Free Speech and the Power of Art

This has been a big topic lately and rightfully so. Free speech feels more urgent than ever right now. With everything happening in the world and the temperature turned up to about 1000 degrees and things going on with Charlie Kirk, Jimmy Kimmel and no telling what else by the time I post this.

Last week we were driving in rural Texas. I live in San Antonio which is still very much Texas but is also quite progressive in its leadership and the people who live here. Going to rural Texas is often like visiting another planet.

One thing we saw was a store dedicated to a political figure who shall remain nameless. I want to focus on free speech not the people involved. But this store sign had a painting of this person holding a sawed off shotgun. There were also other crazy signs and flags in the window including rebel flags. It was all rather unsettling to look at in person.

My wife wanted to go in, but this was just days after the Kirk shooting and something didn't sit right with me. I know I have anxiety but I also have pretty good intuition and one of them was steering me away from this place. So we left. But this brings me to the blog topic.

This sign, the art, it was powerful. Not in a way I like, I found it scary. Some people may find it comforting. There is no doubt in my mind this place was decorated in a way as to intimdate people like me from staying out. Mind you I'm a 6 ft tall 300 lbs white guy. I was dressed in all black and wore a pagan deer antler necklace, so I felt I stuck out like a sore thumb in this town.

Art has power. It can intimidate, encourage, offer hope or even fear. People say in times like this we need to hit the streets and things like art and blogs are pointless. I disagree. Hitting the streets and other more physical forms of resistance are important, but that doesn't mean we stop creating or using our voices.

I personally use art to heal and connect. My goal with this blog is to create a community and bring people together for art and wellness. Though with the current state of the world, I feel I can't keep quiet about what is happening in the world. People say we should get off social media or stop speaking out or whatever because we have to be on various platforms to do so, but I think the worst thing we can do is to silence ourselves.

If we volunarily remain silent, then we are just giving up our free speech. No one needs to take it if we're just gonna hand it over. It is cornerstone of freedom, but also a responsibility. I'm not for many if any restrictions on speech other than calling on violence or discrimination.

Using our speech to hurt people or incite people to commit violence or hate on others is completely irresponsible. Even if you yourself may not plan to do anything, someone coming across your post may decide to take action based on your words. I'm not going to go so far as to say creators are responsible for the actions of our readers and viewers, but we do have a responsibility. Words are spells. They shape thought. They plant seeds. They ripple outward in ways we can’t control. They have meaning, they have power. When we put violent wishes and rhetoric out into the world, we no longer control how it gets manifested.

That's why I keep writing, painting and sharing. Even though some days it feels like I'm just shooting stuff off into the void, I'm always amazed at who or how many people actually notice my work. This is why its so important we keep creating, even when we feel like no one is paying attention. I know my work may not have the shock value as a lot of more provocative art out there, but it carries something else. An intention to heal, to connect, to remind people that free speech can be used to build instead of to break.