by Dan Burgess
Throughout modern history creativity has thrived during times of hardship, turmoil, and adversity. This creativity spawns from necessity as people invent and imagine as needed to survive. Fortunately, this creativity is also expressed artistically and some of the most celebrated works of art, literature, and music have been created as a result. It is during the darkest days that the light shines the brightest, and most urgently, for many artists and activists.
This has certainly been true in American history. The Great Depression, both World Wars, and the struggle for Civil Rights have all generated extensive pieces of beautiful and powerful compositions. These works are some of the most revered our country has.
While it is debatable that the recent political and economic turmoil our country has seen is on par with the Great Depression and the Civil Rights movement, it is for certain that many Americans have felt a great deal of despair over the last decade. A combination of economic turbulence, foreign policy disharmony, and environmental concerns have inspired artists of all kinds to produce an amazing amount of work in the last five to ten years.
One area that we have seen a surge from artists and activists is on the silver screen and in particular documentaries that aim to promote environmental awareness and activism. Just this summer, three films of this theme have been released that are worth checking out.
The first film, No Impact Man, is an inspiring look at a man that ‘decides to completely eliminate his personal impact on the environment for the next year' and the trials and tribulations that he and his family go through in the process.
