by Morris Mburu
My Journey
My name is Morris Ngaruiya Mburu, artistic name is Halisi Monray. I am a 24-year-old Afrobeats singer, songwriter, and author. I began music seriously in 2018, but I started climate artivism in 2020. Before I engaged in Climate artivism, I was a resource mobilizer for my community to access food and other necessities during the Covid-19 era. During this era, I was championing poverty activism. However, in late 2021 I attended a climate seminar of my church, which was graced by a non-governmental organisation known as the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa. I approached them and they agreed that I could volunteer in the organisation based on the work that I was doing in the community. Through the organisation, I was nominated to the Youth Environment Assembly, where I championed art issues, and through that I got to meet my brother Daniel Helmer, who is a climate organizer and a trained nonviolent economy mobilizer. Together we formed a “March for the Planet” movement which assisted me to go around the world. An example is the 2020 initiative, from which I eventually became a board member representing Africa at the Sweden 2022 UN Climate Conference.
I visited India where I learned a lot about artivism and also moved around all countries in East Africa, and therefore I decided to sit down and put down what my experience has informed me about artivism, because there are a lot of artists that have been asking me how do we do this and I’m like I think I got you. One of the funny stories is as I was going by bus from Kampala to Juba, we left as two buses and one bus didn’t make it, I was so traumatized. I now have the albums in my name. The first was known as “Art for Earth”, the second was known as “The World, Love and Charms”, and the third one is “Art of Healing”. I have used the proceeds of these albums to create a website platform together with my partner Austine Omondi, where artists can monetize their content known as Omoca. And now I have decided to write this book as a guiding light to anyone who would love to be involved in artivism to understand what it is in depth.so as to have a guiding force towards the journey that personally I didn’t get started.
History Of Artivism
Think back through your life: Has there ever been a piece of art that changed the way you think? Art is a kind of universal language that translates messages across time, cultures, and spaces. Some of the most common messages sent through art are messages of resistance, resilience, and power. In fact, art that sends powerful messages of resistance is often referred to by a specific name: “artivism”.
Artivism is the practice of making art that focuses on underrepresented narratives, sends a message of resistance from oppression or hate, and is used to advocate for change. The term artivism was first coined in the 1970’s and includes nearly any form of art from murals to performance art to gallery exhibits. Some of the earliest examples of artivism come in the form of zines, or handmade, self-published print media that are usually in the form of a small magazine or booklet.
Zines can be made with virtually anything, making them a very affordable way to produce art and a way to distribute media without relying on galleries or museums to serve as a platform for the work. Historically they have been used as a tool by marginalized communities to spread messages of resistance and solidarity
Zine-making really gained momentum in the 1970s after the invention of the Xerox machine, which allowed zine makers to produce zines in mass quantities at a very low cost. This increased the accessibility of the medium and allowed zines to reach a wider audience. Zines were initially used in the punk rock scene, creating discussion about aspects of society like sexism, racism, and homophobia within the music industry and beyond.
Some tangible examples of artivism include the activities at the “Our State, Our Stage” advocacy event we hosted last March. Dozens of young advocates from across Texas came to the Capitol and used printmaking, origami, poetry, and songs to make their visions of Texas known. Young Texans have also been using zines to create a counter-narrative that uplifts the power of reading amid ongoing book bans across the state.
The creative minds of youth are not only capable of imagining a better future for the world, but they are also capable of using that imagination to make art that changes the world for the better.
Definition of Art and Artivism
Some say there is a difference between art and science, but I actually believe that science is a theory that explains why art exists. I’m a believer of God therefore I need indulgence from people with contrary opinions. God being the creator of everything as I believe. He’s the greatest artist judging from how everything He created feels, sounds and appears so perfectly complete; this is how art is at its full potential feels looks and sounds so right, perfect, and complete. Judging from how people love their favorite songs, paintings, sculptures, or other bodies of art, it feels so right and flawless. Science is just an explanation behind why things exist or appear, science is subject to owners of the narrative; it can change can be proven wrong or can be improved therefore cannot exist without art. Connecting the context of how God spoke things to existence to how artists speak through melodious sentences and feelings manifest, how people who do sculptures and we will see the pieces they want to create first before they even create.
I can say that art is a product of a beautiful manifestation of the spiritual realm. This process entails vibration of similar and sometimes not similar particles, but vibrating within a specific space. The manifestation of any art can be likened to the ripple effect of water stemming from a center which I call the anchor. The anchor is a specific emotion/vision inside the creator/source, emitted by the creator to consumers through the art piece.
