Can Art Really Help?

When self doubt kicks in, can art really help protect things we love?

Mar 09, 2025

So the other day I sat down with the intention of painting, or creating in some aspect with my hands and tangible media.

Over the weekend, I had really wanted to paint, but I had work that had to be done then. Which was great! It was indeed fun and exciting work, and I’m so so grateful for it!

Anywhooo, as I sat down I realized I needed to clean up the space a bit. A lil dusting, a lil refresh, it’d been a bit since I actually painted with actual paint.

I got my space all freshened up, and looking super nice, and the sun even made an appearance which was SO nice.

But then I realized I wasn’t sure what I wanted to paint. I looked at an unfinished piece, and a finished piece next to me, and I heard that annoying internal voice creep in.

“That finished piece hasn’t sold, why should I start painting something new”

Soon as the thought entered my head, I knew it was wrong, but yet, there it was.

See, I truly believe that each piece will find their perfect home in their own time, but even knowing that, and believing that, the thought still creeped in and had to be rude.

So discouraged, I then opened my phone (I know, I shouldn’t do that but I did).

More bad once news again, as there is every time I open any form of anything that has the capability of sharing “news”.

Then I was just like, “what is the point?”.

My art is inspired by the ocean, our environment, wildlife, and everyday those things are being threatened more and more.

Its quite honestly really sad, depressing, and infuriating.

But I don’t want to stop advocating for the ocean because without it we literally couldn’t live here on this beautiful planet we call Earth.

However, sometimes I question the point and how art can help even tho I know deep down they are extremely connected.

This full chain of events, or spiral if you want to call it that, reminded me of something from January.

So earlier this year I started reading multiple books and something clicked when doing so, so I pulled out my phone notes app and wrote it all down, and I think it’s time to share it with you.

Early January Phone Note

I’m reading multiple books at once.

This is not something I usually do. Typically I just focus on one, get sucked in a read it all in one day!

Not this time tho, and they are all non fiction, which again is such a big change for me. I’ve never been huge on non fiction, and really only started reading non fiction for “fun” last year.

For Christmas I received multiple books and I was just so excited about all of them that I decided I would read 2 at a time, and am still reading them very slowly.

One is called Around the Ocean in 80 Fish and Other Sea Life, and then the other is Blue Wonder.

Around the Ocean in 80 Fish and Other Sea Life is going to become a book that I will read for I guess 80 Days because I thought it would be fun to read about one thing a day.

Then, Blue Wonder is a little bit of everything, and so far it’s fabulous!

Each section holds so much info, and interesting tidbits that I’ve found myself wanting to highlight things which i’ve never done within a book before, so doing so feels a lil wrong, but that’s beyond the point! I’ve done it and it’s making it fun, and special, and easy for quick future reference.

Now, why am I sharing this you ask?… (I mean I was also questioning this, so you probably were too)

Well last week I read the intro to the daily read ( Around the Ocean in 80 Fish and Other Sea Life), and the preface to Blue Wonder and though these books are written by different people, and published by completely different publishers with no obvious links between the two… the intros both said something similar that stood out to me.

Something that I’ve wanted to articulate but couldn’t quite find the words to do so simply.

Both in the terms of my work, and how art can help the world.

See, whenever I try to describe what 25 Sweetpeas is I don’t know what to say. It’s the name of my brand that I create art for.

I often say it’s a Stationery & Lifestyle Brand inspired and motivated by the ocean.

Which is true.

I do all of the art, everything is coastal & or ocean inspired but why?

I can’t just say because I love the ocean (although that is true!).

But why would someone want the art I’ve created because I love the ocean, and because I want to protect it?

How is that going to help YOU, or add to YOUR life?

And more importantly, how does it help the ocean?

Ideally I think that if I create art inspired by, lets say a whale shark, and you love a whale shark you can then have a tangible thing with a whale shark on it.

Kinda like when you choose to wear your favorite color. But how does this help whale sharks?

Maybe it puts them top of mind, reminding you to think of them.

Igniting your passion to protect them?

Like with an art print of a beachy painting.

