As we cross over into the future tonight, to what ever extent, in whatever way we can, let’s go from being a watcher to a doer. It’s so easy to accept being a cog in the consumer machine, part of the elaborate ecosystem of what’s expected. We think we need a gift; we need this thing, when what we really need is to interrupt the way of the world. Because it is no longer aligned with the human spirit.

It’s time to wake up and touch someone. But the economy is rigged to keep us playing the game. And that game is pay to play. The game that can only be won with money is a game we will never win.  The system is rigged against hard work and there will never be enough to satisfy our desire for more. The only game we can win is the game going on between our ears that says “it’s only a game.” It’s not a game. This s%#t is real. We need to move the needle. Bust through the noise. Break the operating system, once and for all. Disrupt the economy of complacency. Get out of the arena. The arena is for suckers. It was created by our handlers to distract us from our utter lack of control. We’ve gone from #MeToo to #MeOnly.

As creatives, we need to use our gifts to make a difference and not just make a buck. They say happiness is about accepting what we cannot change. In the coming year, tomorrow, let us change what we cannot accept. For me that means bringing my gifts to bear more fully, in the fight for justice and equality. 

If you have a talent, dedicate it to making the world more compassionate, not less. Let’s give up the delusion that we have to be cruel to be kind. Cruelty is always only cruel, never kind. The cruel truth is that anything less than truth is utter folly and wholly corrupting. The ends never justify the means.  It’s always ever only been about the means. Because the ends are goalposts that are always moving.  Winning in this current context is not onlyl impossible, it is meaningless. To deny the other is to deny ourselves.

We need to free ourselves and the world of the three G-forces: Guilt, Grief and Greed. And while it’s true that most people will never get this message, it only matters that you and I get it. Because we are the only two in the room right now. And now is where the revolution will happen. Pull the switch and get on board the train of justice. It is leaving the gate and we are either on it or standing on the platform waving goodbye to it. 

So what does justice look like to you? To me it looks like painting, performing, writing and speaking the truth as eloquently as I can. Sometimes it’s quiet; sometimes it’s loud. Sometimes it’s pretty; sometimes it’s downright ugly. Let me share a secret only the true artist understands: in order to be free we must often find the beauty in what is ugly and often find the ugliness in what appears to be beautiful.

So we must navigate the waters delicately but with absolute certainty. We are the visionaries who are often blind. So if you are called to be an artist, ask for help and accept it when it’s offered. I ask your help today along my own path even as I offer to help you on yours. We are all in this together. I find the older I get, I have more questions than answers. So my question today is this: how can we make a difference together?

My prayer for the new year is that our actions be guided by love and our steps be taken with compassion. That the winds of truth guide our sail and that justice leads the way.

And when we inevitably fall or grow weary, take that noble moment to care deeply for yourself. Then get back up and fight the right fight. Not the practical fight or the expedient fight or the conventional fight; fight the good fight.

Here’s wishing you a grand and joy filled New Year.