We Made a Way Out of No Way: How Black Creativity Saves Us
By: Jamila Gomez
“We made a way out of no way.” It’s a phrase passed down through generations, born in pulpits and whispered in kitchens, a declaration of faith and survival. And it’s not just about getting by, but how we transformed impossible circumstances into something beautiful. At the center of that transformation is creativity. Black creativity has always been more than talent or art. It has been the medicine we reach for when life feels unbearable, the tool we use to carve space in a world that tries to squeeze us out.
From the rhythms of a drum that carried coded messages across plantations to the call-and-response of the Black church, creativity has always been a way to cope with what was placed on us. What looks like music, slang, or fashion on the surface is often the echo of generations finding ways to breathe under pressure. When the world gave us silence, we sang louder. When doors closed, we built our own. When grief was heavy, we danced to remind our bodies that joy is still possible.
Creativity is how we metabolize what would otherwise break us. Think about how often we laugh at pain. The jokes that come out of tragedy aren’t just jokes; they’re survival tools. Black Twitter doesn’t just create memes—it creates release valves for collective grief and stress. And in everyday life, it shows up in smaller ways too. The auntie who turns Sunday dinner into a feast, stretching little into plenty. The barber who turns a haircut into therapy. The teenager who flips thrift-store finds into fashion. These aren’t just skills—they’re coping mechanisms disguised as culture.
This is why our creativity is never just entertainment. It’s not frivolous, it’s not extra—it’s medicine. Art, music, fashion, food, humor, even the way we remix language—all of it is how we keep going when life feels unlivable. Creativity has always been both expression and exhale.
And it’s not only about survival. Creativity is prophecy. It doesn’t just help us live through what is; it gives us vision for what could be. Every beat, every line, every invention is both therapy and blueprint. It points to a future bigger than our circumstances.
That’s the power of making a way out of no way: Black creativity saves us because it reminds us we’re more than what we’ve endured. It takes pain and transforms it into power, despair and reshapes it into possibility. We are not just survivors. We create our way into tomorrow.
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