I don’t know about the rest of you creative types, but I’ve had a complicated relationship with my creativity/writing this year. On the one hand, I feel like I’ve regained a lot of my confidence–in my process, as well as in myself. I want to be creating again, and that feels very revolutionary for me.
However, I’ve also struggled to prioritize my writing in an increasingly toxic political climate. At a time when the civil liberties of our country’s minority groups are under constant attack, when climate change deniers hold the offices that allow them to most directly impact our environmental policy, and our media is belittled and ignored for reporting on anything useful, it would be all too easy to put aside the activities I enjoy and focus exclusively on activism.
Never mind that art is often inherently political, or that taking the time to create when every day feels uncertain is a monumental act of resistance in and of itself. I still can’t help thinking that I’m “wasting time” every time I sit down to write, even though I know that’s BS.
The thing is that we need escape more when times are tough than when everything is going well. We need good to triumph and problems to be solved, for monsters to be slain and heroes to rise. We need stories, now more than ever. And we need people who will continue to write them just as much as we need people who will continue to protest and fight and resist.
I’m writing this as much for myself as for anyone reading, but if by chance you’ve struggled to justify the importance of your own art in this strange new world, consider this your reminder. Your voice is important. Your work is important. And both have the power to change things.