Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of aspiring school leaders who utilized artmaking in this case, photography, poetry, music, collage, and short films through Microsoft MovieMaker as a means for addressing injustices within surrounding school communities. The paper aims to explore how aspiring school leaders understood contemporary curriculum issues within increasingly culturally diverse school communities in the USA. Design/methodology/approach: This two-year qualitative study embedded in grounded theory examined the experiences of aspiring school leaders who utilized artmaking in this case short films through Microsoft MovieMaker to examine contemporary curriculum issues within surrounding school communities. This study is conducted within the naturalistic tradition. Findings: The significance of artmaking encourages participants to visually articulate the lived realities of disenfranchised populations. Participants engage in artmaking experience self-transformation and a calling to encouraging human agency. Originality/value: In the wake of addressing issues of social justice, the highly charged emotions associated with addressing such issues is evident in the range of emotions that surface including, anger, fear, intimidation, deep sorrow, resentment, joy, and others. Very little scholarship exists for aspiring school leaders who confront issues of social justice in relation to the intensity of emotions and their work.