The “Why” behind All Hands Art

Why does All Hands Art exist?

In a nutshell, I want everyone to make art, and on such a regular basis that it’s just what we do. I want art to be part of daily life, not something we relegate as a special treat for ourselves after all the “real work” is done.

Art-making is not a frivolous extra-curricular; it is a route to self-knowledge and healing. Along with movement and contemplation and relationship-building, it is the curriculum.

I wish to transform our culture, therefore, meaning the dominant capitalist culture here in the U.S. that worships productivity and output and measurable growth and e$pecially earning$ for tho$e who already have too much. I want to be part of transforming it into a soulful, life-affirming society where each person’s genius is recognized and cultivated, and where all beings can thrive.

No big deal, right?
Stick with me. I can’t change the world all by myself, and neither can you, but we can each be a contribution toward healing it.

Where to Start? Make something.

I want each human to be involved in some form of art-making or another, and to see themselves as creative. Let’s drop the notion that an exclusive group of people are ordained True Artistes while most of us flail as hapless wannabes. This is not true. We all have permission to participate in what Michael Meade and the ancients call “the ongoing creation of the world”.

I want us to spend as much time singing, dancing, painting, writing poetry, decorating cakes, collaging greeting cards, and crocheting scarves as we do analyzing spreadsheets and crunching numbers and making up rules and laws. I want us to measure and rank things less, and put less stock in the rankings and measurements that surround us. Instead, let’s spend more time wondering.

Let’s value daydreaming and doodling for what they are: sacred openings for Divine Creativity to enter. (She refuses to be forced through striving.) Then let’s practice trusting her lead.

Share what you make.

I want us to share what we make with our friends and neighbors — let them in on the process of discovery and experimentation when it’s raw and imperfect, not only when it’s being performed on stage. Let’s celebrate each other’s efforts and bravery, and forget about judging whether it is “right” or “good” or “successful” or “the best.” Who really cares?

Side note: I’m fairly new to the adventure of singing in front of other adults, so it still feels risky and thrilling. I asked my 23-year-old recently if they liked singing while playing guitar, and whether they might want to sing more. The reply: “Yes, but I don’t want it to be a big deal.” I get that. If we all sang in front of each other regularly, it would be normal, not something to shine a spotlight on and get so nervous about.

Let the Healing In

I also want us to remember why we come wired with such a wide range of emotions: It’s so that we can experience this complex, incredible world with nuance and depth. I’d like us to not try so hard to hide our feelings from each other, but instead to let others know when we’re happy and when we’re grieving, when we’re bitter and angsty and judgey, and when we’re so full of love that we might burst. And especially, to let someone — a trusted confidante — know our shame, because (as Brené Brown has taught us) shame cannot survive in sunlight. I believe that if more people had healthy, creative outlets for their emotions and were carrying around less shame, fewer of us would get stuck in depression, or spend energy trolling others online, or in extreme cases, get a gun and open fire on the nearest group of school children.

We all just want to feel that we’re not alone in our struggles.

Imagining Cultural Shifts

In my vision of the world, elected leaders would begin each session with a body practice like yoga or humming or dance, to synchronize their nervous systems and tap into their inner wisdom. Consulting the wise grandmothers (and/or the ancestors) before making decisions about who gets power and money and weapons also makes a lot of sense to me, the way many indigenous groups have operated throughout history. Having a national Department of Peace seems like an obvious step, and a Well-Being Index that gets more attention and resources thrown at it than are currently aimed at propping up our Gross Domestic Product. Let’s wake up to the fact that infinite economic growth cannot be possible on a finite planet. Let’s shift our priorities.

Want to take immediate action toward healing the world?

One thing we can each do today towards healing the world, is to catch ourselves in judgment — whether it’s toward people living in tents on the sidewalk, towards Republicans or toward Democrats or toward the politically indifferent, toward poor people or rich people or urban people or rural people or those in the suburbs — and apply curiosity instead. We can wonder: What is it like to be them? What circumstances led to this lifestyle choice? What are their gifts? Where are their wounds? What are they most afraid of? What lights them up? What might help them thrive?

Even if we never learn the specific answers, asking the questions is useful for drawing out our compassion toward another human being. Because we must remember that they are human beings.

Notes to Self

I’m still working on all of this. Everything I write, teach, and offer through All Hands Art is like one big “note to self” for me, Pam Consear, the founder and owner. I’ve traveled a long, long way on this journey of creative living (read my story here), and I still need constant reminders so I don’t slip back into old, self-limiting patterns and hyper judgment of myself and others. But of course, sometimes I do slip, or I step into new environments — like my relatively recent dive into the world of flamenco music and dance — where I am a novice. That’s a chance to apply my “creativity training” all over again.

One things’s for sure: I’m always learning right there alongside you.

There is no “finish line” where creative living is concerned, and for me, that’s exciting. It means there’s always room to grow, deepen our practice, and make meaning.

I’m glad you’re here with me for the journey.

Tap into your creative courage. Make art. Share it. Heal the world.