Creative Energy

Last year at this time I wrote about my grandmother's creative pursuits. I talked about how she loved gardening, pickling, quilting (and other sewing activities). I also remarked that my grandmother was usually an unhappy person, but she was quite happy and enjoyable when she was busy with her hobbies.

I tied this to the fact that many people these days don't have creative outlets, at least, not ones that produce actual art. Often that energy is tied up in politics or arguing with people on the internet, if not outright threatening them.

A few days ago, Kevin Smith addressed a troll who was insulting his daughter. He advised said troll that the best revenge isn't threatening teenagers, it's living well and producing amazing things. He encouraged this person to go make art and stop wasting energy on being an asshole. I have no idea if this advice will be taken, but it's damned good advice.

I mean, what would the world look like if people stopped focusing so much energy on being awful to each other and channeled that into being creative? Sure, some of that creativity would still be mean spirited, but over time, perhaps less of it would be.

As I noted before, one of the reasons why this summer has been less depressing for me is because I kept myself creatively occupied. I felt accomplished. I learned new skills and improved on them. Progress is a great medicine. It's one I hope more people find.