The stakes are higher than any stakes I’ve ever seen. I suppose the stakes might have been higher during the fight for independence or the civil war, but I wasn’t around for those. We’re looking at a choice between being led by science or by bullsh*t; between tolerance and actual violence; between women making choices for themselves or some twisted version of the handmaid’s tale. For many of us, we’re
literally facing a choice between life or death. I’d say that qualifies as ‘particularly high’.

Yes, very vividly. It was this year! I voted in the primaries and in local government elections. It felt very empowering. I’ve really started learning how government works and staying abreast of what our officials are up to. Makes me feel like a real citizen.

I still have moments when I see that a candidate won by 50,000 votes and hear a small voice saying it wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t voted. But that voice is getting smaller each time I vote. I think my vote means more than that. I think we inspire each other and me voting could have resulted in 3 or 4 other people voting, and each of them could have inspired a few people. That gets to be a big number very quickly.

The artist’s role is to be a catalyst for the community, whether that community is his block or the whole world. As artists, we have the unique ability to connect and communicate with people in an emotional way. Emotions are a powerful motivator. I think, as artists, we need to reach inside and find that seed people will connect with and bring it out into the world. If we understand our civic duty and its importance for the country, and we vote, then we just need to express that as much as we can in any way we can and it will inspire others.