Being sensitive, holding space, and radical hope.
For a long time, I would be disappointed by people for their actions. I couldn’t understand it and I always felt let down by their behavior, as incongruous to how I saw them. Not all that many years ago, I realized that this is because how I saw them was incongruous with how they actually were - and that my mistake is inherent in how I use what I see. How to put it? I’m sensitive. Not just in the way that got me made fun of growing up, but also in the way that I have access to other pieces of information that aren’t exactly within the “normal” range of experience. Some of these things are categorized as psychic and/or empathic abilities, like being able to actually feel what someone else is feeling, in my body. And all of this information can be really confusing and overwhelming - especially when it’s all tangled up with trauma and unhealthy dynamics. But back to what I came to understand about my experience of other people, I realized that I am able to tune in to who a person really is, and I experience this knowledge at a feeling level.
There are ways of knowing that are intuitive, and the more we learn to use them, the more we come to understand about ourselves, our relationships, and our world. I think that artists are in tune with these abilities in different ways. Learning that I have a strength when it comes to claircognizance (knowing) and clairsentience (feeling), has been very helpful to me. Now, when I meet people, I know that the sense I get of them has more to do with their greatest potential than the level they actually operate on. I’m able to stay out of situations where I, because of my empathy, obliger tendency, and familial relationship templates, would be blindsided and taken advantage of. I know more of a difference between who I am, what I’m feeling, and who someone else is. That might sound crazy, but if you’re able to pick up on all kinds of information and don’t know how to/ can’t process it, it can be VERY confusing.
To parse out all of this info that’s coming in, I needed to put boundaries in place. I needed to have help and support creating a practice. It has to remain in place this way for me to just feel semi-ok. Lately, it’s hard. I want to hit pause on everything and just paint and process. Just staying grounded and mindful is much of my self-care.
The idea of radical hope has been getting me through. It’s been so important to me at the core, and the more I contemplate, the more I realize that radical hope is at the very foundation of who I am. It is tied to the reason that I sense people’s potential state, not just the current one. It’s the reason that I can know, absolutely, in my bones that something is righteous. (Not that I am right, but that a concept has a righteous feeling, I think about it, and my body just knows). It’s like having a sense of direction, knowing which way is North. I’m just orientated to a different set of parameters that is intuitively defined, and the concept of radical hope is a compass.
Radical hope is essentially having hope in situations that have absolutely no hope. Radical hope is wise hope, not toxic positivity. It is a hope that doesn’t deny the reality of our suffering, but chooses to see it all, and take action.
Writings by Joan Halifax, Rebecca Solnit, and Jonathan Lear explore this subject further. I find the concept of radical hope to be in alignment with Catholic social justice teachings, and present in the punk rock community. It’s active. It’s defiant. It’s also very present in post traumatic growth, where there is space, often uncomfortable space, between what happened, what is, and what will be. It is in this space that we may act. This is what my work is all about. Holding space for the truth and the capacity to transform it. Radical hope.
What a great realization to have.
I have known that the work I do is about holding space - for people in portraits, in installation work of shrines and imitation relics. There is repetition of information, movement, shifting of forms. These constants have existed, and I can only see them now that I look backwards through time and media and a plethora of projects. I’ve focused on the beauty of an individual, seeing what makes them true. I’ve created experiences - literal spaces to be in, and prompted an ignition of radical hope in the face of systemic injustice. I’ve made bowls filled with intention and set them on fire. I’ve sought community through my work, connection to others to create a shift. I’ve tried time and time and time again to capture visually, something that I know in my bones, that I feel and experience, that is completely invisible and goes back to the concept of space. It is wild how filled with radical hope it always was, and how I lacked the descriptive words to say it. I have them now.
My work is about radical hope, and I want to share that with you.
Hold on.
I read somewhere that today’s date is Blursday the somethingith? That seems correct?! How are we all doing out there?
How am I? I am frustrated, angry, sad, furious, heartfelt and full of love, shut down, wound up, choked up, exhausted, strong, defiant, silent, screaming, full of hope and rage.
(But like, more so than normal)
I have been hanging onto words and paint and music. (Again, more so than normal) Aaaaaand Animal Crossing. That game is an absolute delight full of art, music, and silliness.
