 For most of us these last months of 2020 will be full of challenges. We struggle to stay creative as we face a difficult and uncertain election process, feel the weather becoming colder or wetter as we’re trapped inside, and wonder whether art-making really makes a difference in the world.
In my last blog post I described how the artist Constance Hockaday managed to create art that speaks directly to this political moment. She created a platform where 50 diverse artists spoke as president of the U.S. in their own voices. Hockaday’s process was just as transformative as her content. When the pandemic closed down her original site, she reimagined the project to work even better in the virtual art world. This is the core of what artists do. In your art practice you give form to an idea or a feeling. You capture an impression in clay or on canvas or in a photograph. You take a hard look at the world as it is and decide to make something new. Choosing to create art during these turbulent times is a hopeful thing to do. Even when your art is not about social issues, it takes freedom of thought and positive energy and courage to make it. Don’t shut yourself down by wondering whether your art matters, whether your voice will make a difference. Your ability to create is a powerful resource that helps all of us fight back against uncertainty and fear. Nurture your creative self. Keep it alive by making art, by teaching art, by encouraging other artists, by building community. What you do every day matters. Fill your mind and heart and spirit with your own creativity. Cherish your ability to see the world as it is while imagining something new. ~ Mary Mary Edwards, Ph.D Career & Life Coach for Artists “Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People” Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards Comments are closed.
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