You Gotta Make That Story

(above art (c) Ann Vickers)

Our student Ann came in the other day with pages of story- probably hundreds and hundreds of pages of story, in various stages of completion. Mostly incomplete. But still, hundreds of pages! I said Ann, you gotta finish this story! Because they're coming for us!

What bastion do we have?

Everything right now is designed to keep us from ourselves, and to keep us from each other. The distractions, the politics, the voter disenfranchisement, the Alexas and the phones all keep us in their system and out of the ones we create for each other...

How will we protect our sovereignty?

Art and our own stories, no matter how silly, or madcap or all over the place ---> THESE ARE OUR HEARTS.  Right now, the country's leaders and the world's leaders are colonizing our minds. They won't stop yelling, they won't stop fighting and they won't stop protecting their power. Their products and their messages and their pettiness and their rage are a constant barrage.

We need a refuge.

Lately, I've been trying to pin down what SAW does and is, and increasingly I believe the main thing is it's a place.  A place to be your best self, a place to become your art and story self, a place to guard yourself with your art and story. With others. An art fortress. Even if you never even get here, you are here.

But you gotta do that work.

You gotta find the power to light that sign that says ***YOU CAN'T HAVE ME***

Justine's been doing it.

Leela's been doing it.

I've been doing it.

With your attention, and your work, you're helping create a sanctuary, and a bit of a fortress. And you are welcome.

Tom @ SAW

TWO NEW CLASSES COMING SOON!

Going in For The Snakes - Emotional Honesty in Our Stories

Justine Andersen's Idea Place and Myth-Making Working Group