Get Up and Go

8 / Get Up and Go

local projects and actions, with deep and powerful connections to more national and global concerns. These communities are full of artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, entrepreneurs, and a host of others who have championed these ideas and, growing from them, promote the belief that anyone can make changes that matter to them; that everyone’s voice can be heard and responded to, and that changes can be accomplished on your own, without the assistance or methods provided from outside. In my own life, DIY culture revealed another layer to expression that was more responsible, more honest and more accountable than most of what I could find in mainstream culture as a young person. I was first introduced to DIY culture through my brother and our mutual interest in skateboarding. As an early teenager, I was so impressed that these young people could be such dedicated and talented athletes, while also running their own companies, creating art for their products, making their own ads and films, starting their own publications, booking “demo” tours, and holding free giveaways for young fans. They didn’t look rich or important, but what they were doing was special and they believed in it. Most of all, they were able to inspire