In the case of God’s creation, according to the Bible God said, “Let us create…let there be.” This was the source that’s why Christians say in the beginning there was the word, and the word is God. It was a word full of intention carrying the emotion of desire and that’s when you look at anything and everything God created, we desire and admire it. The center is actually the bridge between the creator and the consumer/observer of the art.
In the case of activism, the center of the art is usually a clamor for change or ambition so that when people see, hear or feel the art, they desire to want to make a change. Artivism is a combination of art and activism. Activism is the fight between the present not so good reality and the future desirable and ideal eventuality. I describe it as a fight that entails courage to challenge the status quo of the systems in place. Many situations that necessitate such a resistance were designed and backed by a system whether visible or invisible.
Negative climate change effects have been caused by industrialization which is a collaboration between a system designed by the government and the rich investors so art about climate change activism is called climate artivism
The anchor of this kind of artivism is courage. Emitting courage from art pieces is the shortest way of creating a movement through your art thus sparking an awakening. The courage to see or depict what is usually unsaid and the courage to live and tell your own truth
Power Of Art and Artivism
Art is alive and has been alive since ancient times. Art has defined the world for a long time. It has been used as a mode of communication, judging from how hieroglyphs existed in ancient Egypt.
The transition of art from some formal beauty to cultural meaning and vice versa has been a loop with no beginning or end over the years. Pictures were used as letters for communication in the past, pictures are used as a form of beauty on social media now, while also being used to communicate serious issues of social justice. This is the complete cycle of art, and through that, it has shown its full power to influence generations differently.
As a creator or art consumer, you cannot fully appreciate its full power if you don’t understand this phenomenon. This loop exists. That’s why, when a creative creates a thin line, or sometimes no boundary to acknowledge the two sides of the coin, that’s when art has destroyed societies. when done just for its formal beauty/ entertainment without realizing the impact of its content in the culture.
Art has existed since ancient times, and it is not something that can be stored or confined in one place. This power is a power that is self-charging, self-existing and self-transcending. It needs to be emitted by a person of great humility, to be a successful creative or source you have to let it be, you have to know how to bow down in its presence, receive its orders, and execute just that. Art hates a master.
Art is also a servant to its consumer, waiting to always satisfy its consumer even if the consumer is only one because art is not dependent on the number of people consuming it. The number of consumers does not make it better. As long as it exists there is someone even now or in the future who needs it.
As a creator in the process of manifesting art, always know that the success of your art depends on the effort you put into creating it. Are you giving it your best? it depends on thinking of the person whom you think needs it. It depends on time, be ready to be patient and to rush when art needs you to do that.
In the medical field, the power of art has been used successfully to administer therapy. In African society, the songs were used to educate or reinforce morals in the society. Songs were used to store the cultural values and spirit of society from generation to generation.
As a creative endeavor to store information in your art because it will live longer than you.
To Embody Artivism
To embody is to represent something in a clear way. it also means to include or contain something that needs constituent form. So, this section discusses how you can be part of the power of activism as you represent its ideas in a clear and obvious way.
Artivism has its different disciplines, but they all exist based on similar principles. You cannot pretend to represent something if first you’re not part of it. Once you identify the discipline you’re interested in, whether a creative or a consumer, you have to do research about it. Through that, you can get the necessary information about it and get that information stored in your subconscious. This will assist you to do a positive analysis on which information is right according to you. For example, if you’re getting into climate artivism, in my case you have to ask yourself, what is climate activism? How has it affected me and the community around me? And what are the possible solutions out there?
One thing you need to appreciate is that the universe and art are collaborators. If you are a creative or are passionate about artivism, the universe will position you where you will get to experience just that.
Therefore, most of the time, people who are passionate about artivism either as creatives or art consumers find themselves in spaces coincidentally or situations that later on they get to understand that maybe their ‘ Purpose’ lies in artivism.
You may find that over the years either in school or in your community you were once involved in an activity of social justice because people engaging in such noble courses are chosen. They have what I call passion. Other people have a definition of passion, but for me, I identify it as “the fire”. It’s the invincible push that creates a sensation that is insatiable unless acted upon.
Therefore, one of the things you can do as a passionate person in artivism or activism is to find people of similar passion either through social media or any other spaces that you can access. Reach out and request an invite to their social spaces that talk about that issue you are interested in. Surprisingly, these are the people who may be designed to make your work complete. You have to trust the process.
Once in the space, don’t be passive, be active; gather necessary information about the space. That will give you a huge command of that specific issue you share with the rest as you also know more about yourself. This will make you contribute to the course and thus you become a unique and valuable team player.