Also, the universe is sending me clear messages this week, and it’s weird in contrast, because everything else feels so foggy. There have been so many synchronicities happening that I’m starting to laugh out loud about it.
One of those messages I’ve received being, “It’s time for me to dig in.” So I’ve been thinking about the meaning of that, because my nature is typically to do exactly that. But it was presented to me in a way that meant maybe I’m not… Maybe I have this “skill” of being able to dig in, but maybe I’m not applying it correctly? Hmm. This feels as true as today being Blursday.
This feels like a call to a “this is it” moment of self-commitment and truth, all else be damned. What a weird moment of frightening clarity in this space at this time. I’m just going to hold on.
Artist of the Week
You Are Here is an awesome non-profit art gallery in Jeannette, PA, and they are starting a new project to help support artists during this time, when so many opportunities have been lost.
Feature artists will be sharing how they’re being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic situation, along with what they’re offering as far as art you can purchase, services, etc.
If you’re in a place where you can support working artists, this is a great opportunity to connect and make a difference. You Are Here is making these features into a permanent artist roster for the direct support of artists and their work.
I’m always grateful for the support of You Are Here, I’m currently doing their Satellite Artist remote residency, and now am the first featured weekly artist!
You can check out the ARTIST OF THE WEEK page here, and my Satellite Artist Blog here. Thanks!
The #100DAYPROJECT
I’m participating in the #100DAYPROJECT this year!
For my project, I'm choosing to focus on words. It fits with a couple goals I have for the year, crafting a great artist statement, and sharing expressive content more frequently.
Also, I've always found typography enjoyable - from learning to hand letter and create type, to finding the perfect font to fit a project.
I believe that words have power. They have energy and can be used to create or destroy.
I think, because I love them so much, I often over-complicate my thoughts and end up not sharing my own words online. I know that if I want anyone to connect to or understand my work, I need to talk about it, so this is an exercise in sharing my perspective with words.
The power of words is enhanced by their form, just like all art, there are decisions to be made about shapes, sizes, colors, arrangement... it brings me joy to see a phrase perfectly illustrated to fit it's own energy.
I thought about keeping my words only to do with injustices, as this is something in me that has needed expression, but I wasn't sure if I can hold such a heavy focus while I feel so overwhelmed by what is happening with COVID-19. I might need much lighter words some of these days, so I decided to keep it open.
Some artists I'm influenced by who use words in their work:
Jenny Holzer
Barbara Kruger
Robert Montgomery
Here are a few images from my first week of the #100DAYPROJECT:
I’m sharing my project daily on my Instagram stories, and will post them all to a highlight on my Instagram: @jenpalmerart
(Exhale)
It’s been a month since I last wrote here - and oooh, boy, has a lot happened. We’re pretty much all on home confinement now, as the COVID-19 virus is everywhere. I haven’t had to change my routine a ton, because I already work from home for my virtual management job and at my home studio. I’ve been writing posts for my satellite artist - virtual residency over at You Are Here. I’ve eliminated external duties, and moved my appointments all online.
I’d already been feeling overwhelmed, with an increase in work at the management job, plus different tasks that took a lot more of my energy than normal. I’m doing the residency (which is good because otherwise, I’d be letting my own work subside for right now), and keeping up with appointments and meetings, but my bandwidth had been really low, and doing anything else just added more stress. I KNOW I wasn’t getting enough time to myself to recharge.
… and now this. I am not capable of handling unwanted emotional labor right now.
It is definitely a weird time for me. I’m worried about people, furious about the ruling party (as usual), and mentally exhausted. I can’t stand all the hateful rhetoric being spread about, and the issue that no one wants to take responsibility for anything. I want radical change on a good day. We NEED radical change on a good day…
Satellite Artist at You Are Here
I'm doing a virtual artist residency with You Are Here!
I started at the beginning of February, and will have regular updates about the work I'm doing on their website: Jen Palmer Satellite Artist Blog
This is a really neat opportunity for me, because of my health and all its demands and limitations. I wouldn't have the capacity to drive somewhere and work every day, so this Satellite Artist program is a great fit 📡🎨🖤
all SHE makes
Hey lovelies, check it out, I’m listed on all SHE makes! Excited to be featured among so many amazing women artists from all over the world!
