Take Direct Action, Get More Benefits
/There are two things I’ve been hearing a lot during this quarantine. One is a question and the other is more of an uncertain statement:
“I feel lost, unmotivated, unsure what to do.”
“How can I help the struggling people/organizations that I love not go under?”
I must admit - although these are both tinged with the sadness and anxiety of our present moment - I’m heartened by the love and care that has poured out of our communities online. A desire to do something at all is a marker of self-care, and a desire to give is a marker of care for others.
And that is beautiful.
But acknowledging that beauty doesn’t provide an answer to the above queries, both of which are searching for fulfillment.
So, how can we take some direct action - for ourselves and those around us - that will provide fulfillment? And are there other benefits as well?
Here are some thoughts.
Art at home in times of Quarantine
Direct Action
First of all, what do I mean by “Direct Action”?
We take tons of actions all day, every day. Little decisions that affect the course of our lives.
When we take a direction directly, it means that we are the masters of that decision.
We are in control and no one else was involved in the process, either as a middleman or an agent to alter our decision. Now, that doesn’t mean that you didn’t consult with others before taking the action, but when you took it you, did it alone and were the direct cause of change.
This could be anything, from small to large:
Cooking, shopping for, or ordering food
Turning on a movie or TV show
Helping someone complete a task
Putting a down payment on a house
These are actions you are choosing to take and are in total control of.
Indirect action is making the decision to let others take full or partial control.
Something will still occur, but you are not the direct cause of change. These things can also be big or small.
Things like:
Letting your spouse make dinner
Handing over leadership on a project to a colleague
Giving to a charity organization
Signing up for a guided tour
Ultimately a change is occurring, and you made the decision to not stand in the way of that process, but you also don’t have full control over the specifics of the result.
“But Michael, I’m not a ‘control freak,’ so why should I care which action type is being taken?”
Because, if you’re feeling a little lost right now and want to do something about it - as so many of us appear to be - you will find the greatest personal fulfillment and affect the greatest change by taking direct action.
And there a few ways to do this.
Gift Yourself
I don’t mean give a gift to yourself.
Well, I kind of do. But not directly.
What I mean is to give something that comes from you out to the world - to a friend, to a loved one, or just out into the interwebs!
What is something that you like to do that can provide some sort of service, kindness, information, or gesture to someone other than yourself? (And yes, this idea is very similar to the blog I wrote on Craftivism!)
I’ll start.
For my sanity, I write these blogs.
Writing is something that I love to do and do pretty well. I enjoy doing the research, gathering my thoughts, testing my opinions, and then structuring it all together into a piece of writing from my personal perspective, which I hope provides some information and comfort to people in my communities.
These are my personal thoughts and stories, and I share them with others as a small gift to the world. I don’t make any money from this, and the time I take to write them isn’t coming from my “free time.”
So why do I do it?
This is a direct action I take every week that has done a little bit of good for some people. Every time someone tells me they read my blog and - enjoyed it/learned from it/needed to hear it/etc. - I am rewarded with positive feelings of giving, accomplishment, and satisfaction. It’s a little fulfillment.
But that’s me, personally. What about other people?
Right now I know approximately a dozen people who are spending their time using their skill sets at home to create much needed masks for health professionals across the country. And I think this is brilliant.
Are they getting paid to do this? Nope.
But is taking this action for someone else giving a sense of purpose and fulfillment? If their posts are all to be believed, then hells yes!
“Michael, I don’t have any useful or creative skills!”
Sure you do!
Do you have the ability to go to the store for a neighbor who cannot? This counts!
Can you recommend a great comedy show to a friend who needs some humor right now? Great!
Are you able to call or video chat with a family member struggling with their anxiety or depression? What a fantastic act of service!
Direct actions, all of them. And these are actions that you can take to fulfill your desire to just do something.
You’ll feel useful, others will feel better/supported/loved, and in turn you’'ll then feel even better.
Join Up
Community is everything in a time like this, and yet it’s so easy to ignore that fact and stay more isolated than we have to.
So, what to do about that?
Join up with a group of people online!
