Start Where You Are
illustration by Brad Jones for Outer Voice
““Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.””
This difficult-to-source quote is from Arthur Ashe; tennis legend, activist and the first black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon, in 1975 (Althea Gibson was the first African-American to win at Wimbledon, in 1957).
It has become my 2020 mantra. It was the catalyst for the creation, launch and vision of Outer Voice, and I keep a graphic of it as my monitor wallpaper, just in case I might forget to think of it every day.
It’s safe to say that 2020 is shaping up to be a challenging year for planet Earth. The past weeks alone have seen the American experiment shaken yet again, its constitutional foundations embodied by its people and strained by its leadership. Civil unrest over the murder of George Floyd and systemic oppression of black people dating to 1526. Rancorous debate over the wagering of a global pandemic against a national economy. White men with guns storming state capitols unchallenged over their rights to disregard others’ health, contrasted with unarmed black men killed by police and citizens alike.
And that’s just the first half of the year.
Returning to Ashe’s statement offers me a moment as an artist and as a person to pause, to breathe and to find true north on my personal compass. Redirect myself. Here’s how I’m trying to apply it to this moment.
Start Where You Are.
In my home. I can talk with my daughter and my wife. With my family. Together, can we address unconscious bias and racist tendencies in ourselves? How safe do we feel about COVID-19 and what can we do to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe? How can I support my friends and collaborators of color?
In my community. Who are the people doing good work in my community, and where are they? How can I help? With donations. Volunteering. Checking in on healthcare workers. Contacting councilpersons about local budgets, police practices and affordable housing in a rapidly gentrifying city. Voting.
In Outer Voice. How can Outer Voice help? Its very mission and values are designed to give artists a platform and audiences a connection. How can I use the values of Invite Everyone to the Table, Fill Your Plate Last, Listen First, Ask the Next Question and Value the Compass Over the Map to fight racism and injustice, lift up artists who do the same and to get out of the way of great work?
In my art. Where do I see unconscious bias in my work? Do I make assumptions, do I co-opt or appropriate other cultures in my writing? Art is not required to have a consciously activist goal, but it also must not work against my values.
Starting with yourself and your work is like throwing a stone in a still pond. The ripples will spread to your family and your community.
Use What You Have.
When I started Outer Voice, I had no job and no budget to start an arts organization. What I did have was an extensive network of brilliant artists I’d worked with and met over the past 20 years. I had a patient and supportive partner who pushed me and honed my ideas. I had a creative ember in myself to make something, to reconnect with art and to connect artists and audiences.
What do I have to help create change? I have ideas, I have a platform of modest size to share with artists of color and artists who seek to make a difference. I have a strong back. I’m good at shutting up.
You don’t need money or an existing platform to make a difference. You have so much at your fingertips — you just have to see it, evaluate it and use it.
Do What You Can.
Do not fail to grasp the weight of this statement. It’s empowering. It gives you permission to give yourself grace, make space for your own needs and those around you.
I can’t change the President’s mind, but I can vote. I can’t single-handedly stop systemic racism, but I can be actively anti-racist. I can’t stop people from posting conspiracy theories on social media, but I can check sources. I can’t stop COVID-19, but I can wear a mask and stay away from pool parties.
You’re not responsible for fixing everybody. You can only change yourself and act accordingly. Understanding that and embodying it responsibly is the first step to making real change.
In conversation with Kai Hazelwood for this week’s interview feature, I was reminded yet again of the elemental centrality of community to all art, and to all of our well-being.
In a digital age, an age of quarantine and an age of unrest, it’s easy to wall ourselves off and to believe that we can exist independently.
But it’s our interdependence that keeps us alive in this moment and moving into the next. How we move into the next moment is up to us.
