Connecting Creatively with Activism
Sometimes our best way forward through creativity is also connected to the work concerning the issues of the community.
When we take any kind of action towards helping situation getting better, our creativity is simultaneously unleashed.
This is why you will see a lot more topics here that connect creativity to everyday life and concerns.
Art has long been linked to social change. Artist have also been linked to empathy. It's no wonder that the state of the nation, community or world can have a huge effect, whether positive or negatively on creativity!
In times that I have felt a creative struggle, I can point some of it back to a social injustice that has consumed my attention, and for good reasons.
To stay grounded creatively, we need tangible ways to engage with this struggle in order to free ourselves from its weight, so that we have space in our being to create.
Without debating all the reasons why these areas are my most common themes for social justice, here are the 4 social issues that resurface for me.
Food Insecurity/Hunger
It's a fact that lower income households and even households above the poverty line have had to wrestle with food security issues. Prices are higher and not everyone is eligible for local services to alleviate their budgets.
A couple ways I take action:
- Signing petitions to congress on any bill that addresses the issue or issues closely tied to it.
- Collecting items for the local foodbank for a drop off.
- When I can, assist family with groceries as they need something.
- Curating content on the micro-blog that promotes healthy eating habits, showing different ways food connects us to better health.
Racism & Women's Rights
I've had to have different conversations with both of my children (son and daughter) about the current state of women's rights in general and what that means for BOTH of them right now and what it could mean for their future. This one article, Women's Equality Day What do I Tell My Daughter, sums it up better than I can do alone.
A couple ways I take action:
- Talk open and candidly with my children so that they are aware and allow them to weigh in what's going on.
- Allow myself to grieve in private group talks to air out the emotional distress of this reality.
- Seek out individuals and organizations or programs dedicated to women's rights and pushing back at racism
In particular, a growing ongoing concern that I feel most connected to is Black Women's Maternal Health.
For those of us who have experienced this head on or have heard the stories of our black mothers and mothers of color, the reality is quite clear that this is an area that has gone too long without clear action to turn this around.
A couple ways I take action:
- Educating myself on the current state of maternal and mental health for women of color. There is a National Maternal Mental Health Hotline available for all women to access when dealing with the effects of maternal stressors connected to having a baby.
- Signing petitions to congress on any bill that addresses issues of maternal health, mental health, and healthcare disparities, and issues closely tied to it.
- Curating content around mental health on my public micro-blog as an additional reference of articles, personal stories and journal entries.
Career/Job Transitions
Along with many other people, I have experienced drastic transitions in the past few years, especially when it comes to work.
Many people, especially women were either forced out of the workforce in 2020, laid off or dealt with reduced workflow since then, that they were either unable to recover from or the climb back to stability has been slow.
This has pushed many into reconsidering their previous approach to work altogether. Some of us have had to start completely over by changing careers, starting their own business or deciding to come out of retirement to work again.
Not to mention that there are still disparities in income and salaries between men and women in the workforce that is still an issue today. The state of things for women in general is much harder in my opinion.
A couple ways I take action:
- Educate myself on current work trends, technology and additional learning that may benefit adding to my resume.
- Focus more on connecting, working and applying to projects that I could be more passionate about over only focusing on the skillset my resume provides.
- Curating helpful career advice and tips publicly on micro-blog- The Working Blog to assist other individuals in career transitions.
- Signing petitions that help women get the pay that they deserve for the work that they do.
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