“What group? Like an online support group?”
I mean, you could if you feel you need that. But what I’m talking about is taking a group that you either already belong to in in-person-land, or one that you don’t belong to but is of interest, and joining up together online!
Some examples:
That friend group you’re always texting with but never get to see in person? Have an online happy hour!
That craft club that’s too far of a drive for you? Check out their online get-togethers!
Book discussion group can’t meet in person? Online!
Best friends movie night cancelled? Try Netflix watch party!
Miss cooking with your mom and grandma? Try doing it remotely at the same time!
Love your board game group and miss them? Find some online apps and play together, with or without video chat!
Want to more directly follow the journey of an artist/band/activist/etc. that you know and love? Check out their online community on their webpage, twitter, facebook, or wherever they do it!
Waiting for someone else to put it together won’t benefit anyone involved, and just wishing things were back to normal won’t help you either.
But reaching out to organize or join a group is a direct action that will make you - and everyone else involved - feel far more fulfilled.
Gift Directly to Others
This one is more of a monetary idea.
I know that not everyone is in a position to give financially right now, but if you are and you’re feeling the itch to help out a person or organization who isn’t as lucky, here are some ways to do so directly - aka make the greatest impact!
I’ll speak from the arts, since this is an arts blog after all!
A couple days ago, the people behind patreon.com put out a call-to-action video called Creativity Over Everything. (Do watch, it’s very short)
The basic idea driving this video and webpage is this:
The pandemic crisis and quarantine have made the flaws in our current system of Creativity and Compensation more apparent and also more detrimental to Artists.
And boy is it true!
As we’re all stuck at home and using all kinds of art to entertain ourselves, the people who created that art are - for the most part - not the people reaping the benefits of that creation.
“Then who is?”
The major companies and corporations behind the financial backing and distribution are the ones who often get the lion’s share, even though they wouldn’t be getting anything if it weren’t for the artists in the first place. For the most part, artists are treated as contractual freelancers and gig workers - therefore they have no safety net and must share the fruits of their creations with distributors.
Sound unfair? Well, it is.
“But what can I do? I can’t change a whole system from quarantine!"“
Actually, you can.
Do you have a favorite artist or musician? What about crafter, podcaster, or entrepreneur? Do you know one personally? Is there a creator you love who is struggling?
You can give to them, directly. No middleman, no company. How?
Websites like Patreon and OnlyFans were made for exactly this. Not only can you give financial support to your favorite artists (and usually receive great benefits by doing so!), but you can often purchase their art directly from them!
It’s like a crowdfunding campaign with no end date or limitations and better benefits. And you have the ability to connect directly with the artists in need! (Also, check if they have a crowdfunding campaign going for a specific project as well!)
For a personal example, on my Patreon page you can connect with me directly as I post snippets of all kinds of creative work - daily hellos, videos, musical demos, in-the-making, blogs, and more - and much of it is only for my patrons, who then have direct access!
[Here are a few examples of non-public content:
And plenty more is being created daily]
And what about arts organizations?
If you personally want to give to an organization directly, all it takes is an email or phone call to find out how to do so. If you want to help fundraise for them - if they’re non-profits - you can use the FaceBook fundraising feature to set up a campaign, which is super easy and very quick!
I’ve seen a few of these campaign casually come across my feed over the past two weeks, ultimately raising thousands of dollars for arts organizations that are struggling during this shutdown.
I mean, is there a better way to feel helpful than to be able to give directly to those who need it? Talk about fulfillment.
I again recognize that not everyone has the means to do this, but if you can and want to find a way to help, give your favorite creators a quick search and see how you can best help them, and directly!
More Benefits
Honestly, I’ve just scratched the surface of the benefits that can come from these actions.
Sure, you might:
Feel useful, feel better, enhance someone’s life, get gratitude, get personalized benefits, get perks from giving pages, find a community, etc.
But you might also:
Gain new friends, find new joys, change a life, change your own life, discover a passion, or create something new of your own.
You may feel lost and want to help, and I get it.
So take a breath, take a direct action, and help change the world for the better. Cheers!
