Listening to: empathogen by WILLOW
I'm not gonna say art can save the world (it can't) or that it's a good idea to ignore the harsh realities of life to focus on writing fanfiction or whatever, but I do think there is a point to just making things. But I also get how this can be intimidating if you're not used to it, cuz the barrier of entry for most artistic endeavors feels so fucking high and sometimes it's easier to just not. Takes years to learn how to draw and most folks don't have that kinda time, so why bother? Except drawing is super easy, just need a pen and paper. Drawing like your favorite artist is a thing you can work towards, but there is very little to stop you from picking up a pen and a piece of paper and making something, unless you physically can't make things or you don't have the time, which are both extremely valid. But if you want to and can make things, you should be making things.
Part 1: Zines
What the fuck is a zine? In short, it's a magazine or a fanzine, one you can make at home. You really only need a piece of paper and a pair of scissors to make a fully functional zine, maybe some markers and pens, stencils and stickers, for decorating the inside. There's Electric Zine Maker (available on Windows, but I've been able to make it work with Proton on Linux) you can download to make the actual zine creation process easier and cheaper, no need to buy and/or have art supplies on hand to decorate the zine, just need a printer (your local library very likely has one) and a basic understanding of how to fold a zine. For those who have no fucking clue how folding a zine is supposed to work (it's a little complicated if you've never done it before, then suddenly gets easy when you've done it several times) here's a simple guide for how to fold an 8-page zine. For those who need a video tutorial, I found this person on YouTube with an entire channel about zines, including tutorials on how to create/fold them.
Zines aren't new. You've probably heard of and seen fanzines, but didn't know zine making was so damn easy. They've been a thing in the punk scene and the queer scene for decades, an easy way to preserve and spread information those in power don't want you to have. They have the same vulnerabilities as any type of physical media (fire, water damage, etc.) but they also can't be deleted with the flick of a button or suddenly disappear with an account purge. You can make them about anything you want. Personal opinions, recent news stories, poetry, advice, affirmations, flash fiction, random scribbles, a movie review, a list of books you've recently read, a zine about your favorite TV show or movie. And they don't have to be small or simple! You can get creative with the size and the folding and the layout! The only limitations are your resources, your imagination, and your skillset.
What if my zine is bad? Then you made something and it was bad, but you made something. Without AI! You made something without AI!