Triumphing Over Fear

Monkey here. Just a FYI, the illustration this week is a bit more graphic than usual and may be disturbing to sensitive readers.  I also talk about assassination attempts and violence (and yes, I tie it all back into creating and art), so if that might bother you, please come back next week.  The post starts (with the illustration) after the jump.

Lessons from Indonesia, pt. 2 - Gratitude

Happy Wednesday everyone! It's Monkey yet again with another post about some of the things we learned from Indonesia.

We thought it was a bit of perfect timing, since tomorrow is Thanksgiving (or Unthanksgiving, or National Day of Mourning, depending on which coast you live on and what your beliefs are about the settler's immigration to this continent). Regardless of whether you're frustrated or just happy to be eating tofurkey, I think it should most definitely be a time of reflection.

While it shouldn't have taken a trip to Indonesia for me to really grasp the sense of extreme poverty that many citizens of the world face (after all, I should just check out Detroit, or New Orleans, or even my hometown of Stockton, the most miserable city in the country), seeing that sort of poverty first-hand really tore me up.

While I don't want to take away from the Occupy Wall Street Movement (where I proudly stand as part of the 99%), just as we are fighting for our own well-being domestically, we also just need to be aware that we're most likely part of the 1% globally, just by living in the United States.

While I currently make enough money to register well under the poverty line, I'm also typing this right now on a mac, and I'm someplace warm, drinking some tap water. I'm not living in a cobbled together home made out of bricks, plaster, and some sheet metal for a roof. When it rains, it doesn't splatter into my home that doesn't have a front door. I don't have to buy bottled water everyday because tap water makes you sick (assuming I'd even be able to afford bottled water). I can be assured that my city inspects restaurants to ensure clean practices.

There isn't an actual war (with suicide bombings, ak-47's and the like) going on in my backyard like people in the Middle East and parts of Asia have to deal with. I don't have to worry that Eve is going to be kidnapped and sold into slavery (at best) like the women of Juarez, Mexico have to worry about.

While I don't want to belabor the tragedies and trials and horrors that our world has seen and continues to see, we do need to recognize these things. As Cal sociology professor Dan Brook has said about the massacre of the Native Americans by the Pilgrims and their successors: "We do not have to feel guilty, but we do need to feel something. At the very least, we need to reflect on how and what we feel."

If anything, I think that we should all feel extremely grateful to have what we do have. If you're reading this, chances are you're trying to pursue some sort of creative endeavor, and that is something to be extremely grateful for. Often times we (or at least I) get bogged down in how tough the struggle can be sometimes. Trying to find the energy and motivation, trying to find ways to survive as an artist, new clients, dealing with problem clients, trying to explain to your family what you do, dealing with your dayjob...it can be rough. However, what I try to focus on is the fact that by choosing to follow your dream, by choosing to work your butt off until you're exhausted for what YOU want to do (not what society tells us we should be doing), we're part of an even luckier .01% that does what WE want to do.

So however you want to celebrate this upcoming Thursday, whether it's with food and family or with friends or with your pencils and paints in your studio, or with strangers in an #occupy protest or whatever, know that you do have something to be grateful for. So as long as you're still breathing and doing what you need to do, be thankful for what you have, and make the most of this crazy little thing called life.

Stand for Something

"Racebending" - An illustration for Hyphen Magazine about Avatar:The Last Airbender's controversy over white-washing the casting. For more information check out www.racebending.com

In retail, you're taught that you need to be completely neutral. You are not supposed to take stances on politics, religion, sexuality, or anything that might potentially offend a customer. We think this is not the right way to go about things.

While Monkey + Seal equally is against marketing campaigns that serve to make companies look like they care when they don't (greenwashing, etc) , we also applaud companies that actually stand for their values.

We're big fans of Urban Bazaar, (full disclosure - they're carrying our ties, but we're talking about them here because the owners are awesome) a new boutique in San Francisco that only stocks handmade and Fair Trade items. The owners are very specific about the politics of their owners in their "about" page:

"Stemming from their shared passions for social justice, environmental responsibility, and promoting the handcrafted arts, they aim to create an alternative to big box chains and mass produced goods while supporting artisans locally and abroad."

Now that's what we're talking about. A statement of their beliefs and values. Besides selling some really cool stuff (belts made from reclaimed bike tires...Monkey wants!!), they have a clear intent and purpose that as people who also care about these things, we'd like to support.

Many businesses are probably afraid of driving away customers with politics and whatnot. We say, drive them away. If you stand for something positive and awesome, then by all means, stand by it. Although you might drive away some potential customers, do you really want to have people who support things you don't, come to you for help?

Monkey + Seal are all for healthy discussion (not one-sided yelling or name-calling) and debate. However, if a customer is not willing to buy from us simply for the fact that we support gay marriage, or are feminist, or are vegan, or are anti-racist, or anything other attribute that makes us who we are, we're willing to turn down their money. We realize that this is a privileged position to take, but we do our best to stick to our paint brushes and determination (although situations like this don't come up very often, to be honest).

While we don't have anything deliberately stated on our About page besides our mission to help empower other artists, as we are shifting to donating part of all our items (not just our You're Not Alone Anymore shirt) to charities, we'll gradually become a bit more vocal about our causes. We're not saying that you have to be overt about your politics (although if that's what you want to do, go for it!), but I think if you stand by your cause, you'll be better off for it.

If anything, we think that taking a stance and declaring what you believe in is important to your business and to your soul. You can feel good and honest about being yourself, and if you support a cause people will want to support you as well. Like we said before, you should NOT go around making false claims and trying to pitch your product to a niche that you don't really believe in. In fact, if you're not super passionate about anything, then don't pretend to be. But if there is a cause that speaks to you (there usually is), then stand up for it and be proud.