You have to realize that you don’t need to be sure. You don’t need to be defined according to the laid or designed systems. A great artist is an artist who is independent-minded right from idea conception to implementation. At the beginning of this phase, procrastination is the greatest enemy of the first steps. Procrastination denies art its appropriate time of manifestation for example in the world war there was a time when two bullets collided and hit each other if that microsecond had been delayed, we couldn’t have gotten such a phenomenon. Art creation is more of a moment than an activity. Art thrives in its exact moment, not about days, months, or years; it’s about a moment.
As you embody, you must be within the right network. Finding artists that do something similar to you, though not exactly, is an important step to fuel your passion. The way they will challenge you to do better is the same way you will produce better art. Do not embrace competition and embrace collaboration.
As you interact with people it’s good not to over-trust. You need to strike a balance between being accommodative and being repulsive. Be unapologetic in repelling any negative ideas that can discourage or show you that you’re doing almost nothing. Art is never wrong, it’s always right; there are people some powerful or too strong to ignore that are meant not to be listened to trust yourself and your instincts; the menu is within you.
Have an unshakable reserve to move forward. However, as you repel such elements, they might dispel some constructive criticism that you might find interesting to evaluate because it might assist you. However, be accommodative to people that show you love because sometimes you may not be at your best and they won’t fear expressing it, however painful it is suck it up. If you evaluate that they are redirecting you to a happier place, please go for it they are sent destiny helpers.
First, you need to understand creating art is like walking alone in the dark at night and still finding your way home. You may not know how home looks, but you must know home feels amazing and it’s waiting for you. Just like a cat has the special vision to see in the dark, let confidence be your vision. The other rule is, the first attempt/thought should be final, and it’s the best. The first thought is not only an opinion, but it carries with it an intention. And this intention is what art consumers say, I kinda know what this artist was feeling or is making me feel. Intention is the bridge between you and your consumer.
Quiz: If I were the only one thinking about this, do I think I’m wrong? Do they think I’m wrong? do they matter? The answer of all that is no.
Channel Artivism
This is the section that will discuss how to direct the power of artivism and how it moves from one medium to another. Art is created by motion and it’s also in motion. It moves fast within the creative artist or source, then to the art piece, then to the consumer.
Moving from the creative to the art piece is a one-time event but moving from the art piece to the consumer is an event of infinity.
As we discussed earlier, For me art is a product of vibration of similar and sometimes not similar particles but vibrating within a specific space; the vibration of air particles creates sound/music, the vibration of colour frequencies creates drawings, etc. Manifestation of any art can be likened to the ripple effect of water, and therefore the aspect that allows the art manifestation to be to its full manifestation is what I call “The anchor”. This is usually the center.
This anchor can be a specific emotion or certain vision inside the creator, which must be emitted by the creator to the art consumers through the art piece. As this anchor moves from the creative’s imagination to the art piece, there is a technique of existence that a creative must adhere to, for the consumer to appreciate/marvel at how the art was made. For example, there are styles of singing, styles of creating sculptures, styles of weaving, etc.
There is an energy that sustains the motion and informs this technique of manifestation. If the energy is natural/God-given, then it’s talent if it has been nurtured or learnt over some time, then it’s an ability/skill.
The energy needs to be maintained; you always have to be charged as a creator for you to manifest arts with full potential anytime you need to manifest.
To successfully land the technique, you have to be patient. You have to understand its fundamentals so that you may learn how to modify it according to your own liking. To achieve a certain outcome do not be afraid to go for it know that failure is evidence that you’re not lazy at least you tried in my language it is said “Cia korire wacu muguda”, meaning good things found the lady in the farm you have to be in the farm doing something for good things to find you.
Be consistent, keep doing it over and over again until it registers in your subconscious.
Be observant. For example, you are a tailor and a client invites you to his or her house to instruct you on how to make her some pieces of clothes for her to wear for a wedding. When you go and find the majority of the house has a purple colour, it is a good guess that if you make her a dress or an outfit that is purple in colour, it will be hard for her to reject. As an artist, make sure what you create is consistent with the emotions of the consumer. That will assist you to connect with them. Learn to tell and make a product to suit a certain audience for you to remain relevant and for your art to be alive for long.
Be ready to learn new things.
Therefore, after you have identified your niche, master it and be a master at it when you go to a space that has very many things just identify one and run for it. In the motion of art is where financial stability is attained. Therefore, be careful in everything that you deal with, because this is where, as a creative, you will get growth. Be unique in your marketing strategy, sometimes if you are deficient in this as a creative get help from other people, and build a team to push your art.
