Three Reasons Why We Must Still Create Art in a Trump World
Trump’s regime is built around discriminating against anyone who is different than him. When we put out a new creation, we’re saying that our perspective deserves consideration and that we shouldn’t be discriminated against.
It’s only been a little more than a month since Trump’s become president and amazingly things are even worse than we thought they’d be. Every day Trump does or says something so exasperating that we’re left wondering how what seemed so impossible is now being forced on us as the new normal. This is what Arianna Huffington recently called the “cycle of outrage in a Trump world:” a mixture of anger, exhaustion, and despair that seems impossible to escape. But as we gather strength and move forward — and we will move forward. We’re much more resilient than we give ourselves credit for — we must continue to ask ourselves what we should do and how we can fight back against both the injustices that surround us and the despair that comes from thinking this task is too insurmountable.
So what are we to do? I’ve recently started to ask myself this question almost daily as a writer who writes about music — in this political crisis, I’ve had to ask if what I do is trivial. And I realized that many of us probably feel similarly guilty about how we spend our days in this chaotic time. This is perhaps especially true in the arts, which too often get pigeonholed as a kind of self-indulgent hobby.
But I’ve begun to realize that now more than ever, it is important for those of us who create art — and I consider the non-fiction writing I engage in to be a kind of artistic endeavor — to keep on creating. We must be confident that what we’re doing is useful and that even the most seemingly trivial art can provide something invaluable to us. And because the power of creating can so easily be overlooked, we must constantly remind ourselves why making art should be celebrated in the age of Trump. Below, I’ve listed three important reasons why creating art is so important today.
But before we get into that, I wanted to make a quick disclaimer here. Although, as I’ll discuss further below, artistic creation and discussion about art is important on a political level, I don’t want to imply that this precludes the need for direct political engagement of a more obvious nature. Protesting, voting, and other forms of political activity cannot be replaced by artistic creation. But making art — even the most trivial, superficial, and unpolitical art — gives us so much that, frankly, we deserve.
1. Artistic creation can be used as a form of self-care and self-care is essential in fighting against injustice.
Artistic creation gives us an opportunity for a wide range of experiences, all of which are important when we need to take political action. Creating allows us to tap into the deeper meaning and beauty of things, helping us to make better sense of difficult times. This provides a sense of healing to those that have been marginalized and discriminated against, giving us hope that things can improve. This therapeutic aspect of art is vital for survival in such a fucked up political climate.
At first, this may seem like a self-serving reason to create art in these desperate times, but that’s because we too often think that we must choose between taking care of ourselves and taking care of others. But as writer and activist Audre Lorde notes, we need self-care to be politically effective. “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence,” she says,” it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Self-care does put us in a better position to help others, But taking care of yourself, believing that just because you are a person, you deserve to heal, is itself a political right that we need to defend. Self-care is about fighting for survival and dignity in an unjust world. It’s a common sense idea that gets so often neglected: we need to look out for ourselves. Consistently reminding ourselves of that it is politically radical, especially for marginalized groups who are constantly told that they’re not worthy of rights or happiness.
But remember, artistic creation and acts of self-care can also be completely silly and trivial and sometimes that’s just as important as the profound experience of meaning that artistic creation can give us. In such dreary and dark times, you sometimes just need some fun and relaxation. That’s why I think it’s so important to second-guess the popular tendency to dismiss the various ways that people take care of themselves as illegitimate, lazy, and childish. We all deserve a break at some point right? Art can allow for that and we shouldn’t have to apologize for it, especially now, in these turbulent times.
2. By creating art, you — yes, even you — can help people in profound ways.
I like to think about the self-care aspect of artistic creation described above as an indirect way of helping others — although, again, we must emphasize that standing up for yourself is in itself profoundly political. Its indirect because you’re helping yourself heal first and and that’s a precondition for helping others. But creating art and giving it to others is itself a profound and selfless gift. Think about the countless amount of times that works of art — songs, TV shows, books, etc. — have given you joy, strength, healing, etc. When you give your work to people, you’re giving them that same gift that has healed you so many times before.
Of course, if you are an artist, you’re probably thinking to yourself that this might be true for art in general, but not for your measly, insignificant work. After all, artists are infamous for being as self-loathing as they are egotistical. But we have to face the imposter complex that lingers inside all of us that insists that we’re not worthy or talented enough to have our work taken seriously. And that isn’t easy.
The best advice I’ve heard for dealing with this insecurity comes from Annie Clark of St. Vincent fame. A few years ago, she was asked how she judges whether or not a song she has written will be accepted by the public. Her answer was more simple than you might think:
“I try to make music that I like and I believe and I think is interesting. I trust my intuition about what is interesting and I trust that I have ears and I’m a human being and if I like and if I believe in it, then it’s going to resonate with people. How many people, that’s always the question mark, but I don’t sit back and worry about how many might relate. I trust this universal uniqueness of humanity.”
Simply put, she trusts — it’s a leap of faith that she takes. There’s no rulebook that she can follow that will silence her inner critic forever. She simply accepts that, for better or worse, she’s as human as the rest of us and that what she creates has the potential to connect with other people. In the same way that she’s been moved by artists throughout her life, she knows and trusts that her work will do that for others. That kind of faith can give us the strength to boldly put ourselves out there and ignore the inevitable criticism we will face.
3. When we create art, we’re presenting a unique perspective that adds to a larger conversation. We desperately need this in the world of Trump.
We often take for granted the power that comes from simply offering our own point of view. When we create a work of art, we’re proclaiming our unique take on something and that has the opportunity to challenge both our narrow ways of thinking and the status quo in general. Every person is a singular entity, different than the rest of humanity, and that’s why the work of art is such a profound gift. Its utterly unique.
Although this is beautiful in itself, this has a deeper importance in our current climate — Trump’s regime is built around discriminating against anyone who is different than him. When we put out a new creation, we’re saying that our perspective deserves consideration and that we shouldn’t be discriminated against.
I don’t want to get on a soapbox here, but isn’t that a huge part of what makes America so attractive? Call it whatever you want: diversity, multiculturalism, the melting pot — the idea that we’re great because our society is made up of so many traditions and ideas interacting with one another is something I think all of us can get behind. But in Trump’s desire to oppress anyone who is different from him, the work of art is an act of rebellion, a reminder that we all deserve to be heard.
In this new world of fake news and alternative facts, I can create a work of art that proclaims that what I’ve experienced is true and others who are profoundly different than me can tap into that truth by experiencing what I create. I can’t think of any better way to fight against injustice in these times.