See the entire directory here: www.allshemakes.org
Visual Language Exploration: Portrait Pink
If you find a photo of me, any time before I was like 12, I’m probably wearing mostly pink. I thought all little girls loved it, but apparently people actually remembered that I wore so much of it. Maybe it was my light blonde hair and pink hair accessories that went with my pink winter coat and my pink my little pony lunch box?
No matter, I was out of the pink phase for a very long time. I remember a few different color phases, like this pale frosty blue that went with shimmery makeup and lots of glitter. It reminded me of ice and magic and the sky. Or the bright yellow of my great grandma’s vintage sweaters phase. Oh, and black and I have such a relationship... We’ll dive into those depths another day, because as it is, I’m in love with pink all over again .
So this is where I’m starting the discussion on the exploration of my visual language - with pink.
Color theory was one of my favorite classes in art school, and then, when I was in graduate classes for art therapy, I got to study color a whole other way. While we all pretty much have favorite colors, or colors we don’t like, many people don’t give a lot of thought as to why. A funny thing is how parents are concerned when their kid likes black - but often times kids LOVE black because it’s bold and stands out. They’re not associating anything with it that their parents are.
There are universal associations to color, line, shape, etc., but there are also deeply personal ones, and our own languages are a web of both. It was incredibly interesting to me to look at these through the lens of an art therapist. I learned to see how color connects us as a whole, and defines us as individuals, helps us tell our story.
Here’s an interesting read on the history of pink - from how it switched from being traditionally a boys color to being associated with gayness because of labeling by the Nazi regime, and to being a calming or demeaning color used for control in prisons.
For me, I think I’ve reconnected to using the color pink so much in my work because of my associations with it as a color of sensitivity and vulnerability. It is a color connected to our bodies, scars, tissue, inner things. It is connected with my inner child as well, whom always wears pink, and with whom I am healing. As to whether or not pink is calming, it entirely depends on the shade and intensity. Portrait pink is calming for me, it’s deep enough that I find it grounding, connecting to my inner self within the world. It holds the warmth of bodies. It feels like breathing, slowly. It pairs well with a soft cream blanket, or my closet full of black. I think it connects me throughout my existence, grounding me in my experiences, a thread through time. Oh, and I also love it’s juxtaposition to red. I feel like it was a rule somewhere, that you weren’t to wear red and pink together. I guess it’s dangerous if you don’t know how to choose your reds and pinks? But there’s a boldness in that combination that establishes something solid. Let’s channel Molly Ringwald for a sec. You feeling it?
It makes perfect sense then that I’ve been painting so much with this in my color palette, because my work is so much about holding space and growth, which require vulnerability. The process requires acceptance and not judging what comes into the self and the work. It’s treated with a softness that says - this is just what is, and this is okay. I’m sitting across from a very visceral painting right now, where deep red womb-like shape drips with heaviness upon a field of pink. It acknowledges the heaviness, the bleeding, growth, pain, etc. all with acceptance. The field is soft, and it’s okay to be there.
I think we’re also having a cultural moment that is resonating with this color, as part of women’s rights advancements, and the collective energy of women coming forward, using their voices, and claiming space. Probably for a lot of the reasons I listed for my personal use of the color. There is a connection from the micro/within to the macro/external, and it’s color is portrait pink.
January What?!
Where did last month even go?
My dad used to tell me that time only went faster and faster as you got older. HE WAS RIGHT. Apparently year 38 doubles down?
Between illness and family things, I feel like I haven’t spent much time on my projects.
HOWEVER - I have gotten into the studio in little bits, submitted work to multiple opportunities, and taken lots of notes. I spent time at a home show for my day job, and found some artists there. We bought a piece from Katrina Vogel and hung it in the living room.
Speaking of hanging, I helped hang the Women’s Work show at You Are Here, which was a great experience, it had been a while since I’d hung an entire room full of art for an exhibition, and Phoebe Walczak at You Are Here was a delight to work with! The show was great!
I didn’t get to record the new podcast episode for the Dynamic Feminine yet, but I managed to work on more than a few things on my 20 for 2020 list:
We got a treadmill, so I’ve been walking more.
