Creative Resources

Creative Advocacy
- Questions to Guide Research & Brainstorming Ideas
- Skill-Building Resources
Inspiration

Creative Advocacy

Want to make a difference but don’t know where to begin? Here are some resources to help guide you in your creative journey!

Questions to Guide Research & Brainstorming Ideas

Questions to Guide Research & Spark Inspiration

How do human systems affect the ocean? How does the ocean affect life on land? How are ocean health and human health connected?
How does climate change impact the ocean and marine life?
How does the ocean play a role in mitigating the effects of climate change? (Hint: Click here for a definition of climate change “mitigation.”)
How will climate change impact your school, neighborhood, town, city, or state? What local solutions are already in motion? What solutions would you like to see created or put into action? Who is driving these projects?
What will the planet look like in 2100 if we continue with “business as usual”? What will the planet look like in 2100 if we take meaningful action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
How do your daily actions connect you to the ocean?
What steps do you take to help the environment?
Who is responsible for climate change?
Where do you find comfort when you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed?
Why is being hopeful important when facing crises?
Who are your climate heroes?
Whose perspective have you not heard when researching climate change?
What strategies do artists use to help us understand climate change as well as to move us to feel something about it?
How can we communicate stories about our ocean and the climate crisis that make an impact on others and inspire them to act?

Brainstorming Ideas

Uplift a success story of current climate action from your community, region, or around the world.
Imagine your hometown in 2050. How has the city adapted to climate change? How have you adapted?
What is the story you will tell your grandchildren about how we stopped the worst of the climate crisis?
Conduct an interview with or create a portrait of your climate hero.
Highlight an emerging or innovative technology that can help combat climate change.
Imagine the climate crisis from the point of view of a plant, animal, or ecosystem threatened by the climate crisis. What actions will humans take to save you?

Skill-Building Resources

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Whether you’re an experienced creator or a total newbie, check out these resources for honing your creative talents.

“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.”
—Neil Gaiman

Storytelling

No matter your medium, story-telling is an important component of creation
and communication.

Visual Art

Creative Writing

How to Write a Story: The 10 Best Secrets
Symptoms and Cures for Writer’s Block
NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program – draft a full novel in one month

Poetry & Spoken Word

Performing Arts

How to Write a Song | 10 Songwriting Tips from the Pros

Film

Interactive & Multimedia

Inspiration

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This is a space for art, stories, and creative media that makes us ask questions, feel, understand, wonder, and reconnect. We encourage you to learn from and be moved by these resources as you shape your own project for the Ocean Awareness Contest.

Alumni Spotlight: Meet Youth Wavemakers

Meet Bow Seat alumni who use their creative practices as a tool for environmental activism.

Young People Making a Difference

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See how young people like you are organizing and leading movements around the world to make the oceans healthier and their communities greener:

People to Follow

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Here is an incomplete list of people and organizations we recommend you follow to stay up-to-date on climate news and ideas for living sustainably.

Future Blue Youth Council

EarthEcho International

World Ocean Day

ECOMEDY

Isaias Hernandez – Queer Brown Vegan

Kristy Drutman – Brown Girl Green

Pattie Gonia

Climate Town

EcoTok

Alaina Wood – The Garbage Queen

Sophia Li

Indigenous Women Hike

Sam Ortiz

Perrin Ireland

Wild Green Memes For Ecological Fiends

Climate Memes

Climate Change Art

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Art is a universal and powerful means of communication. Its many forms—writing, design, sculpture, photography, film, painting, music, and much more—can educate, inspire, and empower individuals, and ultimately unite people into taking positive action. To get your creative juices flowing, check out these artists whose art explores climate, oceans, and humans’ interconnection with the environment.

Resource Studio