Staying in touch with creativity during tough times
A creative pep talk for however this moment finds you đ
Happy new year! #februaryisthenewjanuary (?)
I meant to send out a letter at the actual beginning of the (Gregorian calendar) year, but between an incredibly busy month of performances (weird for January!), shifting dynamics in some collaborations, and just being a person in the United States in the year 2026, it just didnât happen!
I typically start each year with a letter about new year goals / intentions / word of the year, but honestly, that didnât feel quite right this year.
I wasnât personally feeling much fresh start energy, and have heard the same from many others.
I still donât know my word of the year for this year, and thatâs okay! We get to take the fresh start when we want to, and Iâll say a lot more about this in the next letter.
Itâs always important to me to acknowledge the moment weâre in, and this year is pretty collectively heavy so far, right? Iâve been deeply concerned about the ICE occupation in my hometown of Minneapolis, among many other political issues, and trying to do what I can to help us preserve democracy. (See the links section for resources on how to help!)
Life is always fragile, but when scary and heavy things are happening, it has a way of making our vulnerability more obvious. If youâre like me (a person with anxiety), these moments might make you want to retreat inward and might steal your creative energy. Thatâs normal!
It might take a period of rest and replenishment for your creative zest to reappear, or it might just be coming in little drips, but itâs not gone forever, I promise.
Creativity might seem like the least important thing amidst the heaviness, but we need these moments of joy and fulfillment to keep going onward.
So, letâs talk about staying in touch with your creativity even when itâs tough to do so.
Perhaps youâve also been finding it really hard to focus on work of any kind lately, even the creative kind which youâre âsupposed toâ want to be doing and enjoying.
Right after the 2024 election, I kept seeing this Leonard Bernstein quote being reposted:
âIt is the artists of the world, the feelers and the thinkers who will ultimately save us; who can articulate, educate, defy, insist, sing and shout the big dreams.â
On one hand, yes, awesome, that sounds inspiring, and yes, artists have often shaped the way we look at the world, for the better. Letâs for sure share our big dreams, and if you feel encouraged to create in response, absolutely!
Artists throughout history have made work in response to difficult political and cultural situations, which has helped the collective make sense of the situation, and also has led to positive change.
(Check out the creative joys section below for some inspiring resistance-related art!)
But, hang on, we artists, thinkers, and feelers now have to save the world, on top of normal life exhaustion and also existential dread?!
I also want to normalize the whole range of reactions and the need for rest.
Weâre sensitive and we need processing time, and some of us have mental health struggles, so this pressure is potentially not super helpful. I often did not appreciate the âinspiringâ posts early in the pandemic, encouraging artists to use âall of this free timeâ to create their magnum opus.
Weâre just living through an unprecedented global crisis, no pressure! đŹ
All of this to say, unusual times may call for unusual amounts of self care.
If that means taking a break from creative stuff because youâre not feeling it, thatâs fine! Youâll come back to it soon, or when itâs important, and I really hope you donât shame yourself when youâre not feeling it.
The day after the election, I played a little bit of piano for catharsis, but in the evening I chose to go âfull potatoâ, meaning that I not only matched the activity level of a potato, but ate some, too. đ„
We get to care for ourselves by meeting what needs arise moment to moment. This may be pounding out a samba on the piano (đ) or it may be eating a pile of hash browns.
You may be cycling through many different feelings and moods, which can be exhausting. I personally donât derive a lot of creative energy from angst, but if you can use it, great!
You might feel that your relationship with your creativity is changing (see this episode of my old podcast Being A Whole Person from early COVID times for a little relationship advice)
There may be moments where you feel you need to convince yourself that your art and your creativity matters at all, because so many huge other things are happening.
Then there also may be moments when you feel sure that music and art matters more than ever, and you want to harness it for resistance or personal catharsis!
All of this is normal and okay - as humans our feelings and moods fluctuate and we have to ride the waves, itâs just that sometimes the waves get much larger.
Iâll keep saying this forever:
Creativity is not frivolous or unnecessary.
Continuing to create is essential both for processing tough times ourselves, for helping others process them, and helps fortify all of us.
âContinuingâ doesnât have to mean right away, today - itâs a long game - and small actions might be more satisfying than you think!
If itâs been feeling too hard to create, try something tiny!
In 2017, I was experiencing some of the worst anxiety of my life, but doing 2 100 Day Projects where I composed 8 measures a day was not only still very possible, I also ended up writing some of my favorite music Iâve ever written.
The ritual of showing up to compose every day, no matter what, became a comfort, and bonus, when you create tons of work, it really takes off the pressure of it being good, because youâre going to show up and make more the next day!
This January, Iâve chosen to return to this practice in a looser way (weekdays only, expectations low), by pulling a card from the Wild Unknown Animal Spirits deck as each dayâs prompt, and itâs been so life-giving in these turbulent times.
I notice that the more time I spend at the piano, the better I feel, both because Iâm loving my new(-to-me) grand piano, and itâs a great way to avoid doomscrolling!
Whatever your energy-replenishing activities are, creative or otherwise, keep doing them as regularly as you need to, so that itâs sustainable to keep engaging in the world and taking the action thatâs meaningful to you.
It all comes back to community and doing good in our own little worlds.
Practicing and sharing your creativity is a huge way to positively impact your community, as well as a way to lift your own spirits so that you have energy to move forward. We need your creative work, and you need it, too.
Wishing you the energy to keep showing up and sharing your unique perspective, and also to rest when needed!
Thank you for reading, I hope youâre hanging in there, and weâre all in this together! đ
What activities (creative or otherwise) ï»żare helping replenish your energy lately?
We can share ideas in the comments!
đ€© Share your creative joys! đ€©
From now on, each email will feature a section celebrating my creative joys, and YOURS, too!
Hit reply to share any kind of creative joy youâre causing or experiencing, and Iâll share it next time! đ€
Examples of creative joys:
celebrating a small action you took on a project
something inspiring you read / heard / saw
someone elseâs work of art
an item that makes your creative workspace a better place to be
My joys:
I was so sad to hear of Catherine OâHaraâs passing last week, and revisiting her episode of Julia Louis-Dreyfusâ podcast Wiser Than Me was a delight, as was watching Best in Show in tribute!
These leaf silhouette cut-outs by Japanese artist Lito are jaw-dropping in their detail!
Iâm very inspired by Pam Brisseâs ârage quiltingâ resistance! This one is my personal favorite, but her Instagram account is full of cool quilts, and check her links there for some patterns, too!
Next time this section will be full of more joys, beaming out to you from me and anyone who wants to contribute!
đžïž Staying on the good side of the internet đžïž
Stand With Minnesota: lots of suggestions on places to donate, actions to take, ways to stay informed, and testimonies from real people about whatâs happening during the đ§ occupation. Letâs keep amplifying this message!
There is no nervous system âhackâ for fascism - lots of little ways to stay regulated in These Timesâą.
A Lesson from the Forest - Alexandra Franzen on the possibility of meaningful change and hope for humanity (much needed for me right now, you, too?!)