Culture Creators

Well things really do move quickly online. I’ve gone from writing two Substack posts to starting a Patreon to recording Youtube video’s to making gif’s and illustrations on Procreate all in the span of a few weeks! You might say I’ve been slightly absorbed!

My husband started a baby rabbit insta page for therapy. He is anti social media for the most part and continually cautions me to not live for the frame. But if you are a stay-at-home-mom, creative, anxious, collapse-aware person you might need to find ways to channel some of that energy!

I’ve been reminded lately that Instagram forms an audience not a community. As a creator, I am making content for the machine. It will entertain or educate. Sure, I will find “my” people, but also not. Anyone who follows me (I’m only on Instagram really) is not really a friend. They don’t owe me anything. They may feel like they know me, but they only see a very small sliver of who I am. Which is totally fine! I’m not needing more than that. But, I need to stay conscious of this fact! That this a meeting place. A sidewalk where we pass by. You might see my clothes, my hair, my dog or cat. But until we sit down on a bench or front porch and have a chat, it’s really just temporary.

The pandemic (as many of us will continually refer to now) really knocked some of us off our ideas of what success looked like. It shook up the foundation of our identity again. Who am I? Who do I want to be? How do I want to be known? These are pretty big questions for an artist who doesn’t have much contact with the outside world. How I present myself visually means a lot to me. I know it may seem trivial or superficial, but it isn’t. It’s an extension of the self. It’s an outlet that many of us struggle to find.

For many young artists, these platforms have become portfolio’s for employers to look at. For me, it has nothing to do with that. For me, it’s really about self-expression, innovation, a sense of belonging and culture forming. This last bit is quite radical and new for me. To see myself as a culture-forming creator. To see myself as part of a movement of shakers. To see that I have a role and everyone has a role to influence feels more real right now. Even if it’s 5 people. We all have a platform. Not that we all want to be on a soapbox. Not all of us will shout or be opinionated. But what I really want everyone to realize is that everything we do is political. Everything.

From birthday parties, to cabin get-away’s. From family picnics to solidarity marches. Everything is political. Our presence online is political. Not just when we post a black or orange box. Not just when we follow BIPOC influencers. Seriously. It’s so much more than that. It’s our everyday lives. It’s everything.

I listened to Isaac Murdoch on Canada Day speak passionately (as he does) about the difference between us Canadians and him, a sovereign Anishinabek person. He explained some key differences and wanted to remind us to stay awake! To not fall asleep under the lull of capitalism. The lull of working for the man. Working for our babies, but forgetting that revolution is happening. Please go listen if you have 10 minutes. He is truly one of my hero’s.

I’m making art yes. I’m processing grief, loss, sadness and trauma. I’m waking up slowly and as I do, my art will express this call to a different life. A call to something completely different than the status quo. Something that hints to the revolution (and btw, the revolution is not flashy).

Let’s create radically different lives. Let’s create new cultures where sovereign Nations can stand in pride of the future they are creating. Where settler/immigrant nations can stand in humble truth and admit the wrongs done and turn away from them. Where we can see the harm we are perpetuating and learn to stop.

We can do this. It will be hard, but we can do hard things.

Peace and love,

Maria