As we discussed at our get together, this will be a thread to define the "Mission Statement" of what it is that the Zero Art Project entails and holds dear. I'll begin by posting what I wrote for the craigslist post. We can dissect as we see fit and new ideas should be posted as well. We should take only the things that resonate with the project as a whole.

Here it is:

What we see with the project is a building (recording studio with small lounge) built by a community of like-minded, artistic, free-thinking, highly resourceful people that have an assortment of skills. This includes people donating time, skills, energy and even money to the project for which in return they will receive the ability to use the studio free of charge through a scheduling system, the ability to interact and find musicians and artists to collaborate with that belong to the community, life-long friends that have the same ideas and passions, monthly get-togethers and dinners with said individuals, access to become part of Zero Art Radio and stream recording sessions live over the Net and possible future adventures into a organic vegetable gardening co-op and artist in residency programs.

The types of people that will be needed to organize this collective are: recording engineers, organizational gurus, financial gurus, architect(s)/structural engineer(s)/construction contractor(s), musicians, electrician(s), visual artists, web design/coders, sculptors, techs, hard workers, idealists, philanthropic natured human beings and most importantly... highly resourceful individuals that want to share knowledge, continue learning and create an environment conducive to creative thought and actions. This should be something that you really care about and would love to see come to fruition.

As you can see by the staying power of Zero Art Radio (our 11th anniversary is in October), I am not one to stop pursuing something that means a lot to me. This project means just as much to me and my wife as Zero Art Radio and we hope to find people that have the same passion. This kind of thing usually draws comparisons to a commune of sorts, but a lot of nothing gets done in those type of environments because the idealists that are usually drawn to those situations, more times than not, love the romantic notion behind the idea, but don't love the work involved. We are looking for people who are energized by both the idea and the work. This should also be incredible fun. So, if you aren't into having fun then it would be best for you to take a rain check on this project.

For me, as I told Tate, I look at this as a learning experience. It will probably be some time before I'm able to build a studio of my own, graduating college in a year, and I'd love to donate my time to the construction process so I can see what goes into the building process. And I'm also looking to learn about engineering from everyone, especially Tate, because others have real world experience that I don't. I'm also excited about being involved in other's projects, and having a pool of musicians who can contribute to mine. And making friends, above all else.

so, i really like what you've started with, tate. i'll have some more substantive ideas later (outside of work) but for the moment, i think that it might be wise to distill the mission statement down to a couple paragraphs. i don't think that our mission is that complex. correct me if i'm wrong. sure, the details can get complex but our mission, itself, is simple and the statement should be straight forward, brief, and easy to read.

I agree. The Missions Statement should be just a couple of paragraphs long. It also need to be all encompassing. That's always hard to do, but I'm sure we'll come up with something.

I agree with everyone's input so far. For me, it's about being a part of a greater good. Establishing a network of new friends in Nashville, being a part of a community project, and giving back to society in some small way. If I share my time, labor, and musicianship, then I feel the reward is in the work itself. Of course, being able to record future work in the studio would be a plus, but being able to learn from such a rich palette of artists and studio "gurus" will be an invaluable gift.

I'd love to be a part of putting everything together... learning about the setup of everything, and then having an end product, say a song... listening to that and knowing I was involved from start to finish... I think that would be amazing.

so, does someone want to take a stab at editing a 2 paragraph condensed version of what people have been saying?

Okay, since everyone is sitting on their hands, i took a stab at a short but sweet mission statement that incorporates the essentials to what people have added. take a look: http://www.zeroartproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37

i think this is a great mission statement. i really can't poke a hole in it.

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