Creative collaboration is easier said than done. I have been trying to move in this direction for a long time now, and I see that many artists, in the broad sense, want to focus on their own work and not waste time--as they see it--putting their work together with others, and creating something greater than the sum of its parts.

Is it ego that compels us to turn away from a potential collaborator and say, outwardly or inwardly, I just don't have time?

I went to an open mic last night and one singer-songwriter said exactly that--I'm focusing on my own work--while another may be open to it. I can't judge the first one. All I can say is that many artists seem likely to say I just don't have time, concentrating on my own work. The second one: i think that a lot of clear, open communication is needed away from the stage to make serious collaboration a reality. And, of course, trust must be present. There is a matter of copyrights and fear of having one's intellectual property ripped off. So I'm going to lay some things out for him in clear language and see if we can get together for coffee to sort things out.

The reason for collaboration is to integrate talent. He is a great musician. I have good lyrics and a strong voice. Can we put this together? I hope so. We all have strengths and weaknesses. We can go it alone, or try to put them together. Maybe it will work out. Maybe not.

He has a partner and is already collaborating with her musically. Maybe this is an underlying problem. There are only so many hours in the day. And she wants to work on her own stuff. How can I complain about that? It's her right, maybe it's her responsibility as an artist. I may be in the same position someday.

But I am glad to be getting out to open mics. I like the music scene a lot. Well, I love music. And those two are just great in what they produce, which is a mix of bluegrass and rock. It's beautiful and unique.

I am also trying to collaborate with someone on an I Ching preswentation. And I think that our initial effort to communicate is bearing fruit. You have to lay out your expectations and be honest to get anywhere. I think, now, we have hit upon a concept for the presentation that will work well. Well, she came up with it. But I think it is a great idea. We will meet Sunday to work out the details.

Of course, collaboration is any relationship depends on open and honest communication to work out the kinks. It is sometimes not easy. There are roadblocks to communication that make you want to give up at times. But if the relationship is valuable, is it not worth it to slog through mud to get to a clear space?

An aside. the mountains were beautiful last night as we drove to the open mic. As Linda said, the mountains appeared to us like a shadow of themselves. They were misty white, but other, darker shades could be seen through the mist. You see how two observers can integrate their visions, to form something greater than the sum of the parts?