Let Someone Else Bring The Joy!

Honestly, what was I thinking? I am not the bringer of joy, and I thought I had to be. I thought I had to dampen my taste for darkness and melancholy and replace it with sunshine and fairies. See, this is what Instagram does to you. When I was making machine-embroidered pictures in the 90s, they were dark as fuck - but did I worry about it? No! Because I wasn’t looking at some miniature computer 10 times a day and having millions of people going on about bringing joy to the world because that’s what we all need. Back then I was going through a pretty shit time with my mum being ill and dying and my world was dark, and I expressed it. What’s more, people bought it. And I didn’t give it a second thought.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not some joyless arsehole with a 100% negative world view. I’d say I’m a realist. Toxic positivity gives me the ick. Ok, let’s not wallow indefinitely, but we have to acknowledge the reality of people’s pain and difficulty. It’s pretty insulting and actually quite damaging to negate someone’s lived experience by turning everything into a positive even when it quite plainly isn’t.

Argh, little a bit of a rant there. Back to JOY! Just so we’re clear, I absolutely LOVE me a bit of joy. A LOT would be nice, frankly. Honestly, who doesn’t. Really what I’m saying (to myself) is - go with your instincts. Don’t crush them because of the prevailing atmosphere on social media. Absolutely we need joy more than ever before, and hope too, bloody stacks and stacks of it to deal with the global horror show we’re witnessing and living in. Heck, it’s not like I’m producing macabre, blood-soaked, apocalyptic art or anything, anyway. There IS joy in my work, in the colours I use, there’s a whiff of irreverence and humour, there’s plenty of life and energy. Just there’s also a vigorous nod to the darker side, the troublesome, tricky side of human nature. Someone else can bring the joy, and I thank them for it.