Member-only story
Our Art Makes Life Worth Living
On being the light when the world needs it most.
Last week I took part in the Tokyo Zine Fest, where I sold the first volume of my magazine, Citoyens du Monde (Citizens of the World). This creative milestone was a dream come true, even more special beside my girlfriend Coco, who sold her handmade hats and hoods (find links at the bottom of the story).
I’m experiencing an exciting creative chapter here in Japan, finishing both this magazine and my second book, When the Sky Opens and the Answers Shimmer.
Yet, the world is hurting. We’re all affected, no matter how removed from the pain we might seem as individuals. The fires in Los Angeles, my hometown, have been like a dark cloud over everything.
I’m not in LA, nor did my parents lose their homes. My heart goes out to those who are hurting, those that lost everything. Still, I’ve wondered how to carry on living life; how to help; how to make sense of these incomprehensible circumstances, and how to keep the faith when it feels like the world’s consumed by conflict.
It’s so easy to say, why bother? It’s a fair question. Why? Because we must fight for the world we want to live in. Pursuing what lights us up inside, whatever brings us any semblance of joy, is to fight back and not let the darkness win.
