A Reflection from Ryman Artist Lofts

This Artist’s Way

By Lily Clayton Hansen, Author and Loft Resident —

Some people like to say they can do it alone. I am someone who craves camaraderie on this long, crazy road towards stepping into the person I was meant to be.

There is indeed something in the Music City air that encourages self-exploration. Freedom of the spirit is omnipresent. In my personal experience it was an incentive for transformation. Once I got here I started seeing things in myself that I didn’t know existed.

I moved to Nashville for the adventure. A chance to overhaul my identity and really dig into a city that everyone on earth was talking about. Still, for someone who just wrote a book called Word of Mouth: Nashville Conversations, this fast-talking and walking Chicagoan must admit my heart wasn’t immediately stolen by this city. Where were the health food restaurants and more importantly, sidewalks? Why were complete strangers saying ‘hi’ to me on the street? I was bewildered by the Wild West meets Las Vegas strip that we call Lower Broadway, and how the grocery store aisles were wiped clean every time the temperature dipped below 50.

After breaking records by moving five times in a single year, I was selected as the newest addition to the Ryman Lofts in October 2013. It was the city’s first residency solely dedicated to artists, and word on the street was that the building provided much more than cheap rent. Indeed, within my first week I realized I had been initiated into a creative zeitgeist. The energy was inspiring, fluid and fun. The tenants ran the gamut between post-college to senior citizens. The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) committee had obviously chosen wisely in selecting a diverse mixture of ex-city slickers and those who were stomping the pavement for the first time.

Most importantly, upon receiving my key fob I felt the support of a highly innovative network. They soothed the damage that my black sheep qualities had done to my ego. And it didn’t hurt that our three-story complex felt akin to Andy Warhol’s famed Chelsea Hotel in which he and greats such as the Velvet Underground made magic back in the day. Minus the drugs of course, the lofts breathed a similar bohemian vibe into the afluent Rutledge Hill neighborhood.

Although some artists enjoy creating in solitude, it is brainstorming with others that keeps my own ship afloat. Community is necessary to my own creative flow as it melts away the chaos that often cultivates in my mind.

The first night in my apartment I exhaled a year’s worth of breaths. I am home, I thought as I gazed at the skyline.

You cannot buy generosity. In a building where the income cut-off is at poverty line, advice and shoulders to cry on are freely given. There is always someone to drink a beer with at the Batter’s Box if you are having a bad day. A camcorder or canvas can be borrowed at a moment’s notice.

Much like an adult dormitory, we love potlucks and house parties. One tenant, a songwriter, even held a monthly coffee hour in which our crew would get together and catch up over some Crema.

It’s exciting to be in a place where everyone not only knows your name, but they also understand exactly where you come from. Trying to make a living doing anything unconventional can either break your spirit or uplift your soul. From my own experience in writing my book it was the support of my community that propelled me on days when I wanted to not only throw in but, quite frankly, torch the towel. If writer Sally could make it then there might be a chance for you too.

Whether or not any of us achieve the fame we’ve been fighting for, I know we can all confirm it’s been a one in a million experience. Also, it’s pretty fun to place bets on who will be the winner of the “I knew you when” game. Hopefully we all get to bask in that glory.