I’ve worked on getting 20 good rejections, so far they have either been accepted or I’ve not heard back yet. I’m feeling excited about the opportunities that this is bringing!
Ran a marketing campaign (towards growing my email list - it’s gotten me more scam emails so IDK)
Did preliminary research on multiple things on my list - reading, listening to podcasts, writing, observing, planning…
I’m also feeling pretty good about how I’ve handled the pop-up demands on my time and energy: like, family needs, or OH CRAP, I need something to wear this weekend and have to go shopping (I don’t have spoons for that!), or getting a new doctor this month and dealing with some urgent health things. I also started a personal Instagram because I’m missing my friends and family on my feed @jenpalmerart. So now, you can find my personal account (sure to be full of my animals and family) on Instagram @hey_jenny_wren. Keeping connected with people I love is the reason behind my wanting to get my addresses and birthdays in order, so this was a step in the same direction.
Curate is definitely the appropriate word for the year! What are you doing to embrace your passions, goals, or theme of the year?
How was your January? Let me know in the comments or send me a message <3
Women’s Work at You Are Here
I have a couple pieces featured in the Women’s Work exhibition at You Are Here - the opening was this past weekend, and the show will be up until the end of February. What an awesome group of women artists!
You can read the Trib write up here.
Local womxn artists, join the You Are Here Women In Art Group, we meet at the gallery, and have a private Facebook group.
2019 reflections & 2020 visions
For the past couple years, I’ve been playing along with Gretchen Rubin, Liz Craft, and the Happier Crowd when it comes to my new year planning. I love this time of year, when our energy is drawn inward and the mood is set , in this part of the world, for slowing down and reflecting on our lives, and figuring out what we want moving forward.
I also pick a word or phrase for the year - inspiration, or a general reminder of what I want, when it comes to things that aren’t on that list. I really needed to get good at setting boundaries, so it’s helped me figure out if I should say yes or say no to something - does it further my overall vision for my life? I think it’s a really powerful tool, which is why my word for 2020 is “curate”.
Last year, it was “embrace being multi-passionate”, which was all about me just being who I am, and having a variety of interests, from painting, to photography, music, social justice, podcasting, reading, beading, and playing Magic: the Gathering. One gain I got from this focus, was noticing how these seemingly different things overlap, and seeing my own patterns elevated through my interests and how I pursue them. Social justice and art - DUH, social justice and Magic: The Gathering? ABSOLUTELY! Through this lens, I got to see my strengths and really think about how each of these things brings more happiness into my life. I also got comfortable with the idea that I’m allowed to do this. So this year, I’m further embracing that empowerment with the word “curate”. Part of saying yes to all that stuff I love was saying no to other things. Which is ok, and I’m allowed to do that. WHOA! Apparently this struck me as vital, because here’s the definition of my word for 2020:
curate
noun
Chiefly British. a member of the clergy employed to assist a rector or vicar.
any ecclesiastic entrusted with the cure of souls, as a parish priest.
verb (used with object), cu·rat·ed, cu·rat·ing.
to take charge of (a museum) or organize (an art exhibit):to curate a photography show.
to pull together, sift through, and select for presentation, as music or website content
Let’s check this out…
person entrusted with the cure of souls - healing, caring for the health of, ridding of detrimental factors
taking charge
organizing
sift through and select
POWERFUL STUFF. I am in charge of the care of my soul. I have the duty to rid it of detrimental factors. I say what’s welcome, what stays, and what goes. Holy boundaries, Batman. (I’m super proud of myself for getting to this point, BTW!)
In 2019, my list of 19 things included a bunch of health goals, finance goals, and creative community related goals. There are a few things I haven’t completed, like organizing everyone’s birthdays and current addresses, and getting the storage space cleaned out to make my encaustic studio, but I did a lot of things this past year that I’m happy about because of that list - like finally participating in book club! I did hard things, like paying off a huge loan, and going to all my appointments (2-3 a week, usually). I visited a Buddhist center, became a THRIVE member, and found YAH Women in Art right after too! I looked at a lot of art! I also played a lot of Magic Arena (even though I only made it through Platinum one season), worked on my oracle project, started a podcast with my friend Jess, launched this website, and ordered that perfume I’ve wanted for the last decade. I looked at campers, got new brown boots, and tried RASA, (adaptogenic coffee alternative) - I love it! I still don’t have a photography project I’m passionate about, but I've pitched a few ideas for grants, and that’s a step. I might scale back that project so I could do it in some form? Maybe? It’s going on the 2020 list!
