I was stunned by the idea that activists could be regarded as some form of artists.
In my opinion, individuality is central to democracy in that every one is free to come up with their own ideology and accept ideas they like. Central to individuality might be the pursuit of personal wellbeing, or societal wellbeing that brings personal wellbeing. In other words, care for self. When ideologies grow stronger and conflict with the norm, activists arise. Labor strikes, feminist movements etc, are expressions for the ideologies and means to resolve the conflicts.