Creativity in Times of Despair

Something I am contending with, that many others seem to be in their own professions and personal lives, is how can we continue what we are doing given the state of the world.

For me, the struggle is how can I focus on something like creativity or branding when that feels of such little importance in the way of moving the needle toward progress compared to more tangible acts of change.

There are so many questions that come up. And I’ve seen arguments for continuing to push on as though everything is normal—they range from toxic to disconcerting to down right predatory. Others provide answers that are more along the lines of, “welp, I’ve got to continue feeding myself so I must try something.” I want to offer an alternative.

When things get dark, it’s easy to assume the fetal position and prepare for impact. I can understand how financial complications, censorship, and public discourse can influence our roadmap. And yet, I find hope in looking to history, particularly as a creative.

History provides an important context for the state of the world—it can show us where we might go, what worked last time and what didn’t. It can help us ideate on ways we can improve and what pitfalls we should avoid. Reigning in “non-necessities” is an understandable conclusion when we observe past events we perceive as parallel. But if we only focus on the difficult times, we concede to those who wish for us to fall into despair.

When you look back at the hard times, you can also take stock in the joy that came after and in the hope of those who persisted. Hope is a powerful tool. Think of any tragedy, art and creativity did not cease to exist after. If it did, we wouldn’t be so afraid to lose those things now. In fact, our fear is direct proof that they continued to thrive. Even during times of tragedy, things like storytelling and performance are often what gets folks through the despair. Creativity is another powerful tool.

So now more than ever, I think we shouldn’t give up on our creativity, whatever form that may take. All things ebb and flow and it may not always turn out how we had hoped. But there will come a time again where your creative works could be the thing that gets someone through a dark time, even if that someone is you.

I continue to hold onto the hope that a world exists where your creativity is necessary and thriving. If darkness is inevitable, so is the light that exists on the other side. I look forward to appreciating all of the creative works that come from this time and the times we have ahead of us 🌟