Remember the scene in Jerry Maguire where Tom Cruise urges Cuba Gooding’s character, Rod Tidwell, to lose his cocky attitude and get back to playing football for the love of the game—not for the money. “Help me help you,” Maguire begs Tidwell. As Tidwell’s sports agent, Maguire knocks himself out to help the athlete leverage his talent and maximize his pay, but Tidwell doesn’t climb aboard, at least not immediately.
Those words, “Help me help you,” remind me of two local organizations with a commitment to helping the local arts scene thrive. Classical Music Indy and PATTERN do substantial civic work that makes a difference in the city. Both are supported by people like you—people who demonstrate their love for Indianapolis in the form of memberships, donations and subscriptions.
In return for that support, both organizations print magazines as a gift to the faithful tribes who share the same vision.
PATTERN magazine, for example, just launched its fifteenth issue with a focus on local music, including a story about how the Indy Chamber is using music as the city’s next big economic lever. In the spring issue of NOTE, Classical Music Indy’s print magazine, there is a fascinating story about how music affects the brain, and a profile of Stuart Hyatt, a local artist who makes music from the sounds in nature.
NOTE and PATTERN both produce rich, rewarding long-form content that elevates local artists, businesses and arts organizations. They report on who is doing interesting work and where you can go to experience it. Subscribe to both and you’ll know everything necessary to feel the pulse of Indy’s arts culture. They’re knocking themselves out on your behalf. Help them help you.
In the interest of full transparency, I must disclose that both organizations have favored me by allowing me to write and/or edit on their behalf. These stories are among the most meaningful work of my freelance career, and I’m ever grateful for the opportunity to be associated with the good people who lead these organizations.
Great content can’t always be free. Sometimes, you have to invest in it if you want to see it survive. If you consider yourself blessed by living in a city like Indy, please give these organizations your support. To me, it’s akin to listening to public radio: if you enjoy it, you’re obliged to invest in it.