Make Art
Action 84 - April 28
Find some old magazines, gift wrap, newspapers, food wrappers, mailings, a bottle of glue, some old paintbrushes, and a substrate of your choosing (these days, I’m using old ugly art from a thrift store and painting over it).
Look through the gathered papers and grab what appeals to you, what you find interesting and attractive. Start tearing it up - don’t use scissors - rip. Once you have a nice little pile of scraps, start playing with them against your background. Can they become flowers? A landscape of mountains? Birds? Crooked houses? An abstract conglomerate? A slice of pie? Once you have something you like, start gluing. But don’t be afraid to change it up as you go. Add layers, cover up some of the earlier pieces. There doesn’t have to be a direction or purpose - experience the joy of ripping paper and gluing it down.
That’s it - you’re a collage artist.
I make art to calm down, to get out of my head, to express something, to avoid something (it’s better than stuffing my face), to distract me while I am working through a problem, to add beauty in an increasingly ugly world. I also make art to remember that everything is an experiment and perfection is irrelevant. After all, it’s only glue and paper.
Making art is the ultimate act of freedom. In creating something, we are also creating ourselves. Make art as an act of resistance.
It doesn’t have to be profound or meaningful; it just has to be yours.
We are taking action for the first 100 days of this presidency. Our actions exemplify resilience and resistance - they may be overtly political or economic, or focus on community building or direct care. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Please send me your ideas, and let me know how it’s going.
