Recently, it’s been hard to show up to the studio when it feels like the world is on fire. I’m admittedly a sensitive person, and sometimes absorbing all the heavy energy can feel directly at conflict with the spirit of creativity required to bring a piece of art into life.
Let me be clear - I have no interest in debating politics here, and any unkind comments will not be tolerated. And of course there are a myriad of ways to directly impact the issues that matter to you, like volunteer or donate or write your Congressman. But this is not a post about that - this is about creativity at a time of tension, coming from an artist whose gift can at times seem irrelevant.
Me working on I’ve been honestly asking myself, What is the point of art? What does it mean in this context of world tension? Why spend the time to create? What is the use of sharing a textile I’m working on or trying to sell a painting? Why should anyone care? This is what’s been gnawing at me lately, and here is what I have concluded:
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Art is a respite for all.
For both the artist and viewer, art is a nervous system soother. In a cortisol-inducing doom scroll feed, it is an offering — and it literally feels like an offering — of peace, softness, stillness and hope. It is an invitation to stay a while and get lost in the brushstrokes, the message, the color saturation, the mood… There have been so many scientific studies of how just looking at art can lower cortisol and reduce stress. It may just be the break you didn’t realize you needed. -
Art connects, like being thrown a life-preserver amidst a wailing storm.
When art stops you, it strikes something internal. An emotion, a memory, an ideal… But the thread underneath all of that is being seen and understood, leaving you feeling less alone, less hopeless, and connected to something outside yourself. There’s a reason why art has been a part of all civilizations, dating back to cave dwellers. More than just decoration, it is a form of communication that we relate to in both good and bad times. -
Art gets you out of your head and into your sensory system.
The hand-made marks, the lighting, the colors, the materials - these characteristics are evidence of human touch, human care, human thought and intention. Not AI. Your anxiety, worry, and spiraling thoughts get quieter when the focus shifts to taking in details like the way a color bleeds into the canvas, a yarn delicately drapes, or the coolness of a ceramic vessel in your palm. -
Expression is the opposite of repression.
When we have big feelings, there is no amount of stuffing them down that will make them go away. Releasing those emotions helps to clear the system, and art in many ways is my avenue to process. It’s my way of making sense of things and communicating in a language I don’t otherwise have words for. It’s also a way to take negative emotions and turn them into something aesthetically pleasing. -
Art adds a weight towards the scale of beauty in the world.
It’s really easy to zoom in on the stuff we don’t agree with - you watch one vitriol-filled clip on YouTube and then suddenly, the algorithm is filling your feed with more of the same. Yes, it’s important to know what’s going on. Yes, it’s important to hear multiple sides. We just have to be careful to not stay in the echo chamber of hate and intolerance. Lingering here is exactly when I find myself procrastinating and resisting studio time. And then inevitably when I do show up to create, I feel better. Why? Because the energy I’m putting out into the world, however small, is contributing beauty and connection. I’m putting my focus on what I want to feel, instead of wallowing in what I don’t. It’s why the wise “Create before consuming” mantra is a thing.
The beginnings of a new collection, gaining traction after much procrastinationSo maybe it’s just a few pounds on a trillion-ton scale, but I am choosing to use my artistic gift to spread beauty, inspire, and connect through art. Who knows, maybe the next artwork I make will be the thing that tips the scale of division.