I’m still thinking over a few things for 2020 (I’ve got a day!), but here’s the list so far:
get 20 rejections
put photos on my website
save down-payment
explore digital painting and illustration more deeply
do block printing
walk 20 in 2020
write consistently
make postcards
do a photography project
podcast with Jess
have a really good artist statement
make new business cards
explore my visual language
plan some day trips (Serpent Mound, Polymath Park…)
find tiny earrings
collaborative art projects with Alicia & with Meghan (It’s happening, it’s on my list!)
organize addresses and birthdays
acquire white tortoiseshell glasses
clean out storage - set up encaustic studio
find a good framing solution
I quite enjoy the whole dreaming up of possibilities, don’t you? What are your plans for 2020? I encourage you to make a list and play along! It gives us a unique opportunity to recognize and support one another. Jess and I will be discussing our lists on the podcast, and checking in throughout the year on our progress - we’re both Obligers, can you tell?
OK folks, I love you! Well wishes for 2020!
Delicious and dreamy and only a little spooky...
Be still, my pastel goth heart. I was working for hours the other night, a little on one piece, a little on another. Starting some layers on a bigger canvas, but not really getting into the flow of any one thing. That’s just how it is. Sometimes, I like a piece, it’s not finished, but I’m sort of afraid to ruin it because I’m not sure what it needs yet. So I let it sit, and think about it, and see if anything ever becomes overwhelmingly evident.
I knew what I wanted to do with these when I started them, but they were so pretty in their sherbet and salt water taffy colors that I knew I needed just the right thing to seep down through. I’ve really been liking the fluidity of alcohol ink, and how it can move around the textured forms more freely, and transparently than the other fluid mediums I’ve been trying. But the seeping couldn’t be taken back… but I did it, and it was exactly what I wanted. <3
These paintings remind me of the deep dark nights of summer in my youth, sharing my grandma’s sherbet, with it’s sweetness and refreshing tartness. The warmth and the cool coming together. The damp grass, the lightning bugs (in Noctilucent). As an adult, the breeze and heat and sand on Tybee Island, eating organic peach sorbet from the farmer’s market - just before I had a major breakdown. (in Sherbe(r)t Nocturne). These pieces contain the physical sensations of moments of joy, and the contrast that is brought by illness, pain, and the intermingling of these that define family and being human.
goals + growth mindset.
One of my goals has been to write a good artist statement. I’ve been trying to do so for like the past year, and haven’t been able to get it out. After trying to force it for months, I realized, I can’t just sit down and write this statement. I had to change the goal. So now instead of trying to master craft this statement, I’m just writing about my work, ideally every day, and seeing where that takes me.
Even though my current work ties back to things I was making in the early 2000’s, it’s not a clear path. I reminded myself that to come to my previous artist statement, I went through grad school, I defended that work with those words and came out on the other side. This is not the same. I’m doing something slower, more kind, and rewriting scripts that have been with me for at least a lifetime. This art work is about the work I’m doing. This process is internal and external, and incredibly difficult. My art process is part of it, inextricably, and I’m learning how to be my authentic self and share that.
Having a growth mindset helps me acknowledge that attaining the goal isn’t always the, umm, goal. I’m going to write more on that soon, as I’m really excited about reflecting on the year and planning for the new one - but for now, it’s back to my private art ponderings.
Art Release!
Inspired by the fluidity and layering capabilities of this medium , I kept thinking about the micro/macro aspects of life/energy/material, and it’s constant changing.
Nothing is solid, and everything is energy. - quantum physics
These 5x7 original works made using alcohol ink on yupo paper are available now for purchase at $50 each.
If you’d like to know more about any of these pieces, you can email me at hello@jenpalmer.art, or comment on this post.
Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper.
In the flow with alcohol ink on yupo paper.
