Let Us Make Art: Creating in a Time of Chaos

How did Edvard Munch capture anxiety so convincingly in

The Scream?

For me, the emotion compounds, seeing the calm folks strolling along the bridge, wholly unaware of the subject’s personal horrors.

Munch created four versions. The iconic version became the oil painting from 1893. I’ll concur with popular culture on this one. Those beady eyeballs give the work the urgency it needs.

The Norwegian artist explains that this piece was inspired by an actual event—a moment of existential dread—walking along a bridge with some companions:

"One evening I was walking along a path; the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord—the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became  The Scream."

We are living in times of chaos. Even if you approve of the chaos and consider it “getting things done” or “tough on” this or that, it’s still chaos. The headlines are dizzying and coming at us at ticker-tape speed.

Enough is enough. That figure out on the bridge screaming into the void is me.

After an anxiety-filled scream, I consider what I can do. How can I do my part to combat human rights violations, exclusion, erasing history, and outright absurdity?

I TAKE A BREATH. I remember every life experience that has converged to bring me to this point. Everyone has a different story, and I’m trying to be as understanding as I can of how others are justifying all this. But this is absolute, pure chaos.

I TAKE ANOTHER BREATH. I can do my part. I can write this blog. I can put forth my opposition to this madness.

After doing what little activism is in my hands I TAKE ANOTHER DEEP BREATH. And I relax. I remember that our country has made it through worse. As in the Civil War and Vietnam.

Then I remember those infamous words of Marie Antoinette, “Let them eat cake.” And I eat something sweet because...yes.

Then I remember that Marie Antionette never actually said those words and even if she did, poor woman couldn’t read a room.

Then I try to work on my book, because I’m a writer and that’s what writers do. But inspiration has been stymied somehow. Go figure. 

I think, “Let us make art,” and that phrase has slightly more resonance. And I read articles about how creating something in difficult times can be beneficial.

They say that making something new and using one’s imagination can be invigorating and that now is a great time to discover a new hobby or re-visit an old one.

A study out of Rutgers showed that during the pandemic, there was an overall increase in people adding new hobbies and positive coping skills to their routines like exercise, cooking, reading, and gardening. At my house we did puzzles together, which we’d never done before.

1000 Hearts Project

Recently, my friend Julie has rediscovered her artistic side. Hailing back to her college days as an art major, she’s unearthed a trove of canvases, paints, and supplies, and has started the 1000 Hearts Project on her TikTok channel, @loving.shift.

As she paints, she narrates the process, telling which elements she chooses and why. Often, she adds some of her life’s philosophies. Her main message is "Living life and doing art imperfectly."

She encourages us to set ourselves free from undue expectations and allow creativity to flourish. The process is as much the point as the finished product. All the same, you have something to hold in your hands when it’s complete.

“Make the Friendship Bracelets”

Because I’ve so desperately needed a worthy distraction, I’ve started making friendship bracelets. The trend escaped me in my youth, so my first real exposure to it started at the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert. The wearing and trading of friendship bracelets is just one of many phenomena you’ll find at her concerts. (The line, "So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it," comes from one of my favorite songs, "You're On Your Own, Kid.")

I didn’t make a single bracelet for the concert and felt somewhat bad about it, but my friend Megan outfitted me with scores of them.

After I got home, I decided to give it a try. Equipped with a small bead set, I strung a few of them together and mailed them to friends. I was surprised how happy it made me feel to give them something personalized that represents a facet of their personality. It didn’t take long to become hooked. Now I go to Michaels a minimum of twice a week on a quest for new beads and new inspiration.

I enjoy it thoroughly. And as silly as it sounds, it gives me a sense of calm when the road gets bumpy.

It’s essential to stay grounded and focused on the things you can control. Yes, do the activism stuff if you can, and let your voice be heard. If you can organize, plan a meeting. If you can make desserts, make some and attract others who want to evoke change. If you can sing, do so in protest. If you can keep your head in an argument, engage with others across the aisle from you.

If you’re like me, you need reasons to thrive, not just live. And in those times, let us make art.

You can't prevent pain

But you can shape it.

You can press it into clay.

You can string it into sentences.

You can sing in the language of the heart and say:

This was mine. This hurt.

But I made something from it.

-Rainier Wylde (@rainierwylde, Instagram)