Eureka Springs has long been a refuge for the eccentrics, the visionaries, and the delightful slightly-lunaticky (my new favorite word) who refuse to color inside the lines, assuming, of course, they acknowledge the existence of any lines at all.
I mean, I am also slightly-lunaticky! (Who isn't in the 21st century!?)
This town isn’t so much a quilt as it is a collection of mismatched fabric scraps sewn together with questionable stitching, beautiful, yes, but held together with a prayer and a stubborn sense of identity. And it’s the black sheep among us, the ones who zig when the rest zag, who make this place truly luminous (and occasionally bewildering, but we love them for it).
In this blog series, Flocking Brilliant, I want to take a moment to celebrate these wonderful extras, to explore why we need them, and, most importantly, to convince you that society without black sheep is just a very dull, very beige wool sweater that shrinks in the wash.
Note: the introductory blog post for the Flocking Brilliant series is here.
Oh, flock. Here we go.
Let’s be honest. Society adores conformity. Rules, expectations, and an overwhelming urge to maintain polite eye contact without making things weird. We’re programmed to fall in line, to not ask why everyone is walking in the same direction or why the music playing in the elevator is slowly eroding our will to live.
But predictability never inspired revolutions. It never painted masterpieces. It never built cities or wrote poetry or made a person lean in closer and say, "Wait, tell me more."
The rebels, the outliers, the unshaven philosophers in coffee shops arguing about abstract art, they are the ones who push the world forward. And in Eureka Springs, where creative expression is currency and authenticity is the law of the land, black sheep aren’t just tolerated. They’re revered. They are our philosophers, our provocateurs, our neon-colored question marks in a world that wants everything underlined. Ugh. NO!
(CAPS are waaaaaaaay better, JUST'SAYIN')
If ever there was a person who personified the black sheep philosophy, it’s JENNA! A true visionary, Jenna doesn't just paint outside the lines, she obliterates them entirely, then, just when you least expect it, she sings herself through the cracks of your reality in ways you never saw coming.
“Being different is your superpower, Jenna. Don’t be afraid to be different.”
Jenna is the kind of artist who infuses every piece with nature, raw emotion, storytelling, and just the right amount of rebellion. Another "Yankee in the South"-friend of mine, she’s made it her life’s work to challenge norms, dismantle expectations, and ensure that art remains an untamed, living thing. She doesn’t ask for permission. She doesn’t apologize. And she reminds us that the best art, and, frankly, the best people, come from breaking the mold.
Then there's Tony! He doesn’t just color outside the lines; he takes the lines, sets them on fire, dances in the ashes, and then composes a power ballad about the whole experience. I mean, have you HEARD his power ballads?
Uh! Muh! Guh!
Tony is the kind of classic music man (which is a thing all its own.) He has dedicated his life to challenging norms, flipping expectations on their heads, and making sure art stays untamed, kind of like a raccoon who got into the moonshine.
"Drink the moonshine, Tony!"
He doesn’t ask for permission. He doesn’t apologize. And most importantly, he reminds us that the best art, and, let’s face it, the best dinner guests, are the ones who aren’t afraid to break a few rules. He embraces diversity. He IS diversity. He is one of the most human-humans, I've ever known.
The world needs more black sheep, more rule-breakers, more human-humans, more dreamers with wild ideas and questionable sleep schedules.
Tony and Jenna are totally THIS!
And here in Eureka Springs, we have an opportunity, not just to tolerate but to lift people up, to amplify their voices, to create a world where they don’t just survive, but thrive.
So, the next time you meet someone like a JENNA or a TONY or someone who unsettles, who disrupts, who makes you question everything you thought you knew, pause.
Instead of asking why she or he doesn’t fit in, ask yourself: How can I make more space for people like this?
Because without our black sheep, the world is just a very quiet, very predictable field of white wool. And let’s face it, nobody ever made history by blending in.
"I'm telling you right now, Jenna and Tony don't blend in, they absolutely, and most certainly stand out." - John-Michael Scurio
And let’s face it, flocking brilliant things only happen when we make room for those who most certainly STAND OUT.❤️
"The Flocking Brilliant Series" is a blog-series that features viewpoints from the personal opinion of John-Michael Scurio, local resident, blogger and coach here in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and creator/owner of this blog - www.iloveureka.com. In this CULTIVATING COMMUNITY blog-series we explore the role of black sheep in our lives and we look for ways to attract them, inspire them and celebrate them. Black sheep individuals, with their propensity to challenge norms and explore unconventional ideas, play a crucial role in expanding perspectives and driving positive change. Please enjoy this series!
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