Yes. We need to be creating art now more than ever.
I don’t know about you, but it feels wrong to me.
And I think that I know where it comes from. One line almost perfectly expresses the sentiment of the feeling of the wrongness of creating art as the world goes mad:
Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
There are, of course, two ways to define the word “fiddled”. But for this purpose, we’re looking at the idea of playing music while everything around you is on fire.
Between COVID, the ongoing destruction in Ukraine, expanding and uncontrolled gun violence across America, and increasing reactionary horrors, it rather feels like the world has gone mad. And the hits just keep on coming.
Thus, creating art in the face of this madness feels disingenuous. Inappropriate. And even, wrong.
But it’s not. Because the artistic things we create can go a long way toward putting the madness in check and building peace.
Art in its many forms is an expression of the human spirit. And as things disempower us and make us feel dispirited, more things to counter this are necessary.
But let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room.
Creating art is not selfish or narcissistic
The creation of art on your part is neither selfish nor narcissistic. This is the primary implication of the quote, Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
The Emperor of Rome was so self-centered that he didn’t care at all that his city burned. And that’s a huge part of the narrative of our world right now. Far too many of our various leaders – political, business, and more – are so self-centered that they don’t care if the world burns around them. That’s why Putin invaded Ukraine, Jeff Bezos and other billionaires hardly pay their fair share of taxes, and COVID was politicized over unsustainable economics.
It is all too easy to give up, lose hope, and feel like we’re swirling down a drain.
I don’t buy that. To be fair, there are days I feel that way. But for the most part, I believe we can turn this madness around.
And one way to do that is through the arts.
If you are one of the above-named people or their brethren, you are taking far more than you are giving right from the start. If you are a regular person, any art you create can help restore faith, hope, and true beauty to the world.
We need the light and color of the arts in dark times. Without it – we lose the ability to imagine better, let alone build better.
Thus, it’s neither selfish nor narcissistic for artists – hobbyists or professionals – to be creating art while the world is in this state.
Creating art expands empowerment
Though it’s full of plot holes and is utterly popcorn cinema, Independence Day is a great turn-off-your-brain-and-enjoy-the-ride film. But within it, there is a very stirring speech given by Bill Pullman’s President that’s quite inspirational. Hell’s yeah, let’s send those alien invaders packing!
In Shakespeare’s Henry V, the St. Crispin’s Day speech is a rabble-rouser. When done well, it makes you want to follow the speaker to hell and back.
There are photographs and paintings so compelling, that they make the viewer feel more capable and powerful than they were before encountering them.
Triumphs of architecture old and new make us marvel and imagine limitless potential and possibilities.
Creating art in all its forms empowers. It inspires, it awakens creativity and imagination. The arts show us a world that can be worse – but they can also show us how to prevent going that way, too.
Art reminds us that those “in power” are there for a limited time. The tyrant always dies, the religious zealotry always gives way, and reason and logic will always prevail (hopefully before our self-destruction).
Beauty, potential, and possibility are within each and every one of us. And creating art can remind us that it’s just beneath the surface, always.
That’s why we should keep creating art, even in the face of a world seemingly going mad.
Now is all we have
If we’re lucky, we each get about 7-10 decades to experience life. These meat-popsicles we occupy are finite. But the essence of who we are is infinite.
The past has come and gone. The future is unwritten. Right now, this moment is all that’s truly real, and where we can experience everything that life has to offer.
Sometimes that feels like a poor choice. Circumstances and unwanted situations might have you in their grip. And thus, the now is not pleasant or desirable. I am truly sorry if you are in such a place at present.
But creating art is an avenue to move past that place. It is by creating now that we can build a better tomorrow. What’s more, creating art helps us recall and maybe truly learn lessons from the past.
There are a limited number of things you and I can do to change the world. At least, regarding the big picture. We can vote, attend protests, call/write/email our representatives, and boycott awful businesses. Beyond that? We can be beacons of light in the dark – or fountains of water in the fire – by creating and sharing art.
Art has outlived its creators time and again. You never know how what you make now might impact the world. It’s true, you might be a Van Gogh who will not be celebrated in your lifetime. Given the brilliance of his art – aren’t you glad he still shared his genius with the world?
Now, more than ever, we need your creativity. The more of us who inspire and empower – the better chance we have to stop the madness. Hence, we should be creating art because it might be a key to improving the world – not just for us, but for everyone.
Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
Feel free to explore the rest of the website. Also, check out my weekly podcasts.
Enjoying the website and my endeavors? I’d be grateful if you would consider becoming a patron through my Patreon.
You can subscribe to my newsletter. Fill in the info and click the submit button to the right and receive your free eBook.
Follow me here!
You must be logged in to post a comment.