How Creation Is an Act of Defiance

Hello Everyone!This was a wonderful talk with Hallie-Claire Weems! I chatted with her about a week ago along with Nick Paro and I got the sense that she’s wrestling with many of the same questions I’ve been struggling with for my whole life. So, I figured I’d sit down with her for a moment and try to compare notes.Everything I’ve learned is a result of a painful mistake, I like to do what I can to spare young people that anguish.Hallie said so many things that got me thinking, particularly the need to “deprogram” ourselves. I think that’s an ongoing process. When we’re 9 we’re fed a model for what “success” looks like, and then we spend the rest of our lives beating ourselves up about our failure to attain it. My advice at age 51 is to stop punishing yourself and instead reevaluate how you view success.I like this concept of creativity as an act of defiance. We have to explore new ideas and dismantle the oppressive power structure that keeps us all marginalized. That’s why people always tell writers and artists, “When are you going to get a real job?”They say this because they know our actions are a threat to ill-attained power. So, keep going everyone!Here’s the art Hallie shared during our talk:Her web page is called HallieClaire.art.I want to encourage Hallie to spend more time creating and less time laboring to increase the fortunes of oligarchs (like we’re all forced to do). I don’t think she has paid subscriptions turned on, but you can subscribe for free here (and I’m sure she’d appreciate pledges):I told her to get some postcards, sign them, and send them out to people who become paid subscribers. What do you think a napkin signed by Picasso is worth today? Supporting Hallie is like getting bitcoin at 15 cents (that sounds like AI advertising copy… but it’s kind of true).She also discussed this piece by Juan de Pareja during the live. He’s depicted on the far left:It was nice to take a little break from politics and talk to a brilliant young person like Hallie. At the same time, we did sort of tackle politics didn’t we? We are the resistance! Our opponents have AI generated garbage, WE HAVE Hallie-Claire Weems! When you put it like that, it fills me with joy! How can we lose? I hope you enjoyed this talk!Thank you Marlon Weems, Natasha K., Dr. Mary M. Marshall, Laura A. Drury, LeftieProf, and many others for tuning into my live video with Hallie-Claire Weems! Join me for my next live video in the app.You all make this newsletter happen! Thanks for your sponsorship! I have payment tiers starting at as little as twenty dollars a year.Upgrade at 30% offUpgrade at 40% offUpgrade at 50% offUpgrade at 60% offI’m so happy you’re here, and I’m looking forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow.My CoSchedule referral linkHere’s my referral link to my preferred headline analyzer tool. If you sign up through this, it’s another way to support this newsletter (thank you).I'd Rather Be Writing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to I'd Rather Be Writing at walterrhein.substack.com/subscribe