Why volunteerism is so important these days for young artists and northern communities.
Self-care is a complete lie when it stops at your own front door. Obsessing over your own healing is often the fastest way to stay stuck in the mud.
I spent three months in my tiny apartment in Thunder Bay thinking that if I just journaled harder or bought one more weighted blanket, the heavy fog in my brain would finally lift. It didn’t. I was just a person in a very comfortable room with a very loud mind. Everything felt like a performance. Even my rest felt like a chore I was failing at. It wasn’t until I dragged myself down to the community center to help paint a backdrop for a local youth theater group that something actually shifted. My brain rot finally met its match in a bucket of primer.
Showing up wasn’t about being a hero or “giving back” in that cheesy, outdated way your parents talk about. It was strictly about survival. I was so sick of my own internal monologue that I needed a task that had nothing to do with my personal brand or my future. Volunteerism is so important these days because we are all drowning in our own perspectives. We are trapped in these digital echo chambers where the only voice we hear is our own anxiety, amplified by an algorithm that profits from our isolation. When you’re holding a ladder for someone or sorting through donated brushes in a cold basement, you finally get a break from yourself.
There is a specific kind of magic in the “unpaid” space, especially here in Northwestern Ontario. Our arts organizations are held together by literal duct tape and the sheer stubbornness of people who care. When you step into that, you realize you aren’t just an isolated unit trying to optimize your life. You’re part of a collective nervous system. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) talks a lot about values-based action. It’s the idea that you don’t wait to feel good before you do something meaningful. You do the meaningful thing while feeling like absolute trash, and eventually, the feeling catches up. You move your hands, and the mind follows.
We often think of volunteering as a drain on our limited energy. We’re tired, we’re burnt out, and we’re worried about the rent. But the math of the human spirit is weird. Giving away a Saturday morning to help a struggling gallery in a rural town actually refills your cup in a way that mindless scrolling never can. It provides a sense of agency that we desperately lack. You see a problem, you move your body, and the problem changes. That feedback loop is the best antidote to the helplessness that defines our era.
If you’re feeling like a ghost in your own life, find a small arts collective or a local festival and just show up. Don’t do it to build a resume or for the social media clout. Do it because your brain needs to remember how to exist in a physical world that isn’t a screen. We need each other more than ever. Being a part of something bigger isn’t just a nice thing to do; it’s the only way we’re going to survive the winter without losing our minds.
Northwestern Ontario Arts, Culture and Recreation
Rooted in Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario we’re exploring arts, culture, and recreation programming that brings our communitiess together. From creative workshops and local exhibitions to youth activities and cultural events, we support rural artists, strengthen community connection, and celebrate the creative spirit of Northwestern Ontario.
Through community-based arts initiatives, recreation programming, and cultural gatherings, Melgund Recreation, Arts and Culture fosters creative expression, collaboration, and long-term sustainability in the northern arts sector. Our work connects residents, empowers youth, and builds pride in local talent across rural Northwestern Ontario.
Learn more about our programs, events, and opportunities with Melgund Recreation, Arts and Culture.
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