Harnessing the Power of Art in Activism | Deep Dive

We’ve marched, we’ve called & emailed our representatives, we’ve signed petitions and sent letters…but is any of it actually moving the needle? Despite our best efforts, things still seem to be getting worse. Don’t forget - scared, hopeless, and depressed is exactly how those in power want you to feel. This is precisely the moment we need to keep pushing and evolving, but we can’t expect the same tactics that worked in the past to always work in the future. As Conscious Citizens, we must challenge ourselves to evolve and grow our tactics, or else we risk fading into the background. In other words - we need to get creative.

The power of Art is that it gives form to abstract feelings and ideas and presents them in a way that can connect with people on an emotional level. As Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges summarized: “The task of art is to transform what is continuously happening to us…into something which can last in man’s memory.” It’s no wonder that art has been a key part of almost every successful social movement throughout history, both good and bad. Fascists like Hitler and Mussolini knew the power of art and symbols, and they used these tools to manipulate the masses. Art creates culture, and culture is what unites the people. Fascists worked with luxury fashion designers to create their uniforms and staged massive public spectacles (all while burning books) because they understood this.

As we’ve discussed previously, most of our political views are not formed by facts alone, they are influenced just as much (if not more so) by emotions. While passing out flyers and marching is great, facts alone are not going to change someone’s mind. Art, in the context of politics, is incredibly effective because it deals with many of the things that traditional activism does not. It bypasses our rational mind and directly affects our emotions, bodies, and spirits - precisely the places where our personal political views are formed in the first place. While activism can be considered a tool for the battle for the mind, Art is the primary weapon in the battle for the heart, and both are necessary to win.