ART AND ACTIVISM

On Activism: “There’s a tragic tendency these days to equate cynicism with art, as though nothing hopeful has weight. I think that’s a narrow view. Activism is inherently hopeful- you have to believe that change is possible or you wouldn’t waste your time talking about it and working for it. The fact is that we’re all changing the world everyday whether we like it or not. The question is in which direction.”

David LaMotte a singer and songwriter, who writes songs about anything, states that the easiest definition of an artist is someone who makes Art. Activism he considers is something you do to take action. He states that when people hear about activism they think of big delegation of people protesting, but there are different forms of protesting and different forms of activism. He considers himself an activist because he tries to write and sing about things that are true. He further states that even though he is trying to aim for the truth he can never get to what is called the universal truth, but comes down to his own truth or what he considers as true.
As an artist, he is always trying to find new ways of looking at old and new things. David talks about how America is a country where people speak out what they think is right to them “freedom of speech” but he illustrates that what always comes along with that is if people are willing to listen. He thinks that the opposite of talking is listening and the opposite of listening is to formulating a response and for a person to develop that skill (to listen) is a part of art. When you make art, you are putting out your ideas and getting something in return.
David indicates that perceiving, looking and or listening is all part of art and it is the same thing as activism. To be able to persuade a person is to find a commonality and that is exactly what his songs illustrate. What songs do, he explains, is that it touches what is already found inside of you, it does not put anything that was not there before; like grief, pain, etc.
On his final word, he briefly explained about his project about helping people in South America. The purpose of his project is to help those many children that cannot afford to have a proper education due to many factors. David states that people always say “well you cannot change the world” but to him everybody makes changes in the world, you cannot be in the world and not change it. He indicates that everything you do changes the world, even the little things that people don’t think matter.