The Power of Art and Play for Liberation with Emily Prentice

We interviewed Emily Prentice (she/her)(IG @waywarddaughter.space) who is an artist and illustrator living in Appalachia. She believes in radical, non-linear arts education as a path towards liberation and wants to live in a world where art is truly for all people. Emily teaches creative play as a tool for resistance work. Emily broke down the false dichotomy our capitalist culture creates between work and play, and between play and childhood. She also opens up about the mental health challenges that catalyzed Emily's creative expression and her work in educating others about the power of art and play. She talks about how art, play, creativity, and spirituality are all intertwined for her at this point and made a fantastic argument for how creating a microcosm of your most radical daydreams is both art and social justice work.  1. How does play help us unlearn capitalism and productivity culture? 2. Have you always felt comfortable choosing play? 3. What is the connection you see between play, creativity, and spirituality? 4. How did you know this would be the thing you share with others? 5. What role does art play in social justice? 6. What advice would you give to anyone who feels they might be too old or mature to play or that it’s not going to help them? Resources mentioned in this episode: Emily's IG: @waywarddaughter.space Emily's site: https://waywarddaughter.space Emily's Playground: https://waywarddaughter.space/playground Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oi6TOW0da3YV7cqjI3XGXougMEQvEPYzW7koknQO4R4/edit?usp=sharing