The Patchwork Principle: A Manifesto

How to keep making no matter what

“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.

I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge — even wisdom. Like art.”

-Toni Morrison

Dear Somebody,

I am troubled by this week’s news, yet I feel compelled to ask—how can I respond creatively to this moment? What insights can I gain from chaos? I look to my screen and see a repetitive sequence of ideas, most offering simplistic narratives to explain how we arrived here. Almost anything we say becomes cliché once past our lips. A broader perspective is needed. One that is not bound to conventional ways of thinking. The kind of perspective only accessed through the poetic mind. Crawling out from under an avalanche of despairing messages, I ask—have you ever considered that this chaos is orchestrated?

I am not coming into your inbox today to provide a political analysis or impose my own narrative onto you. I am here because I fear we are collectively missing out on an opportunity to engage with this moment creatively. I am here to assure you that the collective poetic mind is still intact, only atrophied from generations of enforced “rationality.” I am here to tell you that your imagination is just as real as any other dimension of life.  I am here to offer you a new creative philosophy that eschews all constraints of our digitized lives—yes, I know that this sounds grandiose. I will admit that I am only able to escape for a little while into my work each day. Even so, in whatever morsel of creative time I have, I stay connected to what is infinite within myself.

You are an artist. The present is your Prima Materia—ready to be molded into anything you choose, as long as you face its harsh truths with courage.

It seems our lives are at the mercy of a handful of oligarchs. They own our water, our housing, our utilities, food, and our workplaces. They’ve seized full control over the commons and every facet of public life—and have recently infiltrated our private lives through the commodification of our entertainment, food, self-image, and even our dreams.

Our grandparents were sold the Edenic dream of a completely automated future. Great inventors dreamt up planes, motor cars, microwaves, and TV dinners, freeing up their time, allowing for unlimited hours to contemplate existence. As existential dread crept into this new era of sloth, psychology emerged—not to ease the burden, but to manipulate human desires, filling their endless wanting through endless orders from a catalog. In the process, generations of craft traditions were quietly lost to time.

On a global scale, human energy has been harnessed to fuel an endless cycle of production and consumption, driven by planned obsolescence. Around the world, workers spend their lives in sweatshops, churning out consumer goods destined for landfills. As a result, the objects that surround us lose their meaning. By treating our belongings as disposable, we render our own lives disposable as well, along with the lives of those who make our things.

We find ourselves in a fragmented present. As a necessity of survival, the self has fragmented as well. As the past stretches out behind us, we each own subtly differing memories of historical events, memories which are shaped by an algorithm tailored to insulate us within our own biases. No one is immune. We live with the fear that the pursuit of truth itself has become a futile endeavor.

I don’t say these things to inspire despair but to show that even in a fragmented world, there is immense potential for creative transformation. By naming each fragment and working within constraints, rather than fighting them, the artist uncovers infinite opportunities for the restoration of meaning. With a touch of magical thinking, anything can be reimagined, woven into something entirely new.

Enumerated below are The Patchwork Principles, a set of guidelines I’ve outlined for myself to empower my creative practice in any circumstance. These principles are meant to be adaptable—you are welcome to embrace any or all of them and expand upon them as you see fit.

1. Lightness is a Virtue, not a Deficit.  

In the Greek myth of Perseus, Medusa can only be slain through lightness. Armed with winged sandals, Perseus uses a mirrored shield to view Medusa’s reflection, avoiding the deadly gaze that would turn him to stone. Lightness is often seen as a weakness, but in this case, it is the very quality that allows Perseus to succeed. It is not brute strength or weight that defeats the opponent, but the lightness that enables swift, clever action. This is not the lightness of frivolity, but a lightness of thoughtfulness held by all the great poets.

2. Housework is a Creative Act

The minutia of daily life is fertile ground for a poet. Salting a pot of soup, caring for loved ones, or arranging items with care on a mantle provide a wealth of material for prose. In poetic meditation, any task becomes an invitation to engage in the present moment, to mold the space around us into something functional and beautiful.

3.Gardening is performance art

A tomato from the grocery store may be cheaper and easier to obtain, but none will taste as luxurious as one grown through your own labor. To plant a seed, protect a seedling, and invite the company of worms and pollinators is to reclaim one’s place within the order of nature. As few do it, caring for the land in any capacity is a quiet act of resistance. This does not require as much land or energy as you think it does. Start with a window box.

4. Use Personal Narrative

The commercialization of art promotes a cold, impersonal approach, reducing creativity to a commodity. Reject this. Through storytelling, the artist transforms personal experiences—however small or intimate—into something mythic and symbolic. By doing so, they elevate the personal to a universal plane, creating art that resonates with others on a deeper, more emotional level, and connecting the individual to the collective human experience.

