Creativity is a subversive, revolutionary act. Start now. Make your own reality, mark by mark, line by line. I watch my students struggle against the void, against the nullifying, deafening, dulling emptiness of mass culture. They are constantly told what to think and feel. The increase in information has, ironically, made it harder to be original. Call it the curse of the FaceTube Generation.
    So, when I ask them to speak their own truth, they stumble. What is stopping them?
    Fear, of course. They don't want to look stupid. But it's never that simple.
    What is stopping you?
    Time, you say. Or inspiration. My guess is that you might be waiting for permission, without realizing it. What if you spent five minutes today drawing or doodling, writing or singing? Would it hurt anything?
    Give yourself permission to experience joy.