A lot of writers are happy to simply “tell their stories.” Their urge is to express themselves and entertain. For a lot of us, though, the need to communicate and perhaps make the world a little bit better is a driving force for our writing. In a post on DIY MFA, Angela Yeh talks about how we can use our creativity to build a better world. Yeh suggests five steps we can all take:
- Change your own world first. “I am convinced the one best thing creatives contribute to society is our ability to imagine ourselves in other walks of life,” Yeh says.
- Understand the power of small interactions. People need to feel seen. Taking a moment to acknowledge another person’s struggles or even their very existence can make a powerful connection, Yeh says.
- Use your creativity to make connections. “It is we the people, without extra time and money to give to noble causes, who change the world by performing minor acts of kindnesses,” Yeh writes. “It is we the creatives who can imagine a world different, better, or at least kinder than the one we live in now.”
- Turn hate into beauty. In her new book of poetry, Kate Baer based her poems the advice and harassment she’s received on the internet over the years. “She deletes, moves around, and uses the words of hate (or ignorance) she’s received and turns them into poetry that inspires, motivates, and sustains,” Yeh notes.
- Use your intuition. “When we allow ourselves to embody our authentic, wildly creative selves, we give space for others to do so as well,” Yeh writes .”These acts of courage, small enough in our own lives, can cause tsunamis of miracles on someone else’s shore.”
