On Untrustworthy Authorities…
The night before a protest. Threats of military being deployed against the people they swore to protect. I don’t worry about the actual military though. I worry about the people who believe they are the citizen militia. A militia that was armed to defend against threats from outside of the nation. Now those in power are ready to crush those who are not. Is this reality? How far does the clearly fascist administration have to go to uphold the lies they are telling themselves? How far will they go to unconsciously feel validated by their parents? Ultimately, that’s the source of all this. A failure of trustworthy authority - on all sides.
What would I draw to represent this? I’d go with: A white man. Suit. Tie. He’s looking solemnly and submissively above him. Cracks are forming along his body like a vase about to shatter. Orange light is glowing from these cracks. Above the white man is a circle of clouds. This is the heavens he’s seeking an answer from. The circle of clouds is roiling with lightning and thunder. A single strike fires down through the frame. Where will lightning hit? Who knows? The uncertainty. The failure of trust. This storm threatens to destroy everything including the man. Still he searches for his answer and salvation in it. This is what I’d draw.
Maybe that image will find its way on my site. I typically stay away from things with any potential to be used politically, but I don’t know what to expect. I’m a white man that was raised by failed authority. I do my best to be a trustworthy authority now that I’m older. I don’t have power though. I don’t wield actual authority over anyone except myself. Managing myself is the best I can do. Not lying to myself about my whiteness and all the history that comes associated with it. It’s the only way I become more powerful than those who hold offices like dogs on a leash.
My biggest fear is that the people I call friends won’t understand. I’ve lost touch with many people I love and admire. I have no idea if they are fine with this reality. If they are fine trusting this openly untrustworthy authority in all our lives. There is no other pill to take. So swallow the one that makes you ill. (Shout out to Rage Against the Machine.)
I don’t know what the future holds, and I fear that this entire website is a futile effort to put trust into the world. Unlike many creatives who are crafters of how paint spreads, constructors of forms, or hunters of the perfect range of value, I have a vision of connection through narrative image. I do my absolute best to be aware of what I create. I hope my artwork conveys that awareness. I hope as the viewer reads my images, the connections they make elicit wisdom and empathy. I know I sound pretentious in this regard. I don’t know exactly how else to speak about it though.
So one reality prepares to shout down a king tomorrow, while the other reality prepares to shoot down an uprising, I sincerely hope you trust your wisdom and empathy. Possess them. Own them. They are the qualities that are sufficient and necessary to being a trustworthy authority in this world. And being that is what sets you apart from those in power in America right now. While there may be no harmony in a nation who looks to an empty sky for answers, at least those of us willing to call it out are not alone. Tomorrow, I hope you see, you are not alone.