The Elephant in the Room

Resisting the doom magnet

“Stick to drawing” is the most common comment every time I respond to politically heated events on my own personal platforms whether with writing or imagery. Literally every time. People often prefer artists to be one dimensional: musicians, you make music; painters, you paint, and so on. But the thing is artists are just people. And artists at their core create from their lived experiences. Whether they experience turmoil, or joy or terror it comes out in their work. The world needs artists to respond to difficult things to help us unpack and understand them.

American artists during the great depression found themselves in a difficult position. Other than the elite, not many of the middle and even upper class were buying art. Many galleries were shuttered and those whose skillsets were built on visual language scattered to find ways to survive (sound familiar? Hello 2025). Oddly enough the government was partially involved in carving a path towards a new expression for some artists in the form of politically driven activism art.

Dox Thrash (American, 1893–1965). Untitled (Strike)

Via the New Deal programs of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, artists were seen as crucial to telling Americas’ story and many were hired to create images resisting fascism, collective agony, hunger and lynching. Artist united with unions, and the American League Against War and Fascism was founded. Artists were empowered and even funded to fight terrible circumstances with art.

The Doom of Now

Last November after the 2024 election, we went for a quiet hike with our dog, “Rooster”. We watched as the remaining leaves fell from the trees and the wind of a new season moved through the branches. We made a pact to not let go of the joy we have integrated into our lives because of the political turmoil ahead, the wars and atrocities of our time and the impending doom of conflict.

As soon as I got home, I drew these words on a piece of paper but I didn’t share it on any media platform. Why would I? Who does it benefit for me to add to the doom? The drawing went away in a drawer.

In the months since then I have drawn and written a number of therapeutic images in response to horrible things. I doubt I’ll ever share them all. With so many news outlets tackling the hard things of our times, I find myself timid to add to the noise if it’s only adding to agony or negativity. I often ask myself with politically driven or touchy subject images: who does this benefit?

Thus far I’ve avoided adding to or reporting on this new administrations actions. It’s our entire feed. It’s covered. But little by little, the actions of the first 100 days are impacting absolutely everyone in American society and beyond. And artists must do what they do best: make sense of life.

This weeks mass layoffs of National Park employees punched me in the gut of what is the doom of now and the doom to come. Of all the good and bad and ugly of American functionality, our protected public lands are not only one of our best ideas, they are also where many of us go to recover, hide and survive the dooms of our day. And without the protection and administration of those public arenas, we are left to wonder- what is their destiny?

Established and new National Park rangers and staff were sent emails telling them they were laid off because they were “performing poorly at their jobs”. Not because of budget cuts, not because of a new plan, or loss of active park visitors. No, they were fired with a blatant lie.

Some parks have lost 25% of their staff overnight.

So what? You might ask. This is what: these are the people who protect and clean these fragile places. They clean up after you. These are the people who perform search and rescue when you get lost or hurt. These are the interpreters who help us understand these places. These are the park officers who minimize conflict and make us feel safe. You may not experience the impact of these layoffs today, but you WILL. These public servants are being kicked out of their staff housing, losing their income and finding themselves like artists of the 1930’s- jobless and scared.

You can read about this round of firing anywhere among the daily tornado of chaos we are witnessing. Let it make you angry. Feel it. Embrace the doom for a moment. Fight back. But don’t let it overwhelm your capacity for joy.

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To any National Park staffer who has lost their job or is impacted by this today:

DO NOT LET THE BASTARDS DESTROY YOUR JOY. We need you. Your passion. Your knowledge. Your dedication. You are the first line of defense for our protected wonders.

And to the rest of you- we are here to find joy for a moment on this planet and although it is worth fighting for the rights and protections of our sacred spaces, ourselves and the plight of the vulnerable–we must save a smidge of beauty for ourselves. Don’t let the darkness of today snuff out the light you have protected in your life for tomorrow.

Listen, whether you voted for the current administration or not, one would have to be entirely blind or willfully ignorant to not see our country is going through a mass collective trauma. Don’t forget to go outside. Find a wooded or quiet natural area and decompress often. Run your hand over the bark of a tree. Drag your fingertips through some grass. Listen to the crunch of snow under your feet. This is what free people do. This is what it means to resist: appreciate and fight against living in a perpetual doom mood.

I promise this new platform for my work will not be ONLY for ranting and politics. There’s plenty of other feeds by far smarter people. I will be sharing adventure stories, art and personal perspective on what makes life worth living. But as artists we MUST reflect and translate the moments we are living through.

So, yes to the hecklers: I WILL stick to drawing.

And whatever else brings me joy or feels worth the energy in the face of doom.