Artists everywhere, it’s time to rise up!
Become the creative genius you were born to be!
You might first be asking… How? Behold, The Free Art Campaign’s “rules” on
How To Be An Artist (a self-taught, step-by-step guide), which we lovingly call…
THE DOODLING DIRECTIVES:
1) You are an artist if you want to be.
2) Make up the rules as you go!
3) Whatever you make doesn’t have to be “good.”
It just has to be yours.4) Turn your mistakes into a choice and run with it!
5) Sometimes the message is better than the mess.
And now you might be asking…. why? Why is this important?
In a world running rampant with anti-intellectualism,
creativity is an act of defiance.
However the creative spirit shows up for you, it is imperative that you follow it, now more than ever. Not only because it is a gift, but because it heals. And I don’t know if you noticed, but the world needs a little bit of healing right now.
You don’t have time. You’re tired. You’re uninspired. But you know what else? You are not alone. If you ask me, the only way to escape this is to build a whole new earth, and that starts with building a whole new self. If you’re feeling stuck, but you have a few free minutes to yourself, I’d ask you to consider: what did you do for fun as a child?
Start there.
We hope to change the narrative, one person at a time, that creativity is an innate part of human nature, and that all people are born capable of making their lives into art. We believe that this mindset shift will change everything.
Please write that book, or a poem. Build a new playlist. Play dress-up. Do your makeup differently today. Draw a picture. Daydream. Make a collage. Journal, organize, color, dance, sing. Plant a garden. Bake a cake. Design your website. Write fanfiction. Make somebody laugh. The possibilities are endless, and your creative abilities are constantly evolving. All you have to do is play!
Once you make art, you must arrive at the hard part: letting it go. Share it with your friends! Give it away to a stranger! Someone is out there needs to hear your story, because it may help them feel safe enough to share their own. Your message is just as important as the mess it comes with. You never know who you could help. You never know who needs your art. You never know whose life you’re going to change just by being you.
I believe you have the power to be, do, and make anything through the magic of art and the divine power of creativity. Do you believe in you, too?
I hope so. Now go make something and share your heART!
— Andrea Standby, Founder
“Art is the weapon!
Imagination is the ammunition!
Stay dirty, stay dangerous;
Create and destroy as you see fit.
Embrace your originality —
The aftermath is secondary!
You can and should do anything.”
My Chemical Romance, Danger Days