Writing when the world is chaos

The world is full of contradictions.

People will cry for animals but overlook the way human beings are suffering and being slaughtered. People will cry out for the environment, yet not speak out against war...even though war hurts the environment worse than failing to compost properly, or throwing an occasional plastic bottle in the trash.

People will speak about against this war, but that war, and support such and such victory of our people, but not that victory of those other people over there.

I'm not telling you how or what to think. That's for you to decide.

But what happens if you feel all of the bad things that are happening in the world when you sit down to create?

Let me tell you a secret: I feel them too.

And it is hard. Do we tune out the noise? Or can we channel it into our art and deputize it into our creative process?

We, as artists, are sensitive beings because we use our senses.

Sometimes when I sit down to write,1 I get overwhelmed with the intensity of the current moment.

What's a creative to do in such abysmal times?

Keep going. Keep writing.

Always feel hope.

Let all the noise fade into the background.

Keep believing in the power of your voice to make a difference.

Know when to speak up and if you must be silent, stockpile great work in your journal and go underground if you need to.

And when it's time to emerge from your cocoon, may you sing. May you sing at open mic somewhere, or read the work aloud to your friend, or post on a blog somewhere. Or may you publish that bombshell bestseller that knocks it out of the park and blows everyone away.

When you feel alone, know that you're not.

Always tell the truth.

(That's one rule I have when I work with people on making their writing and storytelling better. I've forgotten to do this a few times and I've regretted it.)

More people will empathize with you than you think. Also-- figure out when you're not telling the truth to yourself, and correct it.

You will have terrible experiences. Followed by the best ones ever.

You will have a random tech bro cut you in line and shout at you at the bougie grocery store while you're in line with your kid, to the very next moment make friends with the game designer mom at your other kid's pick up and joke about entitled tech bro culture and about how you shouted wanted to say, sir, "you're patriarchy's showing."

You will not be invited to read your work at the fancy poet's event one minute, to have the lead artist join you in the audience after, and ask for a contact of yours and then tell you to call him. And the very next moment you will go from being ignored to having people welcome you into the inner circle of a VIP event they planned that you randomly found yourself at.

Life is like that.

Sometimes you're high on the hog. Other times, you're getting your lentils ready. This is me.

Don't let the chaos of the world make you feel numb or silenced.

Don't let your status in a situation at any given moment make you place value on yourself one way or the other.

Keep feeling all of the feelings. Make a place for them. Even the yucky ones.

But write a little bit when you can, too.

That's what I do.

This is a crazy world we're living in.

I feel it all along with you.

How could I not?

Happy Earth Day, everyone. <3

Keep writing.