Can arts programs "break the ice" in meeting new people?

[MROSS]

Activities like the arts allow participants to unite around specific activities. The tools and materials applied in painting, drawing, sculpture offer opportunites to develop those overlooked parts of the brain

Arts activites allow both participants, arts instructors, and support staff to "break the ice so to speak."

Any specific experiences?

 

[Jumpinbare]

Possibly.

I'm not arty

 

[Judge]

Went to many adult education photography classes...if that counted.

Did so as much for social reasons as artistic ones. Seemed a far more comfortable subject and environment to socialize in. LOL...never really thought of it as "dating".

 

[Sherlock77]

Spending time with people who share your special interests can be a good thing, only one way to find out...

It can be a great way to learn new skills as well

I am a longtime member of a local camera/photography club, the people are wonderful even if I can't get a good score out of them in competitions

But I have definitely learned lots from different speakers, and other club activities

 

[Outdated]

As a teenager I was pretty much interested in anything and everything, and for one season I helped out with an amateur theatre group, sitting up in the box operating sound and lights during plays and helping out back stage.

I enjoyed it and it was a good experience for a teenager to meet people from many different walks of life. At that age of course I was far more interested in girls and cars, both of which are expensive hobbies and I ended up working two jobs as well so drifted away from the theatre group, but it was a good experience.

 

[Fino]

Yes, very much so. The first time I made friends was in piano school.

 

[Slime_Punk]

I don't know about how everyone's ASD affects them socially, but if I don't have common ground or a central focus / task when I'm around others, that's where things start to get a bit awkward.

Having something that everyone is focusing on kind of takes the pressure off, in my experience, and can make it a little more fluid for everyone. I consider this to be a kind of 'flow state', because it's often outside of your comfort zone with some risks involved, yet you're doing something you're good at and it creates the best synergy in the world for creativity.

So TBH, I think these 'ice-breakers' are way more than what they seem. Also, it keeps people away from those idle topics that divide and polarize us (you know the ones) so they can feel more open to new experiences.

 

[Au Naturel]

Any time you have a group focused on a specific topic that is your interest, it is easier to socialize. You get to talk about the topic without being dismissed as weird because of your interest. I had social success in a science fiction club, in a wargaming group, in Mensa, and in nudist circles.

You still need to do things like modulate your voice, avoid info dumping, allow the other person equal time in a discussion, and not get wrapped into an argument about who is right and wrong. It is okay for people to be factually and logically wrong. It is not okay to aggressively correct them. Just let it be.

 

[wildshy]

Activities like the arts allow participants to unite around specific activities. The tools and materials applied in painting, drawing, sculpture offer opportunites to develop those overlooked parts of the brain

Arts activites allow both participants, arts instructors, and support staff to "break the ice so to speak."

Any specific experiences?

Personally I don't think it will if you don't attend each sess... But no matter what it will depend on what you can tolerate

 

[Jumpinbare]

Any time you have a group focused on a specific topic that is your interest, it is easier to socialize. You get to talk about the topic without being dismissed as weird because of your interest. I had social success in a science fiction club, in a wargaming group, in Mensa, and in nudist circles.

Ham Radio clubs are about the only "social" group I have voluntarily joined. And as @Au Naturel says, you can comfortably converse about your interest. (With what I know now, I would have to say there's a significantly higher than average percent of ASD folks among Ham Radio operators.)

 

[Ken]

Ham Radio clubs are about the only "social" group I have voluntarily joined. And as @Au Naturel says, you can comfortably converse about your interest. (With what I know now, I would have to say there's a significantly higher than average percent of ASD folks among Ham Radio operators.)

In my early high school years, I was deeply into ham radio. However, my interest was in designing and building the equipment. I had no money, so I scavenged parts from old TVs, etc. to build my receiver and transmitter. The difficulty was that I never met any ham radio enthusiasts that was interested in the electronics. I think I would have gotten along with them if they did.

 

[Jumpinbare]

In my early high school years, I was deeply into ham radio. However, my interest was in designing and building the equipment. I had no money, so I scavenged parts from old TVs, etc. to build my receiver and transmitter. The difficulty was that I never met any ham radio enthusiasts that was interested in the electronics. I think I would have gotten along with them if they did.

I guess it's luck of the draw. Between magazine articles and individuals I met on the air, my need to build was well met.
My favorite build memory was a 1 transistor 40 meter CW transmitter that was supposed to put out 1/4 watt. I built it and put it on the air with a half wave dipole about 50 feet off the ground. I expected 1/4 watt to be a challenge, but I only made a grand total of 3 contacts, each roughly 300 miles away.
I was eventually able to have access to a 60 MHz scope, and measured the output power. I was putting out a microwatt on 40 meters, and 100 mW on the 3rd harmonic on 15 meters. Turned out, the 365 pF variable cap was way out of tolerance on the low side. I added a fixed cap in parallel and got the expected power on 40. But this meant I had made 3 contacts at 300 million miles per watt!

 

[Dagan]

All kinds, yes. Music classes. Painting, sculpting classes. Special FX Make Up classes, some that I have been the teacher for...I become quite more vocal, outgoing and really like to see others' eyes really light up and rather be themselves with ease. Anything that allows us to be creative or expressive seems to get us out of our shells, and it certainly allows others to know more of the real us.