Maybe seeing it is a daily reminder on your wall of a favorite place which keeps it top of mind and then reminds you how you never want to loose that beautiful place.

Now those are great things, but how can they make a real difference? How can you and I really help the ocean through art?

Truthfully, I often doubt my abilities to help the ocean as an artist.

Even tho I do know deep down that, that’s a stupid thing to say.

The biggest thing that helped me this past year in solidifying that you and I CAN help as an artist was this quote by Dr Sylvia Earle.

"Look in the mirror, consider your talents, and think about how you might use them to make a difference. Some have artistic skills, others are good with numbers or have a way with words. Everyone has power to make a difference as an individual, or by joining the company of others who share a common goal. The key is in knowing that what you do matters, including doing nothing!" - Dr. Sylvia Earle

"Look in the mirror, consider your talents, and think about how you might use them to make a difference.

Some have artistic skills, others are good with numbers or have a way with words.

Everyone has power to make a difference as an individual, or by joining the company of others who share a common goal.

The key is in knowing that what you do matters, including doing nothing!"

~ Dr. Sylvia Earle

Now how does this link back to the intros to both of the books I’m reading, well let’s connect it all!

The Blue Wonder Book author quoted Baba Dioum, an Environmentalist, saying “In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught”.

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught”.

~Baba Dioum

Then the author went on to say….

“With this book I would like to awaken in you the love I have for the sea and, with that, the desire to protect this unique habitat”.

With that it clicked, and I grabbed a marker to highlight!

This is the same goal I have with art, just much more eloquently put, and a different medium!

It’s how art can help right now.

Then the other book, which focuses on introducing you to 80 different forms of sea life echoed a similar sentiment.

She talked about how there is no single solution to save the ocean, and how one of the most important parts comes “down to people grasping that the ocean is finite”, and that a crucial part of it all is “simply to know more, to be interested and to care more about ocean life, and that is how I hope this book will help”.

The same sentiment.

The more she share about the ocean, the more people learn about it, and in return hopefully more will care.

Everyone learns differently, maybe it’s through a documentary series, written word, a book with pretty pictures, art, music, there are just so many ways to learn.

And in the particular scenario as an artist, I like sharing and encouraging others to care through art, and you can do that same.

It is important, and I thinking seeing all of those examples together really helped to show HOW art can play a part in helping protect the ocean, our environment and really just life.

In another lil side tangent that’s related - Over the past year I’ve loved listening to the Conservation Connection podcast.

Its such a good podcast, all about conservation all over the world.

There was actually an episode last year that features Dr Sylvia Earle. When they talked to her she mentioned how a lot of the issues we have come back to communication issues and that makes a lot of sense.

In fact, I’m in the middle of an episode right now and the individual being interviewed was like, not everyone wants to read a scientific paper (🙋🏼‍♀️), but he loves to talk about them. So he can talk about the paper’s and reach people who wouldn’t normally read the.

Then, they were talking about how the podcast is almost like being a communicator.

Sharing info in a form that will reach different people because of the form it’s presented in.

Which is Art.

Art can be a form of communication, in fact you may reach people who would never pick up a book, or read an article about the importance of Mangroves, yet they will stop and look at all of the little details in the painting you made supporting mangroves.

Indirectly they may learn something and then want to learn more.

Putting all of these lil nuggets of info together was just wonderful!

It’s proof that you can make a difference even if you aren’t an Oceanographer, a Marine Biologist, and so on. You can advocate for things you love in your own way, and you can make a difference!

Again, why am I sharing all of this?

I think right now, a lot of people feel a bit helpless, and feel a lil like they are “shouting into a void” and sometimes that equates to artists/creatives giving up.

Throwing in the metaphorical towel, and feeling blah.

Saying things like, what is the point?

But it’s important to remember when that lil self doubt voice creeps in that we need to just ignore it.

Take a break, go for a walk, read a book, turn on your comfort show, bake a cookie!

Art does matter, art can help, and we need art.

Would LOVE your take on these things, how do YOU think art can help the world?

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