Why Is Art So Often Undervalued? A Call to Reclaim Its Power
Art is undervalued in many layered and systemic ways—economically, culturally, and spiritually. Funding cuts, precarious livelihoods, and the rise of AI threaten creative work, while dominant systems continue to treat the arts as optional or non-essential. But why? Why is art consistently pushed to the margins, despite its ability to heal, to inspire, and to unite?
Perhaps it is because it is so powerful. Because art is inherently transformative. It connects us to one another, to the land, and to something greater than ourselves. In a world built on extraction and disconnection, this kind of rooted, relational creativity is radical.
To undervalue art is to undervalue the soul of culture and the lifeblood of transformation. Art holds the stories, songs, and symbols that shape how we understand the world—and how we imagine new possibilities. It invites us to feel, to question, to remember. In a time when extractive systems threaten to silence creative voices and sever our ties to the sacred, art reminds us what it is to be fully alive and interconnected. It reminds us that regeneration begins with relationship.
At Of The Wild, we believe social and environmental transformation begins with shifting the way we relate—to each other, to the land, and to the ecosystems we are part of. Our work nurtures this shift by creating shared, embodied experiences that root ecological awareness in the body, voice, and collective ritual. By gathering in seasonal ceremonies, planting symbolic seeds, and weaving art with activism, we offer an alternative to narratives of destruction. Instead, we cultivate active hope, reciprocity, and a tangible sense of co-responsibility for the living world.
Art, when deeply engaged with land and community, becomes more than expression—it becomes a living, breathing act of restoration. In ritual, we remember: creativity is not just something we do, it’s a way of being. When we sing, move, and create in alignment with the earth’s cycles, we return to an ancient way of knowing. We remember that we are not separate from nature—we are nature. Through this work, we are not only imagining new ways forward—we are actively tending to them.
To undervalue art is to undervalue the soul of culture and the lifeblood of transformation. In a time when extractive systems threaten to silence creative voices and sever our ties to the sacred, art reminds us what it is to be fully alive and connected. It reminds us that regeneration begins with relationship.
We are Of The Wild, and we are here to tell a different story—one that moves beyond crisis and into renewal. One where art and nature are woven together in reciprocity, reminding us that the future we long for is not only possible—it’s already growing in the spaces where beauty, spirit, and earth meet.
