In wild times, live wildly
Introducing Wildly, a new Substack newsletter from our friend the artist Ryan Piers Williams
Join us as we go Live this morning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern to talk to artist Ryan Piers Williams about his new Substack newsletter, Wildly, out today!
My dear friend the artist Ryan Piers Williams is launching a newsletter today, Wildly, exploring what it means to process all that’s going on in this moment through creativity. We’re going to talk to him about his practice this morning, and maybe even convince him to draw a wild creature version of me in real time. (One that he made of me and my wife some time ago is the only piece of art hanging in our bedroom.) We hope you’ll join in; we’re also planning to have him back in a few weeks to draw with us. And don’t forget to subscribe to Wildly — just enter your email address in the box below. Thanks!
Where to Begin?
By Ryan Piers Williams
Gun to head.
Knife to neck.
Mouth zipped.
World on fire.
One eye open.
One eye shut.
To say it feels heavy to be alive right now is an understatement. The urge to turn inward, to tune out the world, and just hug the ones you love is totally understandable. Who has the stomach to witness all that’s happening? Rising global nationalism. Attacks on human rights. Unstable financial markets. Climate change. Genocide. War. The atrocities are as endless as the fingers pointing blame.
Wildly is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
For me, at the core, it all centers around one idea.
We are collectively experiencing what it means to live under the tight grip of a destructive masculine running amok. It has hijacked the narrative of who we are and allowed very few lives to be enriched at the great expense of everyone and everything else. In the story it tells, some lives are more valuable than others, and the natural world is merely ours for the taking.
It's a story that has been around for centuries. To many of us, it feels awful, and we’re no longer willing to accept it.
As I’ve braced myself for the daily barrage of news and noise coming from our dominant culture, I’ve become increasingly interested in how to step outside of it. I’m curious about how we stop living in reaction to this old narrative and how we start living in the creation of a new way – one that has yet to be seen.
We need to imagine a new story. A story about ourselves that serves the well-being of all human life while also centering the health of the natural world. A story that reshapes the systems that govern us, the beliefs that define us, and the behaviors that are deemed normal.
When I was a child, I lived in my imagination – I created whole worlds that came alive within me and transformed the environment around me. The difference between the real and imagined was so blurred at times it was hard to tell which I was living in. In this in-between space, anything was possible. Today, as I stumble through the dense jungle of our world, I’m reminded of the wild imagination of my younger self and wonder if maybe an in-between space where anything is possible is just what we need today.
So where do we begin?
We begin with one eye open to the reality around us and one eye open to our imagination. With the belief that we can create a new story through ideas, art, and community.
We begin by thinking critically about the relationship between masculine and feminine energies in the world and in us. By bucking norms and embracing new ways of being.
I created this Substack as a place for us to get inspired and envision new possibilities in the midst of these wild times. I’ll explore what I’ve learned through art and writing and share with you what others have discovered as well.
In wild times, we must live wildly. Wildly curious. Wildly creative. Wildly alive.
Welcome to Wildly.
Where to Begin? by RPW
40” x 60”, Oil on Canvas
2025
 | A guest post by
|
“Destructive masculine running amok.” Read an article yesterday about men shaving off their eyelashes to look more masculine. Let’s understand we are an animal. Primatologist Robert Sapolsky has studied baboons for decades. Long story short, remove the dominant oppressive males from a troop and the transformation is miraculous. The troop transforms from a stressed out one eye open on the lookout for aggression to a surprisingly calm and more connected (more social grooming) one. Turns out that it is nurture, not nature that sets the tone for a troop of baboons. As has been witnessed by the calm continuing in subsequent generations. DNA driven male aggression was not necessary for the troop’s survival. The culture (nurture) changed with the absence of the male aggression. Why do we like the sound of running water or enjoy a crackling fire in the fireplace? Ask our DNA. The female of our species had to be communal in order to care for offspring that was/is amazingly vulnerable (for years) as compared to other offspring of all other animals. Cooperation in order to survive is in our female DNA. 300,000 years of male dominance in our species. I believe Homo sapiens has evolved in such a way that our ancient male DNA is not aligned with the realities of this current world. While the alpha male may have been instrumental in the survival of our ancient species, it is the DNA of the female that is required moving forward. Yes, there are heinous female Homo sapiens. But I believe they are conforming mostly to male behavior in order to have some form of power. I believe this macro look at the animal that we are is incredibly important in understanding what is going on in the 21st century. As well as formulating solutions for the survival of our species going forward.