why do artists even need a go bag?
on our role when things get real
Sit with me for a moment in the world of fiction.I want you to imagine that a major climate event has occurred. Think about where your home or apartment is situated. Are there any risks in this?
For your region, what is the most likely event? For me, it’s a wildfire or earthquake. For you, it might be a tornado, a hurricane, flooding, dust storm. Think back to the last big natural disaster that shook you. The one you couldn’t stop watching videos or reading articles about, that you were sharing fundraisers for with all of your friends.
Now, breathe with me for a second into the discomfort. These things I just mentioned are the sources of some of my biggest nightmares. I know we all have some version of this, and I am asking you these questions with the intention of making sure you are supported.
Artists are great at knowing what is truly essential, and what isn’t we are seasoned in the expertise required to make building one of these bags possible for ourselves.
Imagine your answers to the following:
In the event that required you leave your home OR stay in place for several days, what would you do?
Do you know where your most important documents are?
Do you know what the plan would be with your kids or pets? Ideally, what would you imagine this looks like?
Are you close enough with neighbors or nearby friends to work cooperatively? In the event of a disaster, what do you think your role would be?
What ways might you find comfort and stay calm through the uncertainty?
We can learn so much from our answers to these questions. Root into them, journal about them, share them and talk about them with people you love.
We know that these times are coming. On our warming planet, it is no longer a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.
Climate change is upending the very idea of what we think is normal. BUT because we make things, artists have an embodied intelligence that is poised for adaptation and experimentation. I want to help you take this very mindset and put it to work to be ready when shit gets very real.
In January of 2025, when the LA Fires hit, I had a massive crisis. I watched feeling helpless and horrified knowing this very thing could happen to me and I was unprepared. Living in a town that is shaped like Altadena, I realized I didn’t have a go bag or a plan of any kind. I jumped into action, raiding my camping, backpacking, and hiking gear stashes to build a bag, while at the same time drawing all of my gear.
a collage of some of my drawings from my sketchbook at this time. Socks, a passport, waterproof lockbox, sunscreen, walkie-talkies, a solar-powered radio, water bottles, energy bars, and my beloved Flo-Mask
There was no way that I was alone in being totally unprepared. I had to make a zine that explained — in simple and easy to manage categories — how to build this bag piece by piece. I just restocked these zines in my shop.
BUT I know that simply buying a zine doesn’t get the bag built. Folks with brains like me require body-doubling or a rigid, set time to make the thing happen. My neurodivergence follows shiny project to shiny project like a Magpie collecting treasures. I have countless half started paintings and several knitting projects at various seasons of done-ness. That is why I’m teaching a Go Bag Class THIS SUNDAY from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, with recording available to folks who sign up for 30 days.
Plus, everyone who signs up for Go Bag Class gets a PDF copy of my Go Bag Zine included in your ticket
After the Go Bag Class you’ll have:
Clarity on what to pack, why to pack it, and where each item should go — for easy access.
A simple Go Bag or Wagon1 with your essentials, packed and ready.
An understanding of a few scenarios that might go down (traffic blockades, a need to shelter in-place, phones/internet not working)
A plan to practice an evacuation with your family and pets.
How to maintain your bag, long term.
Strategies for getting your community involved.
Originally, this class was going to be live only BUT I changed my mind to make the recording available for a limited window after the event to motivate folks to actually make one. I’ll also open up a secret Discord thread for the class where you can ask me questions for days after.
What does the class cost?
I’m offering sliding-scale pricing for this class$35 | $59 | $89
Why are you teaching this class right now?
Summer is typically the time of year where we get big and wild climate events. I don’t want you to be caught off guard. I also would rather not teach this after a disaster hits, so right now feels correct.
How does this class relate to your art?
This class and the zine I drew that inspired it is based on the story in my favorite book, Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. Lauren Olamina’s preparedness and intuition in the story both allowed her to survive and provide for her community when disaster struck. I believe that we must accept that change is a fundamental part of life and a guiding force to teach us, rather than a terrifying entity to be avoided.
Why should I take this class?
I want you to feel calm knowing you had a plan and gently prepared if anything does happen. I’d also love for you to become a resource to your community, helping pass on this knowledge to those around you who you care about. Too many people I know do not have go bags when I ask. Even the smallest and simplest amount of foresight does a long way.
Are you a “prepper”??
Kind of. In the way that a queer leftist can be prepared for a disaster and in service to their neighbors and community. I’m a seasoned hiker and camper, which means I know how to survive in a crisis. BUT I believe that everyone, regardless of how experienced they are with the outdoors, should have some infrastructure and practice to support them in times of great change.ok, cool, sign me up.
Thank you for reading. That is all for this dispatch about my thinking for Go Bag Class. I’ll be back next week with the first part in a four part series of essays all about the phases of our creative practices — productive, reflective, integrative, and learning. I’m stoked for you to read them all.
Also, happy PRIDE & if you live in California, please VOTE today! Get to know me better by reading my brand new about page on my website or listening to some of the podcasts I’ve been on.
As a reminder, you can work with me 1-on-1 to get support with your art or craft, help with your new projects, or have me build you a custom creative retreat. I just started offering 30 minute tutoring session too which are only $40! Explore options and book a session here!
Go Bags not for you? Check out the other classes I am brewing at the moment OR join my Emergent Classroom creative support group here.
If you, like me, enjoy turning to fiction to imagine a better world, check out this great short story The Year Without Sunshine by Naomi Kritzer. It beautifully showcases how cooperation and community are a source of hope.
I can’t carry more than 12 lbs at a time still, so this means wagon over backpack 100%
