Art in the War on Capitalism
This will be filled with half-thoughts and brain dumps, and that's ok, because sometimes, the bad guys win.
A Brief History.
I liked to draw as a kid. I was never very good at it, but I enjoyed it as many children do, picking up crayons to draw animals and monsters and cityscapes consisting mainly of rectangles in different sizes. After drawing, I found music, which reigned over my creative life for years before I discovered filmmaking and, eventually, photography, which was my primary creative outlet for seventeen years. From photography, I transitioned to writing, and that briefly encapsulates my creative life.
I think most people have a knack for creativity, even if they don’t make a conscious effort to develop it, and everyone enjoys the creative output of others. Most, however, don’t try to make a living from it, mainly because it’s scary and hard, but also because people consider it inaccessible.
There is some truth to that, but more importantly, I believe, is whether the economy makes room for it. I believe the world would be an unimaginably better place if we funneled even half the money we spend on war and violence into art and culture, instead, but that’s a different conversation.
I believe that those who are willing to make the sacrifices and commitment to pursuing art full-time understand what it takes, but the world has not been supportive of these people. While it may diminish some creative output, it can’t kill it. It just puts pressure on us.
Art is necessary for life.
These thoughts are fueled by a few things: two recent writing conferences, Tabatha’s involvement in the Hollywood Fringe Festival, the prevalence of generative AI in creative workspaces, the U.S. government’s fascist takeover, and, most recently, an article in the New Yorker Magazine (and subsequent Facebook essay written by a friend of a friend).
The article discussed is "The Show Can't Go On," and it talks about the decline of the theater world in New York City, once an undeniable global hub for arts and culture.
In summary, cultural hubs like New York, Los Angeles, and London are pricing out artists at an increasing rate, but that doesn’t mean the art will disappear; it just means it has to evolve, as it always has - though maybe at a faster rate than before.
The show will go on, just maybe somewhere new.
We are living in an unsustainable culture right now, and it’s become much more difficult to thrive creatively. Yes, artists have always been known to “starve for their art,” and I do think that some of the best pour their entire existence into their craft. But that’s not what this is about. This is about an entire generation of creative thinkers who are being collectively dismissed on a large scale, and we will all feel the negative effects of that.
But I also recently heard a young author claim that they hold an optimistic view of the future, as eventually the anti-intellectualism and anti-creativity endeavors will fail. It was nice to hear them talk about the new ways that people can be creative to tell their own stories and the stories of others.
I think I, too, am optimistic, even though my frustration shows outwardly.
I think we’re at a breaking point, and I think we’ll have to deal with the negative effects of bad AI and the inhumane “art” that comes out of computers without true humanity attached, but the pushback from the bullshit will be enough to reverse course. The process, however, will suck, and I would never deny that.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Channel the efforts of those who came before you.
Two of the greatest anti-war and antifascist series are Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, and they both remind the audience that sometimes the bad guys win. I feel like we’re in our Empire Strikes Back era. We’re getting our asses kicked, and we may have to fly to the outer edges of the galaxy to regroup.
But we can, and we will. As the world and country literally crumble around us, it’s essential to remember that art and the need to express feelings and experiences have always been a core human trait. The present is no different.
As I watch Tabatha and the other Fringe artists build their shows, and listen to writers speak on the ways they process trauma and write about them, as I watch young bands tour with oldheads and speak on the influence and inspiration they received from their mentors, I do have A New Hope.
It may be hard or feel pointless, but in the end, it’s important to share our lived stories as much as the ones we make up in our heads. The world wants it, and the world needs it.
What Excites Me
How Do I Hold It? is going to remain exciting for a long time, because making art that’s true to who you are is paramount. For anyone in Los Angeles, tickets go on sale this Thursday, May 1st!
Unsolicited Recommendations
Great Articles I Read This Week
What I’m Listening To Right Now
On Friday, I saw Horse the Band perform for the first time in about eighteen years. They have been mostly inactive during this time, but are touring to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their second album, The Mechanical Hand. It was a fun show.
On tour with them is Lagrimas, a melodic screamo band from South Central, and they were really great. I’m fairly certain they’re a newish band (they only seem active since 2019), and they seem very young—at one point, they literally made fun of the audience for being so old and told us to make sure our collective children pick up instruments.
Their style is reminiscent of late 1990s and early 2000s screamo, like Neil Perry and Joshua Fit For Battle, complete with long, slow parts with clean guitar and film recordings inserted over the music. They were a lot of fun to watch play. With a few EPs and one full-length album, A Life of Destruction, I’m excited to see what they do in the future.
Listen here:
Which Books Have My Attention
Hello Stranger, by Manuel Betancourt
Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat, by Kim Jiyun
We saw Manuel Betancourt speak on a panel at the LA Times Festival of Books this weekend, so we picked up his book and brought it home with us! It’s a memoir and a collection of stories about meeting new people, all loosely connected to the 2004 film Closer, which is one of Tabatha’s favorites.
Yeonnam-dong’s Smiley Laundromat is a novel about the patrons of a laundromat in Seoul, who communicate with each other through a handwritten notebook. It sounds like a really sweet slice of life, and a gentle reminder that all our stories matter.
If more of us valued food and cheer and song over hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.