Fear
Fear can really fuck up creative flow. The posts below share how our bloggers deal with that.

The Rise and Fall of the Liberal Arts Luddite
I was a bookish, literarily-devout writing major. The type who read prose poems and flash fiction anthologies in the corner at parties, that sort of thing. And though I wouldn’t have admitted it then, one of the reasons I didn’t own a smartphone was because I was afraid of it.
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Dear Little Bobby: Feeling Pessimistic in the USA
How about acting out the fantasies that you only dreamed of during “The Before Time” (which is how I think we will soon be referring to everything that happened prior to January 20, 2017)?
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My Perception of My Perception
There’s a saying you’ll hear all over the arts world that goes, “If you like anything else, do that instead.” It can mean whatever you want it to. For me, it meant, “If you do something else, it’s because you failed at acting.”
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When and How Often to Take a Chill Pill
If I look tired, I probably am, and therefore I am either: A) grumpy or, B) not wearing eyeliner, and well, screw you either way. If I am angry or anxious, maybe I have my reasons, and a chill pill isn’t what I need.
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Happy Birthday to Us, Whoo
I’ll be honest, the simple act of listing what we’ve accomplished makes me feel pretty great and makes me excited to contemplate what we’ll achieve in the coming year and years beyond that. Because, to continue being honest, I feel a palpable feeling of overwhelm.
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Holding My Own Pain: Making ‘Thorn-bed’
Ocotillo medicine is used to move stagnation. Thus “thorn-bed” has a double meaning suggesting pain, while acting as a remedy for ending the phenomena of being stuck, blocked, or otherwise suffering.
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Trump Era Emoticons Just in time for the inauguration!
On this inauguration day, illustrator Michael Ellis offers a custom set of emoticons to help get you through the fresh hell that will be the Trump era.
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Dear Little Bobby: Activist Or Artist?
I want to create art which reflects my anger and to protest Trump, but then I will not be making the positive art that I originally planned for this year. I don’t want this fascist to be the reason I do anything, but I also don’t want to ignore what is happening around me. Which direction I should take?
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Dear Little Bobby: Devastated Soon-to-be-Ex of a Soon-to-be-Woman
You no longer have to be with this person who has clearly been struggling with who they are. I would recommend that you explore, discover and decide who YOU are. You are not just a mom, a wife or an ex-wife.
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Punk Trump Discussing whether it's worth discussing whether art will be better under Trump
Of course I want us all to “do the work” and I want us to avoid the ahistorical bullshit that is part and parcel of Making America Great Again. But I also want those who can be saved through art alone to be saved.
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Dear Little Bobby: Hopeless for the Holidays
I cannot remain silent when someone says “We need to get rid of the damn Muslims!” I will not be silent if I hear a family member bash immigrants, particularly when the basher themselves is a grandchild of immigrants.
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Pioneers Press: An Oasis in a Red State Finding friends at an indie publishing house in rural Kansas
This scary world is suddenly a lot scarier now, I know. But there are punks and hippies and counter-culture DIY types all over the place. Find the progressive like-minded people in your community and become friends with them. Strengthen those bonds.
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Dear Little Bobby: Trying to Help a Sick Friend
There is also the act of allowing her to be angry at you, and accepting it without taking it personally because you are doing it with compassion. This will not be fun or easy, but this is not about fun and easy, this is about helping someone in need.
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I Was Here: An Artist In Search of a Glass of Water Everything I created was a roadmap
I once had a teacher tell me that I had a strong third eye, that I needed to manifest it more, make it sing, make it move. I didn’t understand what she meant but it was something that stuck with me. It propelled me. It did make me sing. It did make me move.
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This Is Why I’m Feeling Obsolete Is this what the economy truly values about me?
Even when I am successful at my chosen work—music—is there anything about it that does good work for society? Does it change anyone’s perspective for the better?
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Alarmed That’s right, I am the snooze-master
You and I can continue to snooze our loud and buzzing iPhones, skip a shower and eat half of a granola bar for breakfast—but it’s time to wake up and stop snoozing our feelings, our art and our common future.
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