You Don't Have To Write Right Now

I've got your back

I wanted to send a message to the people I’m currently helping write scripts, but I figured I’d just share it here too.

If you don’t feel like writing right now, don’t write.
We can adjust our deadlines. It’s not a problem.
I’ve got your back.

If you are scared, angry, upset, frustrated, I am too. I’m here to tell you, it’s okay if you don’t feel like being creative right now. Focus on feeling safe. Focus on the people you love. How can you be best of service to them? I didn’t write yesterday. I spent the day taking care of my wife and checking on my family. I did that as much for me as for them.

“bUt We NeEd CoMeDy MoRe ThAn EvEr RiGhT nOw!”
No we don’t. At least, not like that. When I hear that, I hear someone saying, “Get over it. What’s happening isn’t that big of a deal, right?” Something I repeat over and over to people as they are writing a script is that I don’t care if any of it is funny. Funny happens later. Funny happens when you understand what is going on in the world.

What we need is you.
Your voice is important. The things you choose to say and to write about are important. Even if what you’re writing about is not directly political, your voice is important. When a campaign politicizes the way people live their lives, living your truest life is a radical protest. The rhetoric of this election wants you to feel like that’s not true and it is persuasive. It persuades through fear. It bullies. It repulses. All so you feel like your voice doesn’t matter.

They want what you have.
That’s why AI is focusing on creating art instead of curing diseases. That is the measure of being human. They want your light, your love, your perspective. They want to be as cool as you are. They want the way you engage with the world.

A feeling I remember from the last time this happened is the chaos. The constant onslaught of waking up and seeing who he chose to hurt today. Sometimes it was me. Sometimes it was people close to me. Sometimes it was people I had never met before. You want to help everyone. You want to support everyone. What he wants is to exhaust you. He wants you tired. He wants to derail your life so that he and his cronies can fart into microphones and call it music. I’m not giving him that this time.

I want you to take special care with how you talk to yourself while creating whatever it is you’re creating. Be kind to yourself. Remember why you write. You write to express yourself. You write to help make sense of the world. You write to entertain and spread joy. You write to raise awareness and share experience.

I want you to take special care when you post about your art.
“It feels crazy to be posting about this right now but...”
“With what’s going on in the world, I guess I’ll invite you to...”
When you write that, to me, it sounds the same as “No Homo.” You don’t need to apologize for doing the things that bring you joy. You don’t need to justify or mitigate or minimize. When you create, you do so with intention. You are going to get on stage and shine in spite of the world and the world will be brighter for it.

If you never feel like writing or creating art again, I respect that. I encourage everyone to explore ways to support their communities outside of creating art. You can create art and volunteer. You can organize. You can cook and feed and listen all while also creating art.

I hope you do keep creating. I think you should.
I hope I can help.
Beat sheets are due Saturday.
Let me know if you have any questions.