Hope Map

The Hope Map

“ To hope is to give yourself to the future - and that commitment to the future is what makes the present inhabitable.” Rebecca Solnit

Before talking about hope, I have to first talk about anxiety and despair. Anxiety has at times impacted my capacity to work and to create. Anxiety is a phenomena experienced by increasing numbers of young and older people throughout society.

Both of these have drawn me towards exploring the phenomena of anxiety. Why is anxiety so prevalent in society? Who is affected by anxiety? What is anxiety? These questions have driven my explorations of anxiety.

Alongside this research, I have also been considering what stops people from taking action, which revealed a particular kind of anxiety – a kind of paralysis and inability to respond. Why do some people have the belief that change is possible? What underpins the belief that personal action can bring about change? What is the difference between those that take action and those that don’t? It was through these investigations that I started to consider Hope and what generates hope.

The Hope Map, an on-going project, arose from these explorations and a personal need to counter feelings of despair and inaction. It is personal and political.