Please keep making art.
It's even more important now that the world is on fire.
Hi! It’s Rick, the Chief Community Artist at The Brave Artists. Welcome to the periodic newsletter on building the courage and systems for you to lead your most creative life possible.
I know the world seems like it’s on fire right now. And a great deal too many parts of it are. It’s been that way for a while now, too, but this weekend’s new cycle makes it feel especially acute.
There are mass shootings, drivers’ licenses being invalidated, and billionaires building The Terminator - and that’s just some of last week’s domestic news. There’s also foreign wars being started, genocide, terrorism, and all of the horrors of the Epstein Files still lingering like a cancer.
If you’re an empathetic, caring human being (which I’m guessing you are if you’re reading this in the first place), this can be overwhelming. It should be overwhelming. Our nervous systems aren’t made to live through a horror film every day. That’s the entire point of all of this.
To overwhelm us. To shock and destabilize and terrify us into consumption and obedience. To scare us into sitting on our couches glued to our phone, doom-scrolling and wondering what we can do about any of this geopolitical horror show. To make us reach for our vice of choice to numb out the inhumanity of it all. To aimlessly sit and watch cat videos to try and bleach out the images of cities reduced to rubble and the lifeless bodies of children.
And yes. It is crucial that we take care of ourselves. That we make sure that we’re getting the support we need to process all of this. But we cannot do that in deference to taking action.
We must not let them crush us into inaction. If anyone needs to stay moving in times like these, it’s us.
Because we are artists. And artists are the most dangerous people around to totalitarian governments.
This is why books get banned, late night hosts get censored, and fusses get made over halftime shows. It’s why the First Amendment, the freedom of speech, was the first amendment.
Art spreads ideas, and ideas create dissent and opportunities for change, and that is what poisons the facade of authoritarian rule. When the facade falls, people begin to hope and dream of better. And when a better world is possible, that’s when revolutions begin.
So while we need to be protesting and organizing locally and calling our representatives and boycotting and doing all the things - we also need to be making art.
We need to use the skills that we have in order to spread ideas. To sow the seeds of hope and change and glimpses of a better world. To speak truth in a world of lies, misdirections, and misinformation. To share our voices.
And while political messages are important, it’s also important that you continue to create things that only you can create. To remind us about the beauty of the world. To reflect our humanity. To remind us of other’s pain or fear. To make us laugh. To feel joy or share a memory from your past.
To make us feel human.
So speak up. Make things. Tell your story.
Use your creativity to amplify your voice.
Because if not you, then who?
Written by a human, proof-read by humans as well.
Learn more about the Brave Artists
About the author:
Rick Kitagawa is an author, artist, and creativity coach who helps humans with marginalized identities find their most authentic lives through his coaching practice, Kaiju Coaching.
He also makes lots of monster art and is based in Pasadena, CA. Find more of his writing on creativity, humanity, and his art practice at Monster Town, his other Substack newsletter.
If you need a bit more of a push and you’d like a bunch of creative, empathetic allies to build your artistic practice alongside, consider joining the Brave Artists Community. It’s a safe place and a friendly community to help people make stuff - all online.
Recently we’ve flung open doors and have opened access to part of the community to everyone - you just need to set-up an account.
If you’d like to take advantage of full membership (including group coaching, weekly celebrations, and other features) once you’ve joined you’ll fine an easy way to upgrade to full membership.
We’d love to see you join us.
Thank you for the reminder. I've been focusing my energy on flamenco dancing and forming a journaling group for women with cancer. I can't control the mess that is happening in the world but I can make a difference in my community.