Happy Friday!
This newsletter is all about making art as resistance, providing inspiration, ideas, and more.
In this issue: Creativity in small places ⚡️
Creativity in small places
Growing up in Iowa, I always felt like art and culture was something that happened elsewhere. Here, people worked hard jobs all the time. Practical was the watchword. Creativity and art was only something for people in the big cities, with big money.
But after many years in one of those big cities, I moved back to Iowa. And I saw how smaller places can house and foster vibrant art and culture.
This essay from The Creative Independent tells a similar story to mine, and offers a perspective on why creativity from these smaller places is abundant.
“The moments that make us feel inspired to create are not always birthed from big cities. Life is happening everywhere, all the time. Residents of big cities do not have ownership of creativity.”
Living artfully
“When the world is designed to keep us scrolling, the truly radical act is to stop and think for ourselves.”
What does it mean to choose our lives instead of consume them?
This article from Provoked offers excellent tips about taking back control from AI slop. Because slowing down, engaging with and creating longer-form content, and incorporating more analog is an act of resistance.
Time Capsule: Selling Out
Take a trip back to an early pick from this newsletter 💕
“Every problem seems so impossibly large and complicated, where do you even start? You start by realizing that nobody can clean up this mess single-handedly, which is fine, because we’ve got roughly 16 billion other hands at the ready. All any of us have to do is find some neglected corner and start scrubbing.”
From “Experimental History,” this collection of underrated ways to change the world is a lovely way of reframing where we are and what we can do!
Linkapalooza
I'm reading: The Phoenix Years. I'm always looking for stories of art as resistance, and this book dives into the artists pushing back against communist China in the 1980s. It's a really accessible and fascinating story.
I'm watching: Pluribus. I know I'm a little late, but damn this show is weird and awesome. It's best to go in without any knowledge of what it's about. Just trust me ⚡️
I'm listening to: The Foundling. A woman abandoned in the woods as a baby searches for her birth mother. A wild and twisty true journey.
I'm sharing:
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🎙️LISTEN TO THE PODCAST: Get empowered with the Art of Resistance Podcast
🦄 EXPLORE THE RESISTANCE LIBRARY: Guides, resources, and recommended reading
📚 GET ART FROM AMY: Books and music for your lists
📋 READ THE GUIDE: 40 Ways to Make Art as Resistance
🤖 SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE PROJECTS! Email me
See you next week!
P.S. As I mentioned last week, I've fallen into the abyss of the Housewives world. And now this SNL sketch makes so much more sense. Enjoy.