5. The Primary Purpose of Art Is Therapeutic

Art lifts us out of our own experiences, allowing for an aerial perspective of our own circumstances. It offers a powerful outlet for expressing emotions, thoughts, and experiences that might otherwise remain repressed. Through creative expression, individuals can release emotional tension, process trauma, and make sense of inner chaos. Art also serves as a tool for self-discovery, allowing the artist to explore hidden aspects of themselves and gain clarity. Engaging with art can be meditative, fostering mindfulness and reducing stress. It provides catharsis, releasing intense feelings and offering emotional renewal. Art helps build emotional resilience by allowing individuals to confront challenges creatively and cultivate strength. As a universal language, art transcends cultural barriers, offering comfort and connection. In a chaotic world, the act of creating art provides a sense of control, making it a vital means of healing and transformation.

6. The Imagination is a Refuge

William Blake wrote: "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite."

This suggests that the imagination is not a form of escapism but a deeper way of engaging with reality. By "cleansing" our perceptions, we move beyond the limitations of rational thinking and see the world as a realm full of infinite possibilities and deeper truths. For Blake, the imagination opens up a more vibrant, meaningful reality, allowing us to perceive the sacred and the divine within the ordinary.

Imagination is often misunderstood as a passive escape from the world, but it is, in fact, an active tool for engagement. It allows us to see beyond the surface of things and uncover layers of meaning in our experiences. Rather than retreating from life’s challenges, the imagination helps us confront and process them, offering a refuge that nurtures creativity, insight, and self-understanding. Through imagination, we do not flee from reality, but enter it more fully, reimagining our world and connecting with a deeper, more expansive sense of existence.

7. Embrace Fragmentation.

We live in a fractured timeline, where past, present, and future collapse together, influencing every layer of public and private life. Through the lens of our screens, we witness these temporal boundaries blur in real-time, shaping our fragmented reality. But this is not a limitation—it’s an opportunity. By embracing the disjointed nature of modern existence, we can tap into an intuitive, sporadic creative process that embraces these fragments. Trust that working within these constraints, rather than fighting against them, will allow you to weave something meaningful from the chaos.

For instance, I keep a “compost bin” under my bed. I try to work intuitively and add to it often. Eventually, I trust that these fragments will coalesce into a whole on their own. It’s effortless.

8. Thrift is a Central Creative Value

Reliance on traditional art supplies stifles creativity and drains the bank account. It is also boring. Go thrifting. Find something old and make into something new. Through thriftiness, we welcome abundance into our creative process, while transforming what would be trash into treasure.

9. Reject All Hierarchy

“Fine art” is a relatively new invention in the broad scope of human history. Ordinary people have always made art, and folk art traditions have even inspired Picasso. Rather than existing on separate tiers, all forms of art—whether labeled as “fine” or “folk”—are part of a shared creative heritage. Art’s purpose isn’t to elevate certain voices above others but to foster a shared human experience, making room for diverse expressions that enrich culture collectively. By rejecting the hierarchy, we can value creativity in all its forms, reconnecting with the idea that art is a universal, accessible force rather than an exclusive privilege.

10. Embrace Multimedia

Multimedia encourages play and experimentation, leading to new forms of art. Through multimedia, the artist engages multiple sensory experiences for both themselves and the viewer. This allows the artist to tap into a broader range of expression, allowing for flexibility and innovation. This layering of experiences not only invites the artist to explore in novel ways but also creates a dynamic space where the unexpected can emerge, fostering originality through a process of discovery.

11. Seeking Knowledge is a Creative Act

Learning is integral to the creative process. When we seek knowledge from the past, we begin to see common threads running through human history—ideas, symbols, stories, and beliefs that resonate across time and cultures. This perspective not only enriches our own understanding but also connects us to a broader human experience, revealing that creativity and knowledge have always been intertwined. Seeking knowledge becomes more than just gathering information; it’s an act of curiosity and reverence that breathes new life into old ideas. Each discovery invites us to reimagine and transform what we’ve learned into something relevant for today, whether through art, writing, or any form of expression. In this way, learning is not just a precursor to creativity; it is itself an imaginative, open-ended act that deepens and expands the possibilities of our creative work.

12. Use the Creative Process as a Meditation on Time and Memory

Modern life has an unrelenting pace, and in its rush, our experience of time flattens; days blur together, and memories become compressed, barely distinguishable from each other. This rapid accumulation of life events without meaningful pauses can make us feel as though our experiences are stacking up as a weight, a burden of passing time that we carry without really integrating it into who we are.

The creative process can be used to help us slow down and feel the passage of time at it’s natural pace. Instead of rushing towards a completed piece, enjoy the slow, tactile qualities of your work. Use this time to reflect on what you would otherwise overlook.