Artists and the Importance of Discharge
I attended the recent Creativity Workshop near Austin, Texas, USA, led by John Fehringer, the International Liberation Reference Person for Artists.
John reminded us that not knowing is exciting, though reaching for what we don't know can feel scary. He encouraged us to use discharge as our primary "art tool." We can take on "discharge as a lifestyle." If we do this, things will move. He encouraged us to discharge in public (when it makes sense) and to keep on functioning as we discharge.
John suggested that those of us who identify as artists gradually get rid of that identity. We're not "special." As artists we're "different" only because of artists' oppression. We, as artists, are asking to retain our humanness in an oppressive system (capitalism) that greatly limits the avenues through which people can remain human.
We have many allies. Some have just forgotten that they are our allies. Rather than expecting them to be our allies, we can be theirs. We can let them know we want them back -- not as "allies," but as the children we once played with.
I left the workshop with a renewed sense of the importance of discharge. I can paint, dance, sing, play, write, and think.
Elva Nelia Macias
Houston, Texas, USA
Excerpted from the newsletter of the Houston, Texas, RC Community