The Importance of Art Right Now

If you’re anything like me, this year has felt like one bomb was dropped after another without even giving you enough time to catch your breath. The state of the world is depressing, and it is very easy to feel incredibly demotivated.

I confess I had to take a break from everything (in case you didn’t notice me missing from social media for a while), and take refuge in fiction (namely video games, movies, and books). But eventually I had to come out from hiding, dust myself off, and go back to art, to life.

It’s hard to keep the faith when the world seems to be moving backwards in more ways than one, and it is even harder to keep doing what you’re doing when it feels like it’s all hopeless, pointless.

Believe me I get it, and that is why I decided to write this.

I’m here to tell you it is NOT pointless. Even if it feels like the world takes one step forward only to recess into a hole a million steps back. We can work with this, we NEED to work with this, and your work is more important than ever.

Artists have always been a force of change, a force of reason, a reminder of what we want and what we should stand for as humans. This is THE power of art. A soft, but very important one. It is why plays like Hamilton are important, why Ellen DeGeneres was honored this week, and why Trump is so pissed off about the whole booing-of-Pence incident. Even an idiot like him recognizes our power, so we CANNOT let go of it.

I’m here to tell you it is more important than ever for you to take that brush, that piano, that pen, and GO CREATE.

The art community is strong and important. I know this because I’ve been part of it for years, and also, because I did pay attention in history lessons. We are the rebels, the warriors, and not shutting up is our revolution. We are the good guys, and even if it doesn’t seem like it, we are more, we are louder.

What I love the most about art is that for us artists there is no concept of the other. EVERYONE IS WELCOME, everyone has a voice, everyone is important. There are no walls, no borders, and no discrimination. This is why some dislike us, but this is our biggest strength. We need to embrace it more than ever and be roaring proud of it.

Art is everything, and life is meaningless without it. Ignore the disbelievers, ignore the oppressors, and go make a movie, write a book, paint something, act in a play. If we despair and become silent, they win. We can’t let that happen, there is too much at stake.

The world needs you and your voice more than ever. GO CREATE SOMETHING WONDERFUL.

We are the resistance. Never forget that.