Oh my gosh, I’ve been really enjoying making work with alcohol ink on yupo paper. I’d only previously used alcohol ink with encaustic medium. I liked it then, and have missed making encaustics, which is one reason why I wanted to try working with these otherwise. My encaustic studio has been out of commission since we moved here - just before Christmas, and this will be the 3rd Christmas here - clearly, I need to figure something out to get my encaustic studio space going again. (Rental - carpet- and I get wax EVERYWHERE)
In the meantime, I’ve heard buzz about yupo paper. I was all, what now? But it’s this synthetic “paper” that works really well for alcohol ink. It doesn’t absorb the liquid, and you can just keep working on it. I made the mistake of using my regular heat gun - too hot, don’t do it - a hair dryer is just fine. I see why everyone is all yupo, yupo!
Over the past few years, my work has developed to have these lines, that are usually informed by the shapes of the paint under them. I got really excited about the way the ink moves to the outer edge of the shape with alcohol ink, and the way you can put the alcohol on it to make it spread out more, carrying it further. There’s a lot of play with alcohol, and a lot less ink than you’d imagine. So, I’m getting these shapes that are part of my language, with a new medium. *SWOON*
LACHRYMA LINEAGE
I KNOW I’m this super-sensitive, emotional creature, but sometimes, waves of emotion still take me by surprise, which is what happened with a few of these pieces I’ve been working on. I hope that you’ll feel them too. <3 I’ll be releasing this series, along with the one featured above, to my email list first - they’re all affordably priced 5 x 7’s, so get thyself on that list below!
Do you like to try new things? If you’re an artist, have you ever worked with alcohol ink or yupo paper? Tell me about your adventures in the comments!
Works on canvas.
Sharing this collection of work on canvas - these are currently available. Contact me if you want to know more about any of them. <3
Audacity.
Sometimes, just being yourself, in this world, is an act of revolt.
Recently, I found myself in group therapy, getting choked up, as we read a list about boundaries. To me, it read like a list of rights, freedoms that were being granted to me and acknowledged in that moment. It was overwhelming.
One of the things I’m working on is the amount of guilt and shame I feel, when I can logically say that I shouldn’t. It’s what I know in my heart and mind, but my spirit has been worn down by experience. I can believe in all my power, but unless I feel it, it’s difficult to act on.
When I do act like myself, and share things with others, that I truly feel, an opinion, belief, or fact that I know when they may not, I often experience guilt and shame for speaking up. Who am I to do or say something? Who am I to have an opinion? Who am I to be an authority on a subject? (EVEN WHEN I TRULY AM) How dare I have the audacity?!
The conditions are unacceptable, and I don’t like myself much when I accept them.
Why should I feel guilty for existing and breathing and having experiences and opinions? Others may not agree with me, but it doesn’t mean that I’m wrong – that something is inherently wrong with me.
IT’S A DIFFICULT MESSAGE TO UNLEARN.
And it’s not a coincidence that SO MANY WOMEN are out there talking about worth right now…
Here’s the list:
A boundary is the:
– Emotional and physical space between you and another person
– Demarcation of where you end and another begins and where you begin and another ends.
– Limit or line over which you will not allow anyone to cross because of the negative impact of its being crossed in the past.
– Established set of limits over your physical and emotional well-being which you expect others to respect in their relationship with you.
– Emotional and physical space you need in order to be the real you without the pressure from others to be something that you are not.
– Emotional and/or physical perimeter of your life which is or has been violated when you were emotionally, verbally, physically and/or sexually abused.
– Healthy emotional and physical distance you can maintain between you and another so that you do not become overly enmeshed and/or dependent.
– Appropriate amount of emotional and physical closeness you need to maintain so that you and another do not become too detached and/or overly independent.
– Balanced emotional and physical limits set on interacting with another so that you can achieve an interdependent relationship of independent beings who do not lose their personal identity, uniqueness and autonomy in the process.
– Clearly defined limits within which you are free to be yourself with no restrictions placed on you by others as how to think, feel or act.
– Set of parameters which make you a unique, autonomous and free individual who has the freedom to be a creative, original, idiosyncratic problem solver.
How does this read for you? Do you ever feel audacious just for being yourself?
Google Keep.
If we’ve hung out in the past 6 years, I’ve probably made you download this app on your phone. Especially if you have complained about disorganization or keeping track of things. It’s just so. dang. helpful.
