I painted this portrait of a friend with her cat. Calm down, it's a paint-by-number.
Greetings to you, my ornate, gold-filigreed souls of hope, anger, fear, and love.
Before this entry starts:
If you haven't already, please consider following, visiting, signing and donating:
BLACK LIVES MATTER WEBSITE
BLACK LIVES MATTER (TWITTER)
BLACK LIVES MATTER CHICAGO (TWITTER)
Feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start? WAYS YOU CAN HELP.
ARE YOU WHITE AND LOOKING TO BETTER EDUCATE YOURSELF ON RACE? HERE IS A STARTER BOOK LIST. You are not alone, and this is just one* of the most crucial actions you can take in the larger BLM movement: Taking the burden off of Black and Brown people having to explain their own oppression to you. White self-education empowers whites to help educate each other (like that racist uncle), and the actions you start can ripple out to others, continuing to help lift that burden for BIPOC.
*There are many ways whites can help the BLM movement, and many ways to harm it.
NEXT:
It is Pride Month, and I am in no mood to say "Happy Pride". I am still working on what I wish we as a community could say instead. "Solidarity in Pride", maybe? My gut says "Angry Pride", in keeping with the very first Pride event at Stonewall. Or "Actionable Pride"? Seems toothless. Something that implies active involvement in what is going on, whether directly LGBTQIA+ related or showing up to visibly support and still center BLM.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
I'm in the latest issue of Good Little Girls, an online zine that celebrates women of all races, classes & identities. They've published a poem of mine that addresses chronic pain, ice cubes, and the shame & relief I find in opening up to my support system.
Our adventuring crew over at Shuffle Quest is finding ways to make more episodes (though more sparsely, now) and hopefully bring a little joy to everyone who is still cooped up in quarantine or under shelter-in-place orders. If you haven't checked in with the Shuffle Crew in a while, now's a great time to catch up!
A FEW WORDS ABOUT ART
It is a tough time right now for everyone. The circles I run in--artists, writers & performers of all kinds--are all talking to each other, working through where we fall on the spectrum of creativity in the intersection of COVID, BLM, Pride, and much more. From "I can't create like this, the weight is too heavy" to "this is forcing me to create amazing new things I never would have done otherwise"; all points on this spectrum are valid. If you are a maker or creator of any kind, and you feel overwhelmed by the world, please know your worth is not tied to your productivity. If you are inspired and more creative than ever before, be sure to validate your fellows who feel unable to create. Love them & love yourself <3
Gwynn
Currently Reading
Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Everything's Trash, But It's Okay by Phoebe Robinson
Before this entry starts:
If you haven't already, please consider following, visiting, signing and donating:
BLACK LIVES MATTER WEBSITE
BLACK LIVES MATTER (TWITTER)
BLACK LIVES MATTER CHICAGO (TWITTER)
Feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start? WAYS YOU CAN HELP.
ARE YOU WHITE AND LOOKING TO BETTER EDUCATE YOURSELF ON RACE? HERE IS A STARTER BOOK LIST. You are not alone, and this is just one* of the most crucial actions you can take in the larger BLM movement: Taking the burden off of Black and Brown people having to explain their own oppression to you. White self-education empowers whites to help educate each other (like that racist uncle), and the actions you start can ripple out to others, continuing to help lift that burden for BIPOC.
*There are many ways whites can help the BLM movement, and many ways to harm it.
NEXT:
It is Pride Month, and I am in no mood to say "Happy Pride". I am still working on what I wish we as a community could say instead. "Solidarity in Pride", maybe? My gut says "Angry Pride", in keeping with the very first Pride event at Stonewall. Or "Actionable Pride"? Seems toothless. Something that implies active involvement in what is going on, whether directly LGBTQIA+ related or showing up to visibly support and still center BLM.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
I'm in the latest issue of Good Little Girls, an online zine that celebrates women of all races, classes & identities. They've published a poem of mine that addresses chronic pain, ice cubes, and the shame & relief I find in opening up to my support system.
Our adventuring crew over at Shuffle Quest is finding ways to make more episodes (though more sparsely, now) and hopefully bring a little joy to everyone who is still cooped up in quarantine or under shelter-in-place orders. If you haven't checked in with the Shuffle Crew in a while, now's a great time to catch up!
A FEW WORDS ABOUT ART
It is a tough time right now for everyone. The circles I run in--artists, writers & performers of all kinds--are all talking to each other, working through where we fall on the spectrum of creativity in the intersection of COVID, BLM, Pride, and much more. From "I can't create like this, the weight is too heavy" to "this is forcing me to create amazing new things I never would have done otherwise"; all points on this spectrum are valid. If you are a maker or creator of any kind, and you feel overwhelmed by the world, please know your worth is not tied to your productivity. If you are inspired and more creative than ever before, be sure to validate your fellows who feel unable to create. Love them & love yourself <3
Gwynn
Currently Reading
Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Everything's Trash, But It's Okay by Phoebe Robinson
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