On Art, Engineering, Hope and Psychology: Creations from Heaven and Hell

Meditations on Lord Shiva by the Happy to be Not Quite Good Enough Witch, digital art

Artists and engineers unwittingly nucleate societal mental health problems as a biproduct of needing to feed themselves.


Ones less focused on sustainability and income disparity rely on guilt and the imposition of need for sales generation, and thus reinforce class divisions; toxic side effects of media and methods used causes inability to see connectedness, abundance, or the other side in relationships... a recipe for bloated egos and unchecked consumption.


Even many artists who are healers do not understand the harm that prioritizing the selling of finished material goods over encouraging free art generation by others has on others' dependency on material possessions and social connections for outside validation emotionally.


Being dependent on new matter and travel for work generation puts undue pressure on the Earth.


Lack of basic living wage makes artists resort to more and more insidious business plans that essentially leverage their friendships for cash, undermining the trust of the people around them to be treated as valid equals with unique perspectives rather than customers. Lack of basic living wage for engineers makes their creativity susceptible to cannibalization by corporate entities for questionable ends.


What this means is that artists essentially establish paywalls for friendship in the community, helping create and maintain class divisions. Engineers reinforce these class divisions by outsourcing sweat equity and overvaluing intellectual labor over other forms of labor, such as care giving and service work. It makes for a split-brain society.


Art is a powerful mind virus which creates moods; we need to take care in how we employ it, and how we market it.


If we are to save our planet, we must learn to value the gauche and also individual ingenuity, especially with respect to examples of how to make do, boycotting material social trends.


We need to think globally, but live and act locally. The supply chain kills, pollution kills; we are all part of it.


The world will not change until everyone who has to make a living selling toxic products is given a basic living wage and time to reintegrate into community in an equal rather than superior way, understanding that they are not the only people with things society needs, that it is important for the good of nature and humankind to make way for more sustainable options than what we might be offering, and that many of these things can be had through cooperation with one's neighbors and community, and through learning consent.


If the artist's place is to be a healer, the artist must consider how their actions impact the psychology of those around them and also the environment; Christ, who seems to be Capitalism's favorite healer, embodied freedom of heart, not dependence on markets. Like Christ, the artist and engineer need to be able to see abundance where there is scarcity, and through that they will find hope where there is fear.

Are You Being Swallowed by a Boa Constrictor? digital art

The best example is to go make do and make peace; use seductive propaganda skills to communicate with lawmakers and neighbors to encourage valuing care giving over material wealth; leverage friendships for higher community and societal aims.


And if all else fails… Trick them into wanting the message.

Was the Savior a Maladaptive Dreamer? Does capitalism need psychopathy?