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Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good time to do so. Here are twenty lessons from the twentieth century, adapted to the circumstances of today:

1. Do not obey in advance.

Much of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then start to do it without being asked. You’ve already done this, haven’t you? Stop. Anticipatory obedience teaches authorities what is possible and accelerates unfreedom.

2. Defend an institution.

Defend an institution. Follow the courts or the media, or a court or a newspaper. Do not speak of “our institutions” unless you are making them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions don’t protect themselves. They go down like dominoes unless each is defended from the beginning.

3. Recall professional ethics.

When the leaders of state set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become much more important. It is hard to break a rule-of-law state without lawyers, and it is hard to have show trials without judges.

4. When listening to politicians, distinguish certain words.

Look out for the expansive use of “terrorism” and “extremism.” Be alive to the fatal notions of “exception” and “emergency.” Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.

5. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.

When the terrorist attack comes, remember that all authoritarians at all times either await or plan such events in order to consolidate power. Think of the Reichstag fire. The sudden disaster that requires the end of the balance of power, the end of opposition parties, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. Don’t fall for it.

6. Be kind to our language.

Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. (Don’t use the internet before bed. Charge your gadgets away from your bedroom, and read.) What to read? Perhaps The Power of the Powerless by Václav Havel, 1984 by George Orwell, The Captive Mind by Czesław Milosz, The Rebel by Albert Camus, The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt, or Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev.

7. Stand out.

Someone has to. It is easy, in words and deeds, to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. And the moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.

8. Believe in truth.

To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.

9. Investigate.

Figure things out for yourself. Spend more time with long articles. Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media. Realize that some of what is on your screen is there to harm you. Bookmark PropOrNot or other sites that investigate foreign propaganda pushes.

10. Practice corporeal politics.

Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.

11. Make eye contact and small talk.

This is not just polite. It is a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down unnecessary social barriers, and come to understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life.

12. Take responsibility for the face of the world.

Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.

13. Hinder the one-party state.

The parties that took over states were once something else. They exploited a historical moment to make political life impossible for their rivals. Vote in local and state elections while you can.

14. Give regularly to good causes, if you can.

Pick a charity and set up autopay. Then you will know that you have made a free choice that is supporting civil society helping others doing something good.

15. Establish a private life.

Nastier rulers will use what they know about you to push you around. Scrub your computer of malware. Remember that email is skywriting. Consider using alternative forms of the internet, or simply using it less. Have personal exchanges in person. For the same reason, resolve any legal trouble. Authoritarianism works as a blackmail state, looking for the hook on which to hang you. Try not to have too many hooks.

16. Learn from others in other countries.

Keep up your friendships abroad, or make new friends abroad. The present difficulties here are an element of a general trend. And no country is going to find a solution by itself. Make sure you and your family have passports.

17. Watch out for the paramilitaries.

When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching around with torches and pictures of a Leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-Leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the game is over.

18. Be reflective if you must be armed.

If you carry a weapon in public service, God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no. (If you do not know what this means, contact the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and ask about training in professional ethics.)

19. Be as courageous as you can.

If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die in unfreedom.

20. Be a patriot.

The incoming president is not. Set a good example of what America means for the generations to come. They will need it.

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PICARD Guinan, have your people been in this part of the galaxy? GUINAN Yes. RIKER What can you tell us? GUINAN Only that if I were you, I'd start back right now. Episode 2.16, Q Who: the first time we meet the Borg. Decided this one worked better in black and white 'cause there are no gray areas with the Borg.

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Proto-Data

Let’s be real, more than 2 centuries ago and this was totally a Lt. Commander Data face already. Inspiring!

Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769-1825)

Title: The Actor Sawamura Sojuro III as Gengobei

Date: ca. 1800

Collection of Tokyo National Museum (A-10569_2337)

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* a look, it's in a book * my wife...please

things to take * a nap * it easy * care

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Love this!

The Triad balances the contrasting forces in nature allowing for creation to spring forth. It invites unlimited perspective and possibilities, infinite shades of gray between the polar extremes.

On view at Ghost Gallery through December 4th. Purchase inquiries may be directed to curator@ghostgalleryart.com

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Darmok

DARMOK

AND JALAD

AT TANAGRA

Need I say more?

This took a really long time to draw because our Tamarian pal Captain Dathon here is wearing about three different layers of vests and they’re all totally bananas. For more on that, I refer you, as always, to Fashion it So.

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#spacestag

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#spacelamb

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Pro tip: big ships are hard to draw, so if you must write one into your script… blow it up immediately.

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Here’s a little process video of my “Imzadi” woodcut. 10-15 hours of work condensed into 80 seconds, haha.

I work in an app called Procreate on the iPad. It’s a pretty robust drawing/painting program; I highly recommend it. I also have an Adonit stylus, which works well for drawing.

I start with a photo reference of a shot I like (thank you trekcore.com, which I import as the first layer in the image. Then I:

Sketch the overall composition in a new layer, just to get the feel of how things are situated. I’ll usually make some changes compared to the reference photo at this point too. For example, in this one I added the overhanging tree, and moved Lwaxana farther away in the background (in the original shot she’s, like, RIGHT behind them, typical Lwaxana amiright?) I use burnt sienna pencil for this layer, which makes it easy to distinguish when I’m working in black and white in the next step.

