Freedom of Expression @ Occupy LA

How come ART is not in that equation?

History is happening!! I love it!! It is Uberly Creative and I fully support it. 

It is the year of the people and the Occupy Movement  has touched my soul! 

Ever since Occupy Wall Street had started in September, I have been thinking to myself something huge is happening here! Folks are publicly expressing themselves in a ways that has not happened for decades! As a transformative artist, I have been drawn to the Art signs that folks are creating--the marks they intuitively make, the sound of the words they archive in ink, their choice of color--I feel all symbolize their own individual voice of expression and empowerment. I read an article (which I cannot relocate) by a writer, who was at Occupy Wall Street he said that he had witnessed a stranger, who just walking by the signs was stopped in their tracks and become enthralled by the signs. The writer saw the man spend well over an hour absorbing each expression and from his experience he was overcome with a state of reverence as he read each documented voice carefully. 

I know that ART and its process is one of our ultimate individual Freedoms! Freedom to express what is within and freedom to give a voice to that which has no words. The other day  I heard on PRI's The World this affirming story about Egyptian activist Ramy Essam Honored with Freemuse Award for Free Musical Expression. The first questions the interviewer Marco Werman asked Ramy was"Music is a Weapon" do you agree?
Can ART, Music, Performance be a weapon? Do you agree? 
I do! Metaphorically, Emotionally, and Spiritually of course!! Our potential to Create and to express is our own personal weapon against all oppression and all of our personal tendencies for self destruction.
From my own personal experience of being a wounded soul and from my own personal teaching of Transformative Art to 100s of Severely Emotionally Disturbed Youth -- I have seen the magic,Art is an extremely powerful weapon from trauma. It evokes healing and it empowers the higher Self within all of us. Also, Lauren and I at the ARTcart and at Take 5:ARTbreak Day have seen countless times the nascent human treasure of expression come alive and thrive with in folks creating in public space for Free. It is awe inspiring!!

Last Sunday I  decided to take a  journey down to Occupy LA to document the amazing power of  the freedom that is being expressed.  All over the world the Occupy Movement is all about empowerment, dignity,creativity, defining a new narrative, and trying to make this crazy injustice world better for all. 


Below, I became a witness to history itself!

 When I took this shot, I did not see the guy in the background waving! I love it. At this camp they were offering free screen printing .

On our Flickr site Freedom of Expression @ Occupy LA you can see all the pictures I took from the day. And I tried to document as many voices as possible. Send us your pictures of the Occupy movement in your city,tell us your thoughts or if your moved create your own sign of protest!
Peace and Namaste