The fierce urgency of NOW...it's on us

Guess what? It always has been.

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there "is" such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”

―Martin Luther King Jr.

Hey Fam,

Interrupting your mid-day with some reflections on one of my favorite creatives Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy.

As someone who frequently brandishes my own t-shirt “creatives hustle harder” it is not lost on me the draw of capitalism to feel unproductive if we are not constantly working and hustling without deep rest, reflection, and sometimes silence. NOW, is the currency and language of our digital world today.

Dr. King used the phrase the fierce urgency of now on at least two memorable occasions. The first was the “I Have a Dream” speech delivered on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial on the Washington, D.C. National Mall. The second was his “Beyond Vietnam” sermon of April 1967, given at Riverside Church in New York City.

His NOW call to action was specific and direct but it was not in the hustle or hurry way of how we think of now. His NOW was that justice and freedom cannot wait, that injustice is happening NOW. So your work, ideas, activism, advocacy, and creativity are needed NOW.

• What are you sitting on that will make our world a better place to be free in?

• How do we as creatives and thinkers answer this call?

• What is creativity when you can’t choose your destiny freely?

I don’t think Dr. King meant that you should buy-in to the hamster wheel of the non-stop toil of work for profit but that NOW is the opportunity to make one small step toward a better more equitable and fair world. We are able to vote, ride the bus, start a business, because of millions of tiny actions of NOW by ordinary people happened before us. That quantitative change leads to qualitative change. But there is still much NOW to do.

The world is waiting for you to put your ideas, skill, talents, and thoughts into action. That book, app, learning community, workshop, non-profit, social enterprise you’ve been sitting on is needed NOW. We still face challenges of white supremacy, systemic racism, discrimination, climate change, technology advancing faster than we can blink and more. The people with the least amongst us stand to suffer the most.

NOW is not hustle. NOW is intention and action in incremental positive change. Dr. King gave us a call to action.

It’s on us Creatives to do the work. Guess what? It always has been.

“Almost always the creative, dedicated minority has made the world better. ”

―Martin Luther King Jr.

Leave me a note and let me know what NOW is for you.

I am back next week with a new podcast episode!

Can you do me a favor? If you rockin’ with what I am trying to build would you mind sharing this newsletter with one new person you think would dig it too? Just send them this link. https://shutupandcreate.substack.com/welcome

As always thank you for sharing some space with me.