The Blueprint Begins With You

B.J. Hollars

During my junior year of high school, my English teacher passed around information about a national writing contest. 

The prompt: “Write about a person who’s changed America.”

I imagine most folks went with what seemed to them like obvious choices: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, amid a smattering of other presidents, astronauts, and the like.  But at that moment in my life, the only person I could think about was author Ray Bradbury, whose far flung stories swirled down from outer space and struck me smack dab in the heart.      

I was so moved by his books and stories that I wrote what amounted to a love letter in the form of an essay, then submitted it to the contest.

And a surprising thing happened: I won the contest. 

Weeks later, I received a letter from Ray Bradbury himself.  The contest’s organizers had sent him a copy of my essay, which Ray found to be “one of the finest essays” he had ever read.  

Young Artist, I assure you it was not. 

But the fact that my literary hero would not only take the time to read my humble work, but respond favorably to it, instilled within me a degree of confidence I’d never known. 

Maybe I can be a writer, I thought hopefully.  But not without Ray’s help.   

That’s when I did a silly thing that would change my life forever.  Noting Ray Bradbury’s home phone number at the top of his stationary, I decided to give him a call.

My sweaty fingers punched the numbers, and I listened for the ring.  Suddenly, it gave way to a voice. 

“Hello?” Ray answered.

“Ray?” I my voice cracked.  “This is B.J. Hollars. Um…I wrote an essay about you.  You wrote me a letter…” 

 “Oh, of course!” Ray cried. 

After ten minutes of the most spell-binding conversation I’d ever been a part of, our talk began to wind down. 

Fearing our friendship might come to a fast end, I did what came naturally: I lied.  Spectacularly.

“You know,” I said “I’m not too far away from where you are.  It sure would be nice to shake your hand.”

“Well, come on over then!” Ray agreed before hanging up the phone.  “Any time!”

Though I wasn’t much of a geography whiz, even I knew that a good 2000 miles separated my home in Fort Wayne, Indiana from his in Los Angeles, California. 

I wasn’t sure my Huffy was up for it. 

And so, I knocked on my parents’ door.

“What’s up?” my mom asked.

I smiled sheepishly, then scratched my head. 

“Well, I think I need to go to California.”

*

Before Ray Bradbury’s death in 2012, I had the good fortunate of visiting him twice in his home.  First, during the aforementioned trip my senior year of high school, and later, while studying to be a writer in graduate school. 

Suffice it to say, those visits meant everything to me.  Not only was Ray as generous as I’d hoped, but within minutes of our first face-to-face meeting, we were already speaking to each other with the fluency of a pair of best buds.  I credited our quick connection to our shared midwestern roots.  Had I been born just 64 years earlier, perhaps we really could have been best buds.  It was nice to imagine, at least.

For a decade, we exchanged letters and phone calls and rooted each other on.  Though admittedly, he did most of the rooting, since I, the young writer, needed it most.

Young Artist, the moral of the story is this: sometimes the universe conspires on your behalf.

If you’re reading this, know that the universe is conspiring on your behalf, too.

Welcome to the Midwest Artist Academy—an inclusive, weeklong immersive experience in which we will learn, create, and collaborate alongside one another in a supportive and inspiring environment.  Our mornings will be spent honing our crafts alongside some of the finest artists in our respective genres; our afternoons will be filled with unique art-infused experiences throughout western Wisconsin; and our evenings will consist of live concerts, films, as well as the occasional campfire and talent show.

Throughout our week together, we’ll work toward creating a final, collaborative performance in which we’ll showcase our talents at Pablo Center at the Confluence, our premier, state-of-the-art performance center. 

If you’re looking for a place to thrive, please know that this is that place. 

If you’re looking for a place to grow, know that this is that place, too. 

At the Midwest Artist Academy, we celebrate you for being you.  And we’ll work toward unleashing your inner artist by bringing people and their passions together.  

Young Artist, if you remember nothing else, please remember this:

Every last one of us possesses the power to use our art to build a better world.

The blueprint for that world begins with you.