Hi, hi, Punk'ins! I know how much this community loves a prompt!!
Recently, I’ve been digging into my philosophy as a writer and an artist — as someone who believes in filling every empty space with knowledge, beauty, or value. Someone who understands that “everything is awful” is the same lie as “everything is great.” Someone who believes that choosing not only to see but to recognize and spotlight the joy behind creativity is vital in the war against oppression and censorship.
I’ve been calling this attitude, this practice, this philosophy JoyPunk. Not a term I coined, but the only one that fits. It’s the discipline of staying human on purpose — a refusal to let despair, burnout, or cruelty decide who we get to be.
I’m curious about your thoughts. Where are you seeing this idea of JoyPunk reflected in the world — in art, in community, in the beauty around you? I'd like to quote (and link) your thoughts in an upcoming essay I'm writing on the topic.
