What started as a collection of students attempting to express themselves creatively has morphed into a monthly event where both artists and non-artists congregate to experience honest humanity. Andrew Bauman tells the story of Free Form.

Free Form started two years ago in the living room of my house. Its purpose was to fill a hollowness in my creative self and for those around me I suspected felt similar. I knew I was meant to write, to speak, and to listen, yet longed to do it in community with other uncertain artists.

We began gathering together once a month with lots of wine, candles, some notes on napkins and our hearts on our tongues. Every month we would frequently be stunned at the beauty that would be birthed from our labor. The words, rhythms and tunes would move us all. If we came to Free Form at ease, we would leave disrupted, if we entered the space uneasy we would depart in peace.  Something divine has been experienced as we have created together. We somehow find each other, and in this finding we find our God and more pieces of ourselves.

Free Form has now morphed, more people, more beauty and courage, less intimacy and fewer glasses of wine. We have moved to the Green Bean Coffeehouse a non-profit coffeehouse on 85^th and Greenwood Avenue. This move has raised our awareness in the community of Seattle among poets, musicians, storytellers, and dancers alike.  We have many artists from MHGS, from the LGBT community, from the Seattle Poetry Slam, many published authors, accomplished musicians, and those who have written a poem/song for the first time. This space has become church for us all.

One of my favorite examples of this was about 5 months ago when I realized a 65 year old woman was invited up front to tap dance along with two Seattle hip-hop artist who were beat-boxing and rapping to her dance rhythms. It was beautiful.

May God grant us the courage to create in community.

Andrew Bauman is a 3rd year Counseling Psychology student. If you are in the Seattle area you can join him for Free Form, which gathers the last Saturday of every month.