Welcome to TOM'S THOUGHTS

A topic in our free online community full of thoughts about making art, why we make art, and more.


“I hope you don't mind me starting this spot ("Tom's Thoughts") to share some things about art making, and our grander purposes here.

I really really really REALLY think that what WE are doing here is one of the most important things we could be doing.*

(*However I wrestle every day with NOT doing enough for climate change, for social justice, etc. I've made whole books about it! That will be another post... )

So What are we doing?

We are organizing ourselves into communities, and sharing our selves, the best we can. 

I know I rant a lot about "the system", but I can't shake it. Virtually every human system in our lives works best when it grinds us down. Systems of commerce, ownership, production, trade, heck even education - all work best when the people are invisible.

We here need to create systems, spaces, and rituals that allow us to be visible. And really BE.

That's what I hope SAW does, and what I believe art is for. 

Will We Allow Ourselves?

I wondered the other day -  I was imagining my cartoon character carving a canoe- and I was like, he can't carve a canoe. He doesn't know how. There's no way he could learn that, etc.

But then I realized, why not? Why can't he? 

Here's the thing:

Why do I believe an invented character can not do anything? Why was NO my immediate response?

Because I am so used to NO being the response from the systems.

So, let's use this space to allow our imaginations to be. And from there to allow ourselves to be and be seen, empowered by that imagination.

Nothing was ever invented without imagination. Nothing was ever shared without a connection to the cosmos being created.

That's what we're doing! 

Creating connections to the cosmos! :) “


-Tom Hart


See this post and more of TOM’S THOUGHTS in our free online community!

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