Sometimes I cannot bear to listen to the news, but I can read a book that captures pain and sorrow beautifully. And it strengthens my resolve. My politics is shaped as much by art as by cold hard facts. Art makes facts less cold so that we can hold them. 

Art is essential. Art is not frivolous. Art helps us empathize. How would we know what it is like to live someone else’s life if not for stories?

Art helps us imagine a better world.

Art helps us face the cruelty of our current world. 

Art is magic. It heals and comforts and delights.

Even the silliest art can be powerful.

Once I had to listen to people tell me about the hardest parts of their lives over the phone. At first I couldn’t bear to listen without being able to clasp their hands or hand them a tissue. But then I had the idea of using a paint-by-number kit while we talked. Putting little dabs of color on canvas sustained me. I could listen. And the person on the other end of the line said, “Thank you. I feel much better now. I feel lighter.” 

Beware the people who tell you there is not enough time or money or energy for art. Beware the people who tell you there is not enough.

I have seen too many empty houses boarded up while people sleep on the street to believe in scarcity. I have seen too many dumpsters filled with food while stomachs go empty to believe in scarcity.

The people who tell us there’s not enough don’t know anything, and they definitely don’t know what we really need.