Manifest Monthly: ART IS LIBERATION
P.S. There’s a meditation, news, events, and more at the end of this post.
"You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discover that it happened 100 years ago to Dostoyevsky. This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone. This is why art is important. Art would not be important if life were not important, and life is important.” - James Baldwin
Who are we but people. Living universes. Pulsing cosmos. Humans and miracles. Each a collection of spirit, body, and ancestry. Who are we but alive and expansive, beautiful and human. And it is this form we are in, humans, that guides us through living and living is no easy thing. We cannot choose where and how and when we are born, yet we are all deserving of liberation. And in doing so we create. This is our way of reconciling, honoring, witnessing the very reality that we are human and we deserve to be free.
I’ve been so angry lately at the ways people in our country are against liberation. Against freedoms in the sense of our ability to speak, love, live, and create. The most recent termination of grants by the National Endowment of the Arts is just one violent act against our divine right to create and to sustain our creativity.
Each day I hear of a new organization reeling from a loss of funding. Each day I hear of another person who is facing deportation because of speaking up about genocide. Each day I hear how thousands and thousands of people continue to die (or are harmed) in Palestine. The act of confining liberation is dangerous and deadly. It’s an assault on our livelihood. It should not be taken lightly.
Toni Morrison said that creating art is “dangerous” meaning we should not be too surprised of the ways this has all unfolded. It also means we should not be passive about the inherent power and collective energy that exists in our art making and creativity.
I’ve been meditating on what this all means for me as an artist and have determined it has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with “us.” It has everything to do with connection, community, care, and collective consciousness. It has everything to do with seeing ourselves as part of a coalition and leaning on each other for the sake of our own liberation. This month’s meditation aims to inspire this act, for all of us.
Meditation
This month’s meditation is an active one. It’s asking you to think of the ways you can allow yourself to authentically build connection and care with community for the sake of liberation. How can you support an artist? How can you support an arts organization? How can you support a mutual aid fundraiser? How can you support people who are living against a state of genocide? How can you see yourself as a collaborator or conspirator for someone else liberation?
Write a list of artists, communities, organizations, people, that you feel called to support.
Next, choose on being from this list and write up your own action plan for being a collaborator for their liberation.
Follow-through on your action, in baby steps or big steps, whichever feels most organic to you.
This active meditation is a reminder to see ourselves as part of a larger ecosystem. A larger unit in which we all must bring our bravest, kindest, generous, and earnest selves.
Beautiful Work to Support in the World
North Star Church of the Arts in Durham, NC has recently lost $65K in federal funding. This space has been a beacon from me (especially during the pandemic when I tuned into their virtual programming). Get to know them and learn how you can support their work.
Castle of Our Skins in Boston, MA, a Black arts institution that centers Black arts, culture, has lost $20K in federal funding. The installations and events they’ve curated are incredible. Please consider getting to know them and supporting their work.
A full list of organizations who’ve had their grants terminated can be found here. I hope you can learn about them and support their work.
News & Upcoming Events
I’m thrilled to be participating in a couple of panels at this year’s Mass Poetry Festival. I hope you can join us in Salem to uplift the liberating power of poetry.
I’m so excited to be in conversation with writer Yrsa Daley-Ward in celebration of her novel The Catch at Harvard Bookstore. I hope you can stop by and pre-order her book!
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Sundress Publications’ Poetry Retreat happening in June! I hope to see you there virtually.
In celebration of the late Danielle Legros Georges, I’ll be reading (along with some incredible poets) a poem from Danielle’s latest chapbook “Acts of Resistance to New England Slavery by Africans Themselves in New England” at the Boston Public Library on June 10th.
I’ve started sharing some section of my manuscript in-progress for paid subscribers, along with lots of other fun content. I hope you can check it out!
And if you didn’t hear, I’m now a:
FULL-TIME BUSINESS OWNER!
What started out with me providing creative services like photography and videography for events, organizations, and small businesses has now evolved to a strategic communications and marketing consultancy rooted in creativity, anti-racist frameworks, and community-driven principles. I work with clients to develop narratives, messaging, campaigns, and more to grow their impact, while also working with creative individuals to reach their artistic potential. Right now, I travel to facilitate workshops, build narratives for mission-driven organizations, and teach creative writing to students of all levels. I also coach and consult with creatives to help them reach their goals. Learn more on my website!
Thank you for reading.
Feel free to share these opportunities with a friend, or encourage a fellow creative to subscribe. Until then connect with me via Bluesky, Instagram, Email, and/or leave a comment below!
P.S. If you’re wondering if I moved Manifest Monthly to Substack, the answer is “yes!” Learn more in my first Substack post!