Lately, I've been working on projects that fall into a category that I'd call "artistic activism".

The term "activist artist" was one that was supplied to me by a friend following a phone conversation about the management of outreach-minded, educational, community projects.

To me, artistry is radical. It should push the frontiers of society. It should invite social discussion, challenge our awareness, make us reevaluate our perspectives. And I do not limit this just to concerts that would fundraise for a charitable institution, as beneficial as the effects are for such an endeavor. I'm talking about the fact that within artistic creation, there exists a certain humanity, a certain kind of medium through which we perceive the world, that is, in itself, a powerful, visceral force. Music shouldn't just be something that is therapeutic - when a listener is ready for it, it should also have the capacity to challenge and transform.

But where does one start? I say through self-exploration. No person is the same, no person has the same perspective, and therefore no artist has the same craft. That artistry is separated into music, dance, theater, visual arts, multimedia, etc. reveals how we find labels for abstract things. In the end, we all express ourselves differently, day to day or professionally. Yet, art unites our "expressing" under the umbrella that "we're all in this together". That I am a me-expressing individual, that you are a you-expressing individual, and that we are united in this sense - this is art.