Welcome to our Start Today Harm Reduction Interview series, where we’re connecting with bands, musicians, and others who have stories to tell about mental health and addiction, and how they intersect with life in the music industry.
Daniel Hart is an environmentalist, musician, and writer who’s spent the last decade leading sustainability, climate justice, and community planning initiatives at the university, city, and nonprofit levels across the country. He plays guitar and sings in Old Pictures / New Pictures and The Slow Go Oftens, as well as in Richmond, VA-based bands Midlife Pilot and Hard Count.
What was the moment you realized that mental health and addiction are real issues in the music industry?
- Mental health is such an important issue not only in the music industry, but also in the broader culture. For me, I see many of our culture’s substance abuse and mental health issues as being related to the effects of industrial culture and colonization—that’s not only showing up in the degradation of people, but also in the way that humans have treated themselves as separate from nature, resulting in the degradation of the natural world. Outside of being a musician, I’ve spent the last 10+ years of my career helping people connect to the natural world in more meaningful ways, mostly through leading organizational change efforts toward sustainability and climate justice in higher education, city-level policy, and grassroots nonprofits. For me, the healing of Earth and the healing of human culture is one and the same.
What kind of support systems do you think musicians need that they currently don’t have?
- I love the work of Start Today Harm Reduction, which one of my closest friends and bandmates in Old Pictures / New Pictures co-founded. I see it as an incredible organization getting young people stoked that it’s actually cool to not get super fucked up, because for us to be able to be the best human beings we can during these times of climate crisis, unraveling, and geopolitical tensions, we need to be taking great care of ourselves.
How do you use your platform—either on stage or online—to raise awareness about these issues?
- For me, I teach college classes focused on sustainability and environmental studies, and I work to integrate contemplative practices like meditation into the classroom. I feel like this culture is moving so fast, and we can have agency over our lives through slowing down, breathing, being there for other people, and being real and decent human beings.
Is there anything you would like to plug or promote while you’re here?
- Life’s so short. Have fun. Be there for your friends. Be kind to strangers. Explore new opportunities. Be the kind of person that you’d want to be in love with.