Do the black linework. This is the most time-consuming but also probably the most fun part of the process. If these were traditional woodcuts (which I have also done), I’d be starting from a solid block of wood (to be specific, a nice board of cherry sanded down to a mirror finish in a glancing light), sketching the composition with a pencil and/or transferring a drawing with various chemicals, and then carving out everything BUT the black areas, working horizontally flipped from how the final print will turn out. In the digital workflow, I create a new layer, apply a black fill to the whole thing, then turn down the layer opacity so I can see the sketch and reference photo underneath. From there it’s the same process, except that I’m digitally erasing the not-black parts instead of carving them out with special tools. I try to use a brush and strokes that mimic the effect of the traditional tools, though. Depending on which part I’m working on, I’ll turn up and down the layer opacity and turn on and off the reference photo and sketch layers. Lots of artistic judgment as far as what to include and leave out, etc. The best thing about this is that I have the magical power to Undo, as opposed to a traditional woodcut where if you cut out too much you have to panic, flip out, and maybe try to glue a tiny sliver of wood back in but you know it’s not going to really look right. Also, it’s nice that I don’t have to flip the image.

Add the colors. Again, I try to stay pretty true to the physical woodcut process and create one layer per color. This print has 9 or 10 layers. If this were a physical woodcut, each color would have its own block, which I’d have to carve separately (removing the surface from everything BUT that color) and then when making the print, tear out my hair to make sure it was lined up properly with the black lines and the other color layers (this is called proper “registration” in printmaking lingo). Since I’m doing this digitally, I can cheat by just painting the colors to the area where I want them to appear, using the black line layer as a reference layer. In the initial color stage, I do solid colors.

Apply texture to the colors. Process-wise, this is the biggest departure from the traditional woodcut process, although it is still inspired by it, specifically by Japanese ukiyo-e prints, which have just breathtaking color work. If I were printing this on traditional blocks, the texture would come from a combination of the paper I choose, the way I apply the ink, and the variations in pressure I apply when I’m pulling the print. The best way to get a nice gradient like in Riker’s shirt or the leaves of the tree would be to pull the prints by hand (as opposed to using a printing press) — traditional Japanese style where you lay the paper on top of the inked block and rub the back of the paper with a smooth stone or similar tool in order to transfer the ink. Again...I have a shortcut since I’m doing this digitally. I basically use the erase tool with different brushes/textures applied in order to get the color the way I want it. Again...#blessed to have use of the Undo tool.

Delete the reference photo / sketch layers.

Signature. That’s my actual physical name seal (a dude in Beihai Park in Beijing made it for me). I stamped it with traditional red ink on some nice xue calligraphy paper and then took a photo and erased the opaque white of the paper so I can apply it to these digital prints.

Phew, so yeah, that’s how these are made. Now to get back to the next one. Coming soon, I promise!

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@piebob Thank you! I don’t have a shop (yet??) I’ve just been drawing these for fun while recovering from surgery. We’ll see where things go!

Here’s Data and Geordi, in a slightly different style. This is from episode 2.3 “Elementary, Dear Data,” aka the holodeck episode where they first meet Moriarty and he almost seizes control of the Enterprise. GUYS U RLY GOTTA B MORE CAREFUL W THE HOLODECK

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@litlfrog all things in time :)

At least we’ve still got Star Trek. I’ve been making digital woodcuts inspired by some of my favorite Star Trek shots. Back in the heyday of ukiyo-e woodcuts in 18th century Japan, pictures of actors (often in character) were very popular subject matter. I guess some things haven’t changed much after all.

This is based on TNG episode 3.24, in which they all go have a nice picnic in a park on Betazed before Deanna and Lwaxana get kidnapped by some Ferengi. Not pictured: the ubiquitous Mr. Homn.

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Town of Amherst still going strong

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

8:33 p.m. – Kellogg Avenue residents reported a man yelling at them from their yard. The man then sat on a tree stump, began eating noodles and fell to the ground, possible from intoxication.

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Kira and Dax.

This one is based on DS9 episode 1.19, Duet. I did a different sketch of this shot that kicked off the whole project, but it feels pretty important right now so I revisited it.

DAX: What are you looking for? KIRA: Answers. DAX: Found any yet? KIRA: Marritza says I don’t care about the truth. That all I want is vengeance. DAX: Are you worried that maybe he’s right? KIRA: All I want is to see him punished.

DAX: Even if he is just a file clerk? KIRA: That’s just it. I don’t want him to be a file clerk. I want him to be, I don’t know, something worse. DAX: You want him to be guilty. KIRA: As far as I’m concerned, if he was at Gallitep, he is guilty. They’re all guilty. His punishment will let Bajor feel some satisfaction. DAX: It sounds like you’re trying too hard to believe what you’re saying. You already know if you punish him without reason, it won’t mean anything. And you already know vengeance isn’t enough.

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Here's Data and Geordi, in a slightly different style. This is from episode 2.3 "Elementary, Dear Data," aka the holodeck episode where they first meet Moriarty and he almost seizes control of the Enterprise. GUYS U RLY GOTTA B MORE CAREFUL W THE HOLODECK

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At least we've still got Star Trek. I've been making digital woodcuts inspired by some of my favorite Star Trek shots. Back in the heyday of ukiyo-e woodcuts in 18th century Japan, pictures of actors (often in character) were very popular subject matter. I guess some things haven't changed much after all. This is based on TNG episode 3.24, in which they all go have a nice picnic in a park on Betazed before Deanna and Lwaxana get kidnapped by some Ferengi. Not pictured: the ubiquitous Mr. Homn.

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in my one original universe dragons are just shitty possums that don’t really do anything, you just find them in your garden or bathtub making this expression