Making Art in Troubled Times
Why we need it and why we shouldn't feel guilty about it.
We’re living in some very polarized, complicated times, and the last few weeks have been an amplification of that. Of course people have the urge to fight for what they feel is right, but often that comes with a lot of name calling and guilt tripping over what others decide is and isn’t ‘fighting’. Is the pen still mightier than the sword? Or are we meant to drop our creative habits and put our bodies on the line?
I think the conflict boils down to whether or not one sees art as political. It is. Full Stop. If we’re having conversations around book bans and censorship, then, yes, it’s political. So right off the bat, do not put down your pens! Second, asking all of us to put on our boots and hit the streets isn’t justifiable (or necessarily effective.) When some of us are more vulnerable than others, bigger targets for oppression, or simply do not have the strength to get back up yet again, art can be that loaded weapon of protest, expression, and influence.
From another angle, art and entertainment can also be the catalyst to get us ready to work for what be believe in. After all, no one who stayed stuck in rage or paralyzed by depression and burn out accomplished very much. We can see art in its many forms as something to soothe, heal, filter our feelings, and destress with. Being able to escape in a fantasy has merit here. We need coping mechanisms. We need rest. But we can also heal here, too. The Tony Morrison quote I shared in last week’s short read speaks to this:
This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.
I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge — even wisdom. Like art.
Art can be the thing that carries us through. It can make us better. It can help us heal. And perhaps, most importantly, it can prevent us from succumbing to the malevolence. And in that sense, it is both a weapon and a shelter against the troubled times we’re in.
I also believe, that in looking back at these inflection points through history, art has been the record keeper. Yes, we have recorded non-fiction accounts of major events, but history is so often described by the winners, ‘heroes’, politicians, and academics far removed from the events themselves. It is in art where we see records kept by those on all sides, by civilians impacted, by marginalized voices, prisoners, survivors, etc… There is also a record of emotion and human impact, as opposed to just facts and policies, preserved in art.
I came across this website showcasing ten great works from troubled times. Have a scroll through the various paintings, pottery, photographs, and other works of art. I bet you’ll recognize quite a few of them. Many works of art become touchstones for a past event, A single photo or painting can often depict so much more, elicit vivid memories or emotions, and provide information that a text book never could.
So for the times that we are in, please keep making art. Don’t turn away in false believe that it doesn’t matter. And don’t succumb to the darkness of the moment. We need art now more than ever. Pick up that pen (or whatever tools your art requires) and get to work. That is your sword. Don’t put it down.