Google on Apple products? YES. – did you know that Apple products use Google service to support their cloud? Google does this stuff really well, let’s go with it…
Favorite features:
COLOR CODING – art related notes are orange for me, shopping lists are blue, health stuff is purple… use whatever works for you
LABELS- these are keywords or hashtags, use them to sort your notes into categories. Some general ones I use: art, journal, read, submissions, shopping, health, podcast, writing, food, remember this. I also label specific projects this way: happiness project, magic oracle, book club.
ARCHIVED NOTES – this works really well with labels. I delete old shopping lists once they’re done, but I archive all my journal posts or research notes when I’m done with them. They’re not popping up, but they’re accessible through an easy search.
CHECK BOXES – or no check boxes. You can switch this up at any time on your note. You can also still see everything you’ve checked off. Before I go grocery shopping, I go to my grocery list, and uncheck things I got last time, but need to buy again. Saves time thinking about what I need, and having to type or write up a new list every time.
NOTE SHARING – life changing. this is everything teamwork. It updates as you go. Often times, my husband will be like, ” heading to the store, add what you need to the list”. It’s also great for projects where multiple people are involved. Everyone can see what’s been done.
REMINDERS – need to be reminded of a note or list at a particular place or time – DING! you got that. (don’t forget that weird random thing you needed, but not right away, from Lowe’s next time you’re there)
FLEXIBILITY – Use Keep on your phone, computer, tablet, etc. Add written notes, photos, typed lists, links, voice notes… Also send notes to Google Docs if you need.
PINNING and ORGANIZATION – You can move the notes around manually on the interface if you wish, and you can pin notes to the top – I use this for a permanent list of all my doctors info, my grocery list, and my art supplies list. I’ll also pin anything really urgent or important.
SAVE TO KEEP – When doing other things online, I’ll use the share to keep option on my phone, or the save to keep option set up using a browser extension. SUPER EASY. one move, and it’s all there for later.
Who are your gurus?
WWJD? (stick with me, I promise…)
Do you remember those bracelets and t’s showing off this slogan in the 90’s? I always thought it was relevant – despite how my views on religion changed since then, Jesus is an example of radical moral behavior, and a perspective to consider when facing any situation.
As an empath, INFP, highly sensitive person, I find it helpful to have some guides to consider when I’m facing something difficult, or just plain confusion. Sometimes, I need a reminder of my own pillars of value, to look to when my own position feels swayed by all the sensory input coming from everywhere else. I’ve also found it difficult to connect with distant mystical figures, say, in the past, growing up in the Catholic church. I much prefer to have “gurus” that are here on Earth, living in this time, to serve as my guides.
A PRACTICAL PERSPECTIVE.
You’ve already heard me talk about Gretchen Rubin (a writer who studies happiness and human nature), and if you’re close to me in real life, you would also know that I’m a bit taken with Davey Havok ( musician, writer, actor, possible enigma?). I also have a ton of respect for Dr. Ginevra Liptan (doctor with fibromyalgia and founder of the Frida Center for Fibromyalgia). Let’s take a look at what I connect with in each of these individuals, and why I find them to be helpful reference points.
Gretchen Rubin
Image is from Gretchen Rubin’s website :
https://gretchenrubin.com/
I really admire the way she can succinctly address an aspect of human nature. Her investigative nature and growth mindset are exemplary. The conversations she leads are full of curiosity and wonder, and often lead to greater self-knowledge. Gretchen’s focus is on making her life, and helping others make their lives, happier – and she is truly great at this.
Gretchen devised a system of looking at people and their tendencies that can be super helpful in navigating relationships of all kinds. She understands that the best way for one person to do something isn’t always the best way for another, and supports people finding their own best ways. Between writing books, reading books, podcasting, and live videos, she’s somehow also accessible, engaging with her readers, watchers, and listeners all the time. I feel like she’s a real person I can connect to.
Some things we share: interest in happiness, human nature, and growth. Connecting with the senses, enjoying smell, color, quotes, curating…
One of the reasons I find Gretchen’s work to be helpful is because when I’m struggling, I want to figure out something that works better. I don’t want to stay in the struggle, and Gretchen is a role model of figuring out your own system, what works for you, and believes in the importance of that.
