Day 177: Create to Connect

The power of art to deepen relationships and open the heart

Art isn’t just a personal act; it’s a bridge. When we create something and share it, we offer others a glimpse into our inner world. We open a door. And that door, once opened, becomes a passage through which intimacy can grow.

Few modern examples illustrate this better than Lin-Manuel Miranda’s creation of Hamilton. While the musical is now a global phenomenon, its roots are deeply personal. A young Puerto Rican-American writer, moved by the story of an immigrant who helped shape the country’s founding, poured years of his life into telling that story through rhythm, rhyme, and love. It wasn’t just a Broadway show. It was a gift of connection to history, to culture, and to one another.

One of the most intimate moments came in 2016, when Miranda performed a special rendition of “Dear Theodosia” for President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama during their final White House poetry night. The room was full of laughter and emotion. But as Miranda played, his voice trembling, he wasn’t just performing, he was offering thanks. He was giving something back.

Then, only months later, after the devastating shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Miranda returned to the stage at the Tony Awards and delivered a sonnet. He wept as he declared, “Love is love is love is love is love,” offering his art not for applause, but as a balm for collective grief. His words spread instantly; shared millions of times, etched into hearts, printed on protest signs and wedding vows. His vulnerability opened a door for millions. That’s what happens when art becomes connection. It doesn’t just express, it heals, binds, and elevates.

In a world that often rewards art with likes, views, and ticket sales, it’s easy to forget this truth. But the most enduring creations are those offered in love. When you create with someone else in mind, whether to comfort, uplift, or simply say you matter to me, you build a bridge that can outlast the moment.

The Ripple of One Generous Act

The impact of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work didn’t end with a standing ovation. His acts of creation, especially those rooted in grief, gratitude, and connection, set off waves of cultural, social, and emotional resonance that continue to shape the world today.

After the Tony Awards, Miranda’s sonnet “Love is love is love is love” became an anthem. It was etched onto banners at Pride parades, inscribed into wedding ceremonies, and quoted in political speeches. President Joe Biden referenced the phrase in a 2021 address honoring LGBTQ+ Americans. What began as a cry of pain and solidarity became a unifying mantra for a global community seeking healing and hope.

The musical Hamilton has also become a powerful tool for civic education. Through the EduHam program, Miranda partnered with the Gilder Lehrman Institute to bring thousands of public school students into theaters, pairing the musical with curriculum that encouraged them to write and perform their own historical pieces. Students from underserved communities suddenly found themselves standing on Broadway stages, performing original poems and songs about revolution, identity, and freedom. Miranda didn’t just open a door, he pulled others through it with him.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Broadway was dark and spirits were low, Miranda launched the #HamAtHome campaign, encouraging students to share performances from home. He created The Hamilton Mixtape and the Hamildrops series (monthly musical releases with other artists) to keep creative energy alive. Many of these spotlighted BIPOC voices and independent creators who might never have been heard otherwise.

Through the Miranda Family Fund, he has provided millions of dollars in grants to arts organizations, Puerto Rican relief efforts, scholarships, and youth theater programs. In every case, he used his platform not to elevate himself, but to elevate others to pay forward what was once given to him: the chance to be heard.

And the ripples keep moving.

In 2023, a high school student who first engaged with Hamilton through EduHam became the first in her family to attend college majoring in history, inspired by a hip-hop musical. A poetry group formed by LGBTQ+ teens in Miami still begins each meeting by reciting Miranda’s sonnet aloud. A Puerto Rican artist, supported by a microgrant from the Miranda Family Fund, recently exhibited work in a national gallery. She credits Lin-Manuel for making her “believe my voice mattered.”

These are not abstractions. These are lives touched. Paths altered. Relationships formed.

One Act, Countless Ripples

When Lin-Manuel Miranda stood on stage, voice cracking, and said, “Love is love is love is love,” he couldn’t have known those words would echo in weddings, classrooms, protests, and poems around the world. He couldn’t have predicted that Hamilton would become a bridge; connecting students to history, immigrants to belonging, and artists to their own possibility.

But that’s the truth of creative generosity: it multiplies in ways we cannot see. A song becomes a turning point. A phrase becomes a movement. A moment becomes a memory that someone carries for life.

By even the most conservative estimates, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s creative works and philanthropic gestures have touched over 100 million lives through performances, streamed musicals, music, education, relief efforts, and public acts of love. (Note: 100M estimate compiled from public data & cultural analysis. Even with a 20% error margin, the scale remains extraordinary)

You don’t need a Broadway stage to create that kind of connection. You need only the courage to offer your truth, however small, with an open hand. A handwritten note. A painted rock. A shared playlist. These are not trivial acts. They are threads in the great weave of belonging.

Today, create something for someone else. Not to impress. Not to be praised. But to say: I see you. I care. You matter.

You never know how far that message might travel.

If today’s reflection moved you, share this post and tag someone whose creativity has touched your life.

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