So here’s the thing that I don’t want to write, but I feel I have to write.
If you don’t feel like creating right now because the world is on fire, the future is uncertain, and making things feels selfish, petty, or unimportant, I get it. Most of us have felt that to varying degrees since at least some point in 2016. The thing is, it’s more important than ever that we all keep going.
One of the first things authoritarian regimes go after is art. The Nazis burned paintings that they declared to be obscene. The Soviets jailed dissident writers because their works didn’t support the party ideology. Fundamentalists burned heavy metal albums and D&D manuals. All of them burned books that contained ideas that contradicted their stranglehold over truth. The last thing we need to do is voluntarily give up making art — writing, illustration, publishing, game design, crafting, whatever it is you do — because they’ve already beaten us down so far they’ve made us begin to lose hope.
Art is an act of defiance. It is creation in the face of destruction. It is life, joy, and a sense of purpose. Making art is itself a form of escapism, and a means for others to escape, even momentarily, from the various overlapping hellscapes of the modern world. For a lot of us, it’s self-care.
Life is difficult for a lot of people right now. Some far more than others. A lot of us don’t have the time, the energy, or the money to create the things we want, the way we want to. Embrace those resource limitations. Figure out a way to do it anyway. It’s part of the fight. It’s part of the resistance. Being a creator, a maker, an artist, for some of us is part of our core identity. We cannot allow them to take that away from us.
Hippogryph Modern: Urban Fantasy Roleplaying is currently on sale for 20% off.
Hippogryph Future: Science Fantasy Roleplaying is currently on sale for 20% off.
My wife Katie is donating a percentage of her art sales to NARAL. You can find out more at the link further down.
I hope you’re doing well today.
DAILY BERIN 