Struggling to create: Can we find hope in art amid global despair?
Commentary by Hyphen Parent | FāVS News
I’ve been sitting in front of a blank page on my screen for six hours. I’ve been sitting in front of a blank screen in my mind for days, weeks and months. The world around us has so much horror; it just seems to change, grow and expand. How do we cope?
Recently, Parshat Shoftim was read in synagogues around the world. That Torah portion includes the line, “Justice, justice shall you pursue …’” That line has meant the world to me, but, in today’s world, I find myself overwhelmed by that prospect.
How can we even take those steps to pursue justice when the world is burning around us? Three or four tragedies ago, a friend wrote, “Someone said, ‘I don’t have the emotional energy to be the change I want to see in the world,’ and I feel that like a sucker punch.”
How are we supposed to function much less pursue justice when we’re heartbroken and beaten down?
What do you do when you’re overwhelmed? How do you cope? For those who create, how do you do so amid all the horrors in the world? I’m trying, but my attempts have been inadequate.
Creating can help us process our responses, but creating can be difficult or even impossible when we’re feeling dejected. In the past, art has helped me. However, at this point, I’m finding it difficult to make art.
In “Your Art Will Save Your Life,” Beth Pickens writes, “…I have consistently, heavily relied on artists to make me want to be in the world at its worst and embody a deeper experience of life at its best.”
While I currently struggle to create alone, art groups have helped immensely. I’m part of a once-a-month art group at my local library where we make something new each time with a group of friends.
Sometimes I use that time to analyze my reaction to bad news. Sometimes I immerse myself in completely unrelated art as a distraction. Often, my finished art project doesn’t even matter. Sometimes I throw what I create in the trash as soon as I get home. Sometimes I frame it. The process and the people are what I truly need.
The art can be useful, but the artists are the real help.
What do you do to process the horrors in the world? I need your help. Please feel free to leave a comment explaining what you’ve done to cope.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