How to Channel Artivism
Let us discuss the biological existence of art in our bodies as creatives and how they inform our capabilities therefore understanding how to manipulate this power. Research shows that people with a deep connection with art, whether consumers or creatives, have a special brain with increased gray matter and white matter. Research shows a link between the prefrontal context of the brain and art. As it is charged with regulating emotions, sparking self-reflection, and identifying creativity either in its visual or audio form.
This is the right hemisphere of the brain; therefore to harness the power of its artivism, you have to use the right information, and put in courage as the anchor, along with other relative emotions plus the realities coupled with creativity.
Through this combination, you’ll be able to spark a self-reflection whose resolution will be to create a habit influenced by the change that you desire to see. Therefore, this is the biology behind behavior change that is influenced by the arts.
One of the most useful aspects of the left brain is that it is the linear-thinking, or sequential-thinking hemisphere. The brain takes details, lines them up, arranges them in a logical order, and draws conclusions. The left brain makes lists. It enjoys schedules and daily planning. A sense of accomplishment is achieved when tasks are checked off the list. This process is counterintuitive to painting, which is based in an emotional, gut response in a given situation. Logic doesn’t necessarily come into play.
So as an artist, you have to take a lot of omega-3 oils or food that can enhance your brain so that the two hemispheres can work together and create that balance for you to harness the power of artivism and execute it completely.
Just like electricity flows in a closed circuit for a bulb to light, so does the power of activism. A full-circuit connection between information in the emotion of the target audience’s desired action, triggered by the emotions emitted to the consumer, is where the true power of activism is unlocked.
How To Recharge as A Creative
It’s okay for you to reach a point of writer’s block as an artist and also for the rest of human beings’ art is a tool of recharge when one feels low there is a set of songs, paintings, and sculptures that are just relieving.
When artists get writer’s block, many people who revere their art will bash them for not releasing content, but the artist might be fighting and in a battle for recharge. Making any type of art is likened to climbing a very steep hill. You have to take it very slowly. You have to make your body weightless and trust that for every step that you take, you’re going higher and you will reach the top. When you rush, then you run out of oxygen and your legs will feel tired and you will need to stop.
Taking it slow, you are creating precision; for every step that you take weightless, you are preserving strength for the next step. Thus, increasing accuracy as you go up the hill.
Remember, you cannot say that you have claimed the hill if you’re not on top. Therefore, an art is only an art, if it has fulfilled the initial vision and intention the artist had it in his/her mind
Always learn to seize the moment. This is one of the ways you can preserve your energy when you feel like you have a certain emotion, and you want to offload it. Offload it, having an idea in mind that is aligned to that emotion, and you will preserve a lot of energy and strength in manifesting it.
To recharge is to consume art, similar to what you create; if you are a painter, always walk around and see other people’s art with themes similar to what you create, a hip-hop artist listens to raps mostly, etc.
To recharge you also need to do nature walks, and create ways in which you will connect to Mother Earth. She is the source of art.
Learn how to challenge yourself first by loving yourself and knowing no one can do it better than you can but at the same time be eager to find out how better it would feel if you did it better.
To recharge, always put yourself in the right position, balance between seclusion and inclusion; do not go to a place of many people if you feel like you need to be alone, do not be alone too long that you disconnect with the people that you’re making the art for.
Create art in your ideal place; do not struggle to fit your creative process into an environment that internally you feel is toxic.
Most artists depend on their brains for their creative process; they have a special brain that has more gray matter and white matter. Eat food within a diet that enhances these fluids in your brain for easier coordination.
Practice your art anytime, anywhere, and everywhere; do not fear. When you are feeling low, find someone you can speak to so that you can be able to offload that negative energy that is hindering you from creating the best art possible. If you are a believer, pray God is the giver of wisdom. Do research to get acquainted with what is happening at that moment, what is the issue that is existing in that moment and how can you phrase it for people to understand it in its simplest form. Appreciate yourself, you don’t need other people to come and tell you you’ve created something good or you have chosen a good art, no. Just say, “I’m enough; I’m contented and I’m happy that I’ve made this decision.” This level of assertiveness keeps you clear-minded and focused and therefore nothing can get in your way and therefore you preserve your energy.
Learn to meditate.
Conclusion
In conclusion, artivism emerges as a powerful testament to the synergy between artistic expression and activism.
Throughout this exploration, we have witnessed how art can transcend barriers, ignite dialogue, and inspire action in the face of social challenges. By blending creativity with advocacy, artivists not only address pressing issues but also create a shared vision for a more just and equitable world. As we move forward, it is essential to recognize the potential of art as a catalyst for change, encouraging us all to harness our creativity in the pursuit of social justice and collective empowerment. Ultimately, the journey of artivism invites us to reimagine the role of art in society—not merely as a form of expression, but as a vital tool for transformation.