharing places and people who inspire me in the local Lincoln scene. Still other weeks, there may be general advice or thoughts about the creative process in general. 

What can we call this thing? 

I added this question so I could shorten Beneath our Feet from here on out if necessary. Beneath our Feet is the primary name, but the community aspect begs for a slight addition. For that reason, when referring to the community, I will use Beneath our Feet Club, or BFC for short. Beneath our Feet is the overarching concept, and Beneath our Feet Club (BFC) is the community of people involved.

I should add here that I will be sharing the journey of Beneath our Feet on an instagram account, @beneath.our.feet.ne. Instagram is by no means the heartbeat of BFC. I want it to be much less reliant on social media- existing apart from it, lived outside of it, but simply shared online for a convenient way to connect people and act as a base for the community. 

For part 2 of the meaning beneath the name, please read here. Cheers!