Another huge thing is Gretchen’s focus on enjoyment in life. She’s been a point of reference as I navigate deconstruction of harmful and painful ideologies.
You can find everything Gretchen Rubin, by clicking here to visit her website.
Ginevra Liptan
Image from Dr. Liptan’s website:
http://www.fridacenter.com
I came across Dr. Liptan and the Frida Center for Fibromyalgia years ago, around when I was seeking diagnosis. After being dismissed for years by doctor after doctor who would not believe what I was going through, it was validating to find a doctor who struggled with the exact same facets of the medical community. My husband and I have considered multiple times, moving to be near her and the Frida Center – Just to have someone who understands how to treat me.
Dr. Liptan has a wholistic approach to treatment, and views the doctor/patient relationship as a partnership for health. I wish she could hold a giant mandatory conference with all of the medical community about Fibromyalgia, what it is and how to treat it. However, she has written a manual for patients and their doctors, which I suppose is a much more reasonable approach
Things we share: Patronage to Saint Frida, jewelry making, valuing of community, having fibromyalgia, being intelligent women on a quest for knowledge and healing, entrepreneurial spirit
Looking to Dr. Liptan has helped me deal with having fibromyalgia, and finding the right treatments to help. I believe in what she’s doing – I’ve donated some Frida themed jewelry I made for an art auction for the Frida Center, and am an affiliate for Frida Botanicals.
Davey Havok
This image was taken by Josh Massie at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Go see more of his awesome work at Scattered Pictures !
OK. THIS MAN IS GORGEOUS. Let’s move past that.
AFI is one of my all time favorite bands, and I’ve loved every side project Davey’s been involved in, or song he lends his voice to from other bands. Punk, rock, electronic, hardcore, new wave…it all resonates with me. Not to mention he’s an amazing performer – who has also somehow found time to do film and stage acting, and write some novels. PROLIFIC.
Some things we share: Fall children with Nov. birthdays. Stardust. Fire signs. Not eating meat. Catholic upbringing. Being straight edge. Painful, romantic, mysterious insides. Interest in fashion and expression.
One of the reasons I’ve always been able to turn to his work for comfort is that it doesn’t shy away from the deepest and painful emotions, that particular darkness. In fact, his work honors it, and values what we learn there. Being someone who is always in pain, who is sensitive both physically and emotionally, I’ve found myself able to draw on Davey’s conviction and combination of strength/vulnerability.
You can check out a Spotify playlist with a bunch of Davey’s music here:
Now that you’ve heard about mine, I’d love to hear about your “gurus” and how they guide or inspire you. Are they real and present, from a past time, or fictional? Let me know!
Trauma & Memory.
Studies are now showing that memories pass through DNA. What does this mean for trauma? There’s also a component of Fibromyalgia that it is familial, and mostly women end up with it. And then there are thoughts occurring, I don’t know of research yet, about how our culture is causing complex PTSD, through drone war tactics, media inundation, and constant hate speech.
I have always felt incredibly sensitive, I know that tensions and hate fueled agendas take a toll on me, but now it is suggested that I might suffer from complex PTSD, and need treatment to heal the trauma, to release it from my body, to change the way my brain perceives these situations, presently, and in the future. Now, part of having fibromyalgia is having a brain that is in constant fight or flight. My body always thinks there is a traumatic situation happening – and in this society, I can’t really convince it otherwise.
There are instances of clear trauma for people – fighting in a war, witnessing violent death, physical abuse, sexual assault, physical injury, weather disaster… but some are more murky and happen over time, like living in extreme poverty, or a family of narcissists, or holding a constant fear of one of the more obvious traumatic events. Layered together, one trauma might not even stand out from the next.
I also think that we experience instances of trauma to our collective psyche. And we don’t even know how this manifests. Complex PTSD is a newer term in the field of psychology. Exploring how someone like me might be affected by the whole of society’s traumatic events, or how women may carry the traumas of all women before them, through DNA and collective consciousness/unconscious, is probably something we’re not going to hear about for a long time. This doesn’t mean it isn’t there somehow, that these experiences aren’t felt now. Maybe just that they don’t have a name, and we don’t know what to do with the information.
Bodily knowledge is it’s own kind of truth.
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