Be creative, no matter what!
(Nimue)
All of the creative industries are a mess at the moment. Most people who work creatively are obliged to work other jobs too, or deal with poverty. It’s disheartening, and it can make people feel like giving up. Financial necessity forces brilliant people to put down what they love most because they have to focus on survival.
Even so, it has never been more important to be creative in whatever way you can manage. We need ideas and inspiration. Humanity faces crises – in climate chaos, in war, in unsustainable ways of living and being. We collectively need new ideas about how to live. Being creative is vital to this.
Creativity does not have to be focused on solving these problems in order to bring benefits. Anything that shakes us out of everyday mindsets has the potential to inspire change. Creativity helps us connect with each other, emapthise more, understand each other better. Through making and sharing human expression, we can find joy that doesn’t cost the Earth. We can empower and uplift each other and enrich each other’s lives.
Make time to create – in any way that speaks to you. Make something with your own hands, with your own heart. Add beauty to the world. Do something practical. Know that you can change things through your actions and that you have it in you to put something into the world that was not there before.
When we are creators, we aren’t so involved with being consumers. When we see ourselves as makers we’re in a stronger position than when we feel we have to buy the answers to all of our needs. Share what you do, because other people need your unique vision, your skills, and the inspiration that you alone can offer.
Creativity should not be the territory of some privileged few. It should be part of regular life for everyone. Being creative should not depend on being able to make it pay, either. It should be about joy and expression, sharing and beauty. Recognising the value of that by paying for it can be a very good thing – I pay to see bands, I buy books, and craftwork and all sorts. Buying items or experiences that have been made with love is a good thing to do. It’s a way of celebrating what gives us most pleasure, and helping the people who do that to stay viable.
The arts are often treated as frivolous, unnecessary and indulgent. However, this is territory in which we share our humanity and collectively explore ideas. This is how we dream together to co-create the future, rather than just being sold fake solutions by people who care only about making more money.
