We spent our afternoon at Sparkcon, Raleigh’s art and design showcase that “celebrates creativity.” Fayetteville Street was covered with hundreds of beautiful chalk drawings. circusSpark performers did acrobatic tricks. Bands played on the stage in City Plaza and the Turner family played drums in the drum circle provided by Raleigh Drum Circle members.
Playing drums is interesting. I struggled to keep a steady beat at first, but then something clicked and the drum seemed to play itself. I noticed subtle changes in the group dynamic, where someone would start a cool-sounding beat and others would then latch on. This would go on until someone else would take us in a different direction and then we all began to follow the new leader. Before I knew it I was playing non-stop for 20 minutes or more without feeling fatigued. Sure, it was a workout but rather than have tired hands after playing I had “happy hands.”
We spent the rest of our time drawing our own chalk drawings at the corner of Martin and Fayetteville streets. Then it was home for pizza and rest. It’s been a long day!