Creative Politics

I’ve been watching the political campaign journey which is unfolding here in the UK and it’s been an eye opening experience (as well as a jolly jaunt into the realm of yellow, blue and pink ties). As I believe I have mentioned before, I’m not someone who tends to go head long into political discussion or debate, and would rather listen to points of view banded about by others. Part of me is probably undecided and wants to weigh up the arguments sensibly, and another part is probably slightly embarrassed that I haven’t spent much time disseminating politics throughout my life and slightly worried I’ll come off ignorant of the realities surrounding me. I’m working on it though.

I must admit to feeling a little detached from it all and the fact that so many people in my life at the moment mix in highly political circles (I learnt that about three people I know actually work in Parliament, including someone I’m dating so that’s a real impetus to get with it).

As someone who actively enjoys debate and discussion around endless topics, I have often wondered why I didn’t take more interest or even active involvement in political movements. I must also admit to feeling a little embarrassed that I have previously thought that my particular creative career plans didn’t actually line up well with what I’d perceived as a stuffy, hazy and distant island. I now know this to be a load of balls.

As a writer and producer I have as much political opinion as anyone else, the only difference is that I express my points of view through a highly digestible medium. I hope that people reading my blog, who watch my films or even talk to me (do people still do that?), can be inspired by any particular concept or idea that they take away with them and make them think.

Standing back and looking at the bigger picture, it’s feasible to see that a world packed full of politics, process and business is alright for some people, but even they like to zone out with a good film and a bar of chocolate now and then. The work creative and innovative people conduct is key to a well balanced society. It has the potential to be a much needed respite; a space for thought and self reflection, as well as a means to presenting ones own radical political points of view in a variety of different ways.

I reflected on my perspectives of political ideas, creative work and the grey area in between and have come to the conclusion that I have, all my life, been actively involved in society, politics and the world at large. Whether it be a play I directed about breast cancer, a show I performed in about the Third Reich or a screenplay I wrote about LGBT issues, creative outlets have always, and will always, be a vital and necessary component to the social machine.

Above and beyond the self indulgent aspects of the argument, it’s important to point that by effectively targeting particular audiences with particular themes relevant to them, one can roll out ones ideas far more strategically and allow people to take on board an idea which they would otherwise have simply skimmed over or turned the page on.

We, as writers, don’t stand up and make speeches in the moment, we sit down and create ideas, worlds and points of view which resonate far beyond the present and touch on far more than we give ourselves credit for.