com·​mu·​ni·​ties

I just learned recently about types of community, two types that I choose to term "consumer community" and "creator community." Consumers seek a community in which to meld - one in which they can belong as one of the fellow fans of a shared focal point. They bond over the next album release or the next group experience, the upcoming holidays and the gorgeous recipes they're going to recreate. Sometimes they come from an experience informed by rejection or isolation - maybe they're the misfits or the new kids in town. Finding their tribe means finding a can of paint the same color as them and diving in. They're willing to cast off their individuality (that previously haunted and marginalized them) for the sake of being "in." They love to love things together, to adore their icons and enthuse over their shared interests. Creators are needier. They too seek communities with shared interests and want to feel the same sense of belonging. But at the same time, they want to retain their uniqueness, to feel that their contribution to the group is irreplaceable because of the creativity and intelligence they specifically bring to the table. They know their value, or at least they trust in it as they dive into a bustling art studio, flecks of paint and clay spattering them as conversations criss-cross around them like paper airplanes in a Hogwarts classroom. They bring their full selves to a Goddard school of ideas, because they know their iron-willed peers will sharpen them. They tango; they are merry; they make dreams work. I want that.