Artists have to do more than paint, sing, draw, or act. We have to be teachers, advocators, fighters; on top of being excellent at our craft. The arts are always the first thing to go. "We don't need the orchestra program," "the art room could be a computer lab," "no one will go to a play." There is always an "educated reason" or "assumption" made when people decide to cut the arts. People forget how much art has influenced where we are today. Every major political and social movement, good or bad, has used art to achieve it's goal. A song, propaganda posters, poetry; art influences and unites.

Now, more than ever, artists are have to fight every day to keep the art alive. With plans to defund the National Endowment for the Arts, an organization that has allowed for thousands of people to express their creativity with funding and scholarships, our challenge to thrive is greater than ever. The reality is that thousands of aspiring artists are being robbed of opportunities to create. The future of the arts in this country is unforeseeable, a terrifying and real statement.

But we as artists are not backing down and we aren't going away. We continue to create, share, and push. We find ways to work on a budget, spread our message and art, and continue to inspire young aspiring artists to dive in. We make ourselves accessible even when our leaders don't want us to be. Artists wake up every day knowing that what they do makes them happy and gives the world inspiration and meaning. We also know that our work is far from over.