What do you think of when you hear the word legacy?

If you’re like most people I’ve spoken to, you’ll probably picture something that happens when you’re gone – a name on a building, a body of work remembered in hindsight, or a donation that outlives you. That’s exactly where our Taco ’Bout It conversation began: with the assumption that legacy is retrospective, or something “big”.

But what if legacy is something we can all live into, not just leave behind? That was the spark for our Taco Night discussion, with guest speaker Jack Randel, a visual artist and member of CrACN, the regional advocacy group for creatives.

Legacy for Now and Later

Most of us had never considered legacy as active or immediate. Politicians I asked about it defaulted to the usual: “end of career” or “after death.” Yet creative people work in the present, and their actions ripple forward in ways we often don’t see.

Jack: “A creative legacy is about playing it forward. It’s not transactional – it’s open-ended. It’s about what we set in motion that others can carry further.”

That’s why CrACN advocates for policies like ensuring 10% of any major cultural event budget goes to local creatives —not as charity, but as investment. Because if a young musician volunteers backstage and meets a touring artist, that experience could spark a career.

Legacy as Hope—and Practice

For me, legacy isn’t carved in stone; it’s woven into people and communities. It’s the “what if” that gets us out of bed:
– What if we could stage a free Women’s Festival?
– What if every artist had access to opportunity without leaving home?

“Creating a legacy is really about hope. Hope is what sustains us through the day, and the future.”

Jack pushed this further: “The only thing algorithms can do is look backwards. Creativity looks forward. It’s inherently about the next right thing.”

The Qualities of Creative Legacy

We explored what gives a creative act enduring value. Some themes emerged:
– Innovation and originality
– Influence and inspiration
– Cultural impact
– Enduring relevance

Jack used painting as an example: I’ve had people tell me, decades later, that a work I made still gives them joy. That’s a kind of legacy—quiet but real.”

Values at the Core

Toward the end, we circled back to something deeply human: values. Because legacy, like creativity, isn’t just about output—it’s about alignment.

When asked to name core values, the room filled with words like authenticity, generosity, community, hope, inclusion, creativity, and yes, fun.

A Thought to Leave You With

Greek politician Pericles said “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

That, to me, is the heart of creative legacy. It’s not about permanence—it’s about possibility. It’s about planting trees you may never sit under, knowing someone else will find shade there.

So what gets you out of bed in the morning? What are you weaving?