What does it take to be an artist, to be a creative force for good in the world? Months ago, I penned some words trying to answer that very question.
I commissioned my friend, the talented Mandy Thompson (who knows better than most what it means to be an artist), to put some visuals to the words. Here's what we (she) came up with:
And here's my boring text version:
The Artist Manifesto
This is it. NO TURNING BACK. No excuses, no delays. Time to sit down and focus. To show up and create. To paint and play and craft. To DREAM and vision-cast.
To make all things new.
This is beauty in action. Life in full swing. THIS IS ART.
There are no ringside seats or sick days. Everyone must play. No second chances. You only get one shot. All you have is today.
THE TIME IS NOW. To inspire wonder and awe. To speak up in a world fast asleep at the wheel.
We're counting on you. To be creative. To AWAKEN our souls with beauty. To use your heart and hands to bring meaning back into the universe.
Because without you we are all lost.
Life makes no sense without prophets and poets.
We need you to DO THE WORK and honor your call. To tap into the Muse and find your voice.
We cannot do this alone. We have lost the child-within. That part of us content to stare at clouds — at home with magic and mystery. We need your help to find her. So that we can dance and laugh and sing. So that we can BE WHOLE once again.
WILL YOU GUIDE US?
Share this manifesto
If this resonates with you, feel free to share this page with a friend. You can pin it, tweet it, or Facebook it.
You can also print it off or save it to your desktop. Heck, you can even repost it to your blog or website, if you want (just link back here, please).
Here are a few tweetable quotes:
- “This is beauty in action. Life in full swing. This is art.” (Tweet this)
- “We're counting on you. To be creative. To awaken our souls with beauty.” (Tweet this)
- “Life makes no sense without prophets and poets.” (Tweet this)
This is something we're sharing, because we want to see it spread. And if you want something more than a version for your computer screen, read on…
How to buy a print
Okay, before your defense mechanisms go up, you need to know two things:
- Mandy did all this work for free. She's a talented artist who deserves to be compensated for her work somehow. She's also recently opened up her home to foster two little ones, so you can imagine how a little extra cashflow wouldn't hurt.
- I won't be making a dime off of any of this. No affiliate deals here. I just wrote the thing; she turned it into a piece of art (and therefore deserves the credit). My hope is she'll find a few kind patrons in you lovely readers.
If you're interested in picking up a collector's edition print (supplies are limited), Mandy has several versions of the manifesto in her Etsy store.
If you wrote a manifesto, what would it be about? Share in the comments.