Friends,
I am hitting the road.
My boyfriend is breaking up with me because he says I have no self-determination. I’ve got to say it’s hard to have ice cream and cry with your girlfriends when you’re just trying to understand what that even means. So I looked it up.
Friends,
I am hitting the road.
My boyfriend is breaking up with me because he says I have no self-determination. I’ve got to say it’s hard to have ice cream and cry with your girlfriends when you’re just trying to understand what that even means. So I looked it up.
Self-determination: the power or ability to make choices for yourself without outside influence.
Call me a woman scorned getting philosophical but this has to be one of the most frustrating concepts of all time. Where is this fine invisible line between acting on your own ‘free will’ and being influenced by external forces? Because here’s the thing:
society shapes us
biology shapes us
trauma shapes us
algorithms shape us
economics shape us
culture shapes us
Your “self” is partially co-authored by systems, and the systems are getting big and ‘optimized’ enough to know the choices you’ll make before you even make them. Our attention and free time are monetized in this gunky, energy sucking black hole of the digital world, where we can’t even distinguish between what is real and what is fake. We are stuck in systems that are growing ever larger, more abusive and corrupt, and working only for a small percentage of the population. We feel trapped, powerless, disconnected, and replaceable by design. We apply band-aid upon band-aid, but the wound is gushing deep red life-blood.
So how do we really practice self-determination when we are mice in the maze? I think we need to work to actively heal ourselves. I think one of the most powerful acts of freedom and self-determination is Creation. Creation that truly comes from the self - not from outside influences, not for the sake of money, not for the sake of ego - but for the sake of participating in reality (in a way that only you with your unique lived experiences and inner world can) instead of passively consuming it. Creation restores agency when you feel powerless. Creation records and restores for future generations.
So here’s my act of self-determination: The Lonely Angel Roadtrip. I am leaving my California life and my soon-to-be-ex behind to travel and create as much art along the way as I possibly can. Tattoos, drawings, clothing, writing, music - all of the art! The destination is yet-to-be ‘determined’ but the mission is clear. Let’s start a Revolution of Creation. Making art is truly an act of rebellion against forces that seek to take your control from you - both in your inner world and external reality. Doing it on a collective, community scale will be immensely powerful. Come with me.
Love,
Jenny