 

[MROSS]

I don't know about how everyone's ASD affects them socially, but if I don't have common ground or a central focus / task when I'm around others, that's where things start to get a bit awkward.

Having something that everyone is focusing on kind of takes the pressure off, in my experience, and can make it a little more fluid for everyone. I consider this to be a kind of 'flow state', because it's often outside of your comfort zone with some risks involved, yet you're doing something you're good at and it creates the best synergy in the world for creativity.

So TBH, I think these 'ice-breakers' are way more than what they seem. Also, it keeps people away from those idle topics that divide and polarize us (you know the ones) so they can feel more open to new experiences.

Common-ground, central foucs on common tasks, avoiding idle topics which too often divide people - "right on the money!"

 

[Ken]

I guess it's luck of the draw. Between magazine articles and individuals I met on the air, my need to build was well met.
My favorite build memory was a 1 transistor 40 meter CW transmitter that was supposed to put out 1/4 watt. I built it and put it on the air with a half wave dipole about 50 feet off the ground. I expected 1/4 watt to be a challenge, but I only made a grand total of 3 contacts, each roughly 300 miles away.
I was eventually able to have access to a 60 MHz scope, and measured the output power. I was putting out a microwatt on 40 meters, and 100 mW on the 3rd harmonic on 15 meters. Turned out, the 365 pF variable cap was way out of tolerance on the low side. I added a fixed cap in parallel and got the expected power on 40. But this meant I had made 3 contacts at 300 million miles per watt!

As mentioned, my transmitter was made out of old TV parts. The transmit tube was a horizontal deflection flyback tube. Certainly not for that purpose, but it worked. Never knew exactly what frequency it was on. Probably wasn't very clean. No scope, counter or anything like that. I just wound the oscillator and tank coils per the turns and diameter to get the desired inductance to match one of the salvaged capacitors. Tuned by grid current. Apparently I at least got it in band as I got a couple QSL cards.

I never got very fast with with Morse code. As mentioned, my interest was in the electronics, thought it was exciting to actually make contact with someone. I don't remember where they were, but I was amazed how far away they were. This was in the late 1960's - a few decades ago!
No idea how much power it made, but I remember getting a deep arc burn on my finger.

My receiver used the IF stage and detector from a broadcast FM radio that I rewound the local oscillator tank coils. I think I just got is near enough in band to actually communicate. Reworked the detector for AM.
My antenna was a long wire stretching from the house out to a backyard shed. Worked on building a matching network.

Like you, I only made about three contacts. That was exciting, but I really loved the electronics. Fun times. Didn't stay with ham radio, but my electronics passion never declined. I only grew resulting in a career. My call sign was WN5CEG.

I guess this communication is what the original post is about?

 

[Jumpinbare]

I guess this communication is what the original post is about?

In general concept anyway. Common ground breaking the ice.
I bought a 1 tube 5 watt 40 meter CW transmitter at a Hamfest that was built sloppily on a breadboard. I traced the circuit, drew up a schematic and rebuilt it into a metal cabinet. It worked great. Lots of easy contacts. A friend fell in love with this transmitter and convinced me to sell it to him. Somehow the schematic got lost before I could build another one. That was the only tube transmitter I have built to date. I am currently gathering the parts to make a hybrid IC and tube rig. The ICs are only for regulating tube current and supplying hi voltage. The RF portion is entirely tube.

 

[Ken]

In general concept anyway. Common ground breaking the ice.
I bought a 1 tube 5 watt 40 meter CW transmitter at a Hamfest that was built sloppily on a breadboard. I traced the circuit, drew up a schematic and rebuilt it into a metal cabinet. It worked great. Lots of easy contacts. A friend fell in love with this transmitter and convinced me to sell it to him. Somehow the schematic got lost before I could build another one. That was the only tube transmitter I have built to date. I am currently gathering the parts to make a hybrid IC and tube rig. The ICs are only for regulating tube current and supplying hi voltage. The RF portion is entirely tube.

Very cool!

 

[MROSS]

Very cool!

Any of your experiences posted in the 'Computer, Science, Technology' Forum?

 

[Jumpinbare]

Yes, as far as arduino and raspberry pi experiences

 

[Cryptid]

The difficulty was that I never met any ham radio enthusiasts that was interested in the electronics.

Most of the Hams I've met in the last 20 or so years have purchased their rigs, but will brag about having soldered a new PL-239 connector on the end of their RG-58 coax.

I have an old Yeasu YT-726 rig that I have maintained since the mid-1990s, and all of my antennae are scratch-built. My favorite is a 2-meter J-Pole made out of copper plumbing. I designed and built my own speech compressor, too.

Back On Topic

Ham Radio is a great way to get acquainted with people before you meet them -- better than the Internet. You get to know them by their voices alone, and can eventually figure out if they are the kind of people with whom you would like to hang out. Hamfests, field days, and swapmeets are also great social experiences. If you don't want to talk to anyone around you, just put on a set of headphones and sit off to one side. Works for me!