Though anger is typically not helpful, there are certainly some productive ways to use this emotion to create artwork. My last body of art, Make it Plain was my creative response to African American history and to the way that people still act today.
This exhibition was the result of several months of intense research, my African American Studies and Religious Studies minors (equivalents) Graphic Design minor and art major. I read around 16 books full of essays by former Klansmen as well as several African American History textbooks. The video below shares one of the Essays written by General Nathan Bedford Forrest (the man Forrest Gump was named after).
If all this research was not enough to make me angry I have seen racism in many forms throughout my life including murders by the KKK, car bombings, and smaller things that hurt just as much over time.
I tell you all this because I want you to channel the negativity that you experience this month or over time and use it to create powerful and beautiful artwork. There are so many topics that can be covered. I teach adults with disabilities (which could be a topic on it's own) and many of my students are extremely passionate about the R word and bullying. Other topics I have addressed include Native Americans and Indian Reservations, World Water, HIV/AIDS, KONY2012, Christianity/Religion, the LGBTQ community and several others. My current and in-progress body of work deals with human trafficking and sex slavery.
As an artist who focuses on Social Justice, it would be very easy to get bogged down with all the garbage. Art has allowed me to channel that anger and share difficult topics with others in a beautiful and non-threatening way.
Tell what you think in the comments and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
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