Here’s a raw truth. Out at the Warrior Storyfield we often butt heads. Sometimes it happens for just a moment or two. Sometimes it goes on for weeks or longer. Early on, we used to fight to win. That’s rough. But now when we fight, most of the time, we are fighting to understand. That’s awesome! And, that alone, makes for beautiful art.

So here we are, Denny and I, butting heads. We are designing the legs of the Phoenix. We both know the stance of those legs is critically important to the final “look” of our sculpture.

Denny wanted certainty
His strategy was to build the legs with ½” thick steel tubing layered with ½” steel plates. Powerful legs, solid and immovable legs. Something he knows will carry the the weight. Something he can trust.

I wanted options
My strategy was to build sleek light weight legs with bolted joints. Bolted joints would give us the option adjust the stance of the bird up or down until we achieve the perfect posture.

We both had a secret weapon. Yep, I had artistic authority. I’m an experienced sculptor. But his authority was just as compelling. He is a war tested Vietnam medic. He knows anatomy from the inside out. He’s seen it torn, ripped, shattered and burned.

So what do we do? We state our position. We argue our case. We hover on the sharp edge of disagreement. Then bam!!!! We jump up and start butting heads just to feel the raw tension of it all.

Then Denny nails me with his authority,
“You and I, Sir, are a polarity.”

And I blast right back,
“Yes Denny we are. But here’s the rub,
we are a collaborating polarity.
And that, makes all the difference.”

“Damn you Robert,” he shouts laughing.

“Damn you,” I shouted right back with an almost-straight face.

“Let’s make it your way. I’m following your lead. Let’s start cutting.”

What’s going on here?
Here’s a bit more of that same truth.

Denny and I are indeed a polarity on much more than art. We’ve had dramatically different lives that inform differing views about religion, politics, war, trauma and so much more.

But here’s what’s interesting. Our collaboration on the Phoenix sculpture has created a palpable connection between us. We feel that connection weaving through the thread of all our conversations. We feel that connection as a driving force to listen to and learn from each other so we can both express ourselves through our art. In other words as we struggle with the complexities of building this huge sculpture from scratch we are not looking the win the day for our point of view. Quite the opposite. We are exploring each other’s ideas inside and out and upside an down to choose the best path forward. Then we start cuttin’ and welding. Ain’t nothin’ better than that.

This type of connection is showing up throughout the team. No, we don’t have some sort of perfect hum going on. No way! The whole process is messy. It’s raw art in action. We don’t know where its going to take us. It goes up and down and round and round and sometimes leaves us grumbling. But this is connection. Real connection. And, its building our community, our sense of belonging, our gift of seeing each other, our gift of caring for each other.

Being in community gives each of us a place to begin unwinding our wounded hearts each in our way. Each in our own time.

Butting heads with an open mind is a great way to make beautiful art. Perhaps that is all that we’re doing out here in the StoryField.

But for us,
its more than enough.