©Courtney Khail for Design Crush
It's fitting that this journal entry follows my last quote. For the past few weeks, criticism has been at the forefront of my days (and by that, I mean, I've felt a lot of criticism.) Now normally I reserve political conversations to "in real life" interactions (or, you know, my personal Facebook page where people are free to "unfollow" or "unfriend" if they are so inclined) in order to keep my personal life separate from my business life.
(To be honest though, I cannot imagine it's too difficult know how I lean seeing as I am an artist, I'm a nature/conservation fanatic and I shared my absolute joy on social media when the SCOTUS ruled that everyone had the right to marry. Not to mention that my current body of work is centered around the complexities and strength of women and the dualities seen in femininity, yet somehow- to many- where my heart lies has indeed come as a shock.)
©Lisa Congdon for Design Crush
Unfortunately though, with art you can't really untangle personal life from business life. My personal life and what I see happening to me, those I love, and even complete strangers- well, it sinks into my soul and my heart and comes out through my hands. Every brushstroke or line holds my emotion- whether that be of joy or angst- and no matter how I try to curb it or control it, I can't. I have to let it out- I have to be present and active. And that activism has spread into my everyday life too by way of political and community involvement.
So when my friend Kelly (of Design Crush) wrote me and asked if I wanted to take part in an "active art" project I didn't even think twice about joining in. Of course I wanted to participate! Her idea was simple- she invited some of her close artist friends to join her in creating a postcard to express how they feel/what's going through their minds that would then be shared with you all. Then, you all would have to opportunity to download and print our artwork for free (only for personal use- these cannot be sold and each artist involved still maintains all copyrights) to then be filled with your concerns, thoughts- whatever you want to say- and mailed off to your representatives.
©Emily McDowell for Design Crush
Now of course most are left leaning, but not all. And no matter your political stance I urge you to check them out and if you are so inclined, print one (or two or all) of them out and write your reps. Tell them what matters to you. Tell your story. Communicate with them. You are not just a number; you are a person with an opinion and a voice and it's time we all start taking a very active role in our government so it can best represent ALL of us.
(In case you missed the link above- you can click here to see the 24 pieces all of us artists created)
©StrawberryLuna for Design Crush