They Don’t Want You to Know This One Weird Trick: Make Bad Art
Three books on creative power
The internet is going to shit. Full of bots and slop. Nowadays, my heart thaws instantly when I see something so distinct from the endless flow of hot garbage.
A typo.
Wonky font sizing.
Off-brand colour gradient backgrounds.
MS Paint’s iconic Word Art.
Signs of life.
It’s fair to say that unoriginality, plagiarism, and copyright infringement are not new phenomena. However, the scale (and automation) of it in this moment is unparalleled, and we urgently need the human creativity of each and every one of us.
And it’s not just because of the slop.
I don’t know if creativity will fix the world on its own, but it is one of humanity's tools. And while we may be bringing a knife to the polycrisis, to give up our creative power is to drop said knife.
So how do we protect this tool?
I read three books that gave me some ideas: Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland, the Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp, and the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.
I learned a lot about using my own creative power, and I also unsettled some assumptions I had about art and making art. It also left me feeling really passionate about your creative power.
Thus, I’m here to encourage you to make bad art.
