The Case for Creating When the World Is on Fire

The world is on fire figuratively and literally, and I want you all to make art. More than that, I think a lot of the fires could be extinguished if more of us were making more art. That's very nice and very sweet, I hear you saying. But we have real problems right now, and writing my fantasy novel just isn't going to cut it.

(Meeting Writing Goals When Life Falls Apart.)

I hear you. Let me change your mind.

I am a writer and a creative coach. I work with thousands and thousands of artists and support them as they create. I receive dozens of DMs a week from writers and creatives who can't create because they think the world is too messed up to be playing around on the piano.

Let me introduce you to an artist you might know: world famous, incredibly talented, author Sally Rooney. Sally didn't send me a DM, but she did speak to the Irish Times.

She said, "I've given my life to writing novels. I don't know whether they are good, but even if they're really good, they're not going to save the planet. Maybe I ought to be spending my time doing something more productive."

Sally has sold millions of books, and she's personally changed my life with the beauty of her prose, but apparently, it doesn't matter how much impact you're having: Artists everywhere are seriously worried that their creativity is an indulgence in this day and age. I have spoken to hundreds of artists who say they can't write the books they want to write; they couldn't possibly make the art they yearn to make, they morally shouldn't take their writing seriously—because art is frivolous, and there are real-world problems that need fixing!

The narrative that art is decoration, a luxury, a selfish indulgence is rife, and it is wrong. We are sold a narrative that we have to be in STEM to be making a difference or we need a job as a politician in order to make the world a better place. If we aren't making policy or finding the cure in a lab, we are useless. Spending our time being creative, writing our poems, telling our stories, all these things are being sidelined as something 'not for these times.'

But we need your art now more than ever before.

The more intense the news cycle is, the more we feel like the world is falling apart, and the more we need art to help center us, calm us, and heal us. This isn't just a nice idea. We now have lots of peer-reviewed research that looks at the tangible, significant ways creativity impacts our physical and mental health. The conclusion to these studies? Making art is just as important as exercise, sleep, or meditation. 

Turning to art is not a waste of time. It is the missing pillar in taking care of our health. It is the missing pillar in self-development. It is the missing pillar in living a meaningful life. Even in a world on fire, it matters how YOU are doing. Creating art will change YOUR life. Lean into it.

Art is a lifeboat in uncertain times. We read the news, we go to work, we feed ourselves, we scroll on Instagram, and we see pain, injustice, and anger everywhere. And so we stare into space and feel entirely hopeless, useless, out of control. There is nothing to do. Everything seems so pointless. 'Guess I'll just numb myself and keep scrolling,' we say. 

But creativity brings us back to the feeling of purpose, intention, and control. When we write, we become the gods of our own realms. We are not lost at sea anymore, we are doing something, making something. We are in charge. Human beings are instinctive creators. We are made to make. Sit back on your throne and realize that you are here to tell stories, to write, and to communicate. Fill your life with the creative process and watch how much meaning and purpose flood in.

Big tech wants your attention 24/7. It's their business model. They don't want you creating art. In a world that tries to usurp and monopolize your attention, the only way to get some agency back is to become a creator. 

(April Poem-A-Day Challenge.)

Creating is an act of rebellion against a world that wants you entirely stuck to your phone. Writing a poem isn't just a nice thing to do with your time; it's revolutionary. It's taking back what's been stolen from you—your time, your energy, your attention.

The reason art is as important as activism is because art is activism. Creatives captain culture. We move the needle in how our world thinks and acts, and how we treat one another. Art, books, and your words are powerful forces for shaping people, encouraging empathy, provoking humanity, and demanding connection. Policy and politics don't make people think deeply or move people emotionally—art does.

Click to continue.

As AI starts to encroach on our everyday lives, it's becoming more important than ever to champion human creativity. It would be very easy to give it all up now. "AI can do it better, so what's the point of me doing it?" 

But there's never been a greater need for your human voice—your gloriously imperfect human art. The thing that's going to differentiate us from our robot overlords is the vulnerability we can infuse within our art. Lean into your imperfections and write human stories. We need your fallible art. Humans consume art to connect with their humanity; we need art made by our own kind.

Let me appeal to your ego for a moment. Will you be remembered because you consumed a lot of media about how bad the world is right now, and you felt really terrible about it? Or will you be remembered because of that fantasy novel you wrote that your great-great-great-great-grandchild still reads? Because you wrote poems and published them, and people were moved by them? Because you started a YouTube where you review books and you recommended a novel that changed someone's life? Because you were vulnerable and sung in front of people, and it inspired others to be vulnerable too? 

When you create, and share your creations, you leave a trail of your magic. You leave this hurting world with something beautiful.

Let's go back to that burning world for a moment. Yes, the fires are real. But art is not kindling for these flames; it's water. It cools, it heals, it gives us hope. It reminds us of what is worth fighting for. When you create, you're not ignoring the fire—you're building the tools to withstand it. You're reminding the world what life is about. Art has always been the light in the darkest times. 

(7 Ways Writing Heals Us.)

Think of the cave paintings of our ancestors, etched in the dim glow of firelight, or the music that carried oppressed people through impossible struggles. Those creations may not have solved every problem, but they gave us the strength to keep trying, they gave us connection and meaning and hope.

I'll leave you with this: What will your legacy be? Will you let the world's flames consume you, or will you add your treasures to the world? Your art is the antidote to someone else's despair; don't keep that to yourself. It doesn't matter if it's a bestseller, a community play, or a simple poem you wrote for your child. It all matters.

The world needs your art. Now more than ever. Stop messing around and make something. 

Check out Amie McNee's We Need Your Art here:

Bookshop | Amazon

(WD uses affiliate links)