Just before she runs off to America for writing workshops, our very own Alex McCallum touches upon the idea of re-thinking the language we use in our work.

When I was in primary school I had a blue dictionary. I love words; but the only thing I can remember about it is that I scribbled my name on the edges of the pages. I was thinking about this because our friends at Young People and the Arts Australia have created a new project. It’s an online glossary of the arts made by you, for you. Anyone who’s interested to can log on and post a word on the wall and sit back to see what people come up with.

Crowdsourcing a dictionary might seem like a pretty new idea. But the fact is that all dictionaries are about crowdsourcing. They’re made from research about how words are used. And when the meaning of a word changes – so does the entry. Check out all these possible meanings for the word nice. All professions have their own language – and the arts is no different. Words go in and out of fashion. A specific word might be invented/changed to pin down an important concept.