30 Sentences
Relational Aesthetics
2013, 2016
I posted an open invitation through email and social media to anyone interested in committing to writing a sentence a day for a month, resulting in 30 sentences. In each iteration of 30 Sentences, there was a kick-off gathering where participants met one another and initiated the start of this personal exercise. At the end of the month, a potluck took place at which participants, including myself, read their 30 sentences out loud.
The open yet intentional invitation led to an eclectic mix of participants from their 20s to 70s. Professions ranged from barista and pilates instructor to journalist and pastor. Much focus was put on the balance between safety and vulnerability as well as alleviating pressure and putting forth a challenge so that participants felt open and brave enough to perform, in a sense, before strangers. There were no instructions for participation other than a strong encouragement to write 30 sentences in 30 days. All participants are invited to the second gathering, regardless of whether they completed their sentences. The second gathering, in both 2013 and 2016, held a united sense of anxiety and mutual support which resulted in a sacred space where participants communally and genuinely delight in the joy of human creativity—without the qualifiers normally used to critique the cultural and artistic content we consume.
Some of the participants granted permission for their 30 sentences to be shared.