A couple of days have passed since that long night. Sadness, anger, and trepidation seem to envelope me, and almost everyone I know, love, and respect. For me, the depression of the morning after gave way to a deep sense of loss—a loss of so much potential for good—a tragic missed opportunity. In almost every conversation that I have, I have to force myself to avoid succumbing to the anger and disappointment that I feel.

In a democracy, we have power—the power to vote for people and ideas. That's technically true, but in my 52 years of voting, I have come to the realization that I, as an individual, have very little power in the absence of a collective of like-minded others. It's a hard lesson, and I hope that first-time voters, especially, do not lose hope but know that together, people can and have affected positive change.

I know that a lot of us, in dealing with our emotions, are resolving to make personal changes—to do things that will have a positive effect—and avoid the attraction to negativity. I know from my own household that starting the day by pouring over the news, while informative, is a prescription for a really bad start to the day. That is one habit that has already changed here.

For my part, the lead-up to election day was an enormous distraction. As a result, I hadn't shared art online in months. Reversing that trend will be my resolution, and one that I hope to live up to. I have no say about how the world works. I don't even have a say as to how my condo association works, let alone the country. What I can do though is to create and share and to somehow hope that the universe can be positively influenced, one person at a time.

The photographer and writer Robert Adams has written: “It is the responsibility of artists to pay attention to the world, pleasant or otherwise, and to help us live respectfully in it.”