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diatriblicaljottings · 4 years

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How significant is the representation of masculinity to the way Othello functions as a tragedy?

Literature review

Believed to be written in 1603, the existence of ‘Othello’ has not only been disputed to be one of Shakespeare’s most successful plays due to the “treatment of such timely issues as race, gender, homoeroticism and domestic relations” (Evans, 2015), but also one of the most controversial – mostly due to how the aforementioned topics were approached. This is particularly surprising as Othello is widely acknowledged as “the least political (Shakespeare play) and even the least philosophical but also as the most domestic and personal” (Evans, 2015). Perhaps this disdain comes from a place of misunderstanding towards Shakespeare’s often critical yet atypical approaches to what could be described as sensitive topics. However, the representation of masculinity throughout ‘Othello’ can be linked to most of the mentioned analytical approaches, particularly masculinity and race, in a way that enriches our overall understanding of the text, and how it fit into the genre of tragedy. A critical essay by John R Ford reads, “the play powerfully critiques the racist and misogynist constructions of Venice by making its codes and conventions so visible to the audience” (Kolin, 2001) Othello’s extreme desire for achieving an ultimate state of masculinity directly correlates with the gender politics of the time, a time in which the misogynistic attitudes Ford refers to were rife in popularity, yet still unidentified as problematic and were therefore routinely normalized. In their masses, men synonymous to Othello encouraged and expected each other to actively participate in the discrediting of women to obtain their dominance and in turn, their sense of masculinity, or at least, what they believed to be attributes of masculinity. Whilst they have been greatly unacknowledged for thousands of years, both gender and race have still influenced political structures, including the ‘constructions of Venice’ addressed in Othello and Ford’s critical essay. This directly contrasts with Evans’ earlier observation of Othello being ‘the least political’ play to come from Shakespeare, as it could arguably be one of the most. Alongside political ideals being a key function in the representation of masculinity, there are many contributing factors as to why Othello as a character could be protective of his masculine ego (the manipulation he endures at the hands of Iago being a namely one), though it is undeniable that as a person of colour with the ability to exist in such a high rank of power, despite living in a racist society, he faces much harsher judgement from other characters. Naturally this would also have significant impact on Othello’s personal difficulties with his insecurities, or when approaching threats to his masculinity. This becomes one of many tragedies described in the text – one that is very much involved in how the fundamentals of tragedy are incorporated into the thematic structure of Othello. “Culture is a masculine region, and everything that lies beyond its purlieus ± untamed nature, the sea, forests, brutes, cannibals, foreigners, belongs to the domain of the wild” (Wells, 2000) – in this case, ‘the wild’ could be referring to the existing fear of the unknown, but more importantly it could be used to define ‘the Other’ - a term that refers to “the creation of a dichotomy between Europe and its ‘others’ … central to the creation of European culture… part of the process of maintaining power over them” (Loomba, 1998). This coincides with the social context of Othello, particularly with the reference to ‘foreigners’ in the culture Wells speaks of. The often subliminal struggles that Othello faces as a black male character propel the tale of tragedy depicted within the text – as it is these very struggles that are used against him consistently, driving him to a point of ultimate self-questioning: when he makes the decision to kill Desdemona. Burning “with a desire to avenge the imagined loss of his masculine honour” (Wells, 2000) is quite a bleak outlook, given that many would dispute that this ‘imagined loss’ is not imagined at all. Societal norms, especially in the historical setting of this play, are so very much ingrained into the typical thinking patterns of many of the characters, that it is certainly realistic for the character of Othello to predict the tarnishing of his name or reputation. The vengeance referred to by Wells would not appear to be Othello’s true motive to kill her, as he denies having any knowledge of her death, so it plays no part in the restoration of his honour. It seems to be, however, a result of extreme expectations that Othello has internalised becoming a malformation of fear and unattainably high levels of self-respect. The main tragedy at the core of the play depicts the impact of unrealistic and limited implications of masculinity being a motive for murder. Othello had been systematically brainwashed into believing his only option was taking drastic measures to prove his worth in terms of his masculinity, threatened with the negative societal impacts the alleged misdemeanours of his wife would cause. Whilst his actions may not be remotely excusable in any way, they serve the purpose of truly representing how toxic masculinity can result in tragedy – and the lengths a man of his tragic circumstances may go through to preserve his ‘masculine honour’.

Analytical essay

The importance of masculinity in “Othello” is crucial to the genre of tragedy, as the desired trait of authority, achieving a true masculine status, is shared amongst the primary male characters - a persistent battle that eventually results in disastrous consequences. Iago’s personal lack of masculine identity is the cause of the downfall of multiple male characters, as he so clearly uses it as a tool of manipulation. Othello being such a high-status character, linking to his "manhood and honour" - is quite vulnerable in terms of becoming increasingly paranoid and suspicious of Desdemona betraying him. While Othello is being manipulated by Iago, Iago creates insinuations of Desdemona committing adultery in order to pressure Othello into a state of jealousy - before proceeding to essentially warn Othello not to worry about it. Iago’s mockery of the very concept he introduced into this discussion proves just how manipulative he is, and how he is manifesting Othello’s insecurity in his own masculinity proves this - "Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock. The meat it feeds on." (Act 3, Scene 3). Othello’s perceived ‘fragile masculinity’, which has been even further amplified by Iago’s antics, births the creation of what would become Othello’s hamartia in the tragic events to come. Furthermore, Iago creates the lie of Cassio being a violent alcoholic. In order to steal his job, Iago persuades Cassio to partake in heavy drinking, which leads to him being disgraced from his job, and in turn, his reputation. Iago’s discrete manipulation is used once again in the form of reverse psychology “"I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth than it should do offence to Michael Cassio" (Act 2, Scene 3). This becomes a tragic flaw in Cassio’s story, continuing to destroy not only his masculinity, but also his self-worth and livelihood. With all of this being due to Iago’s jealousy of Cassio’s higher-ranking position, it reinforces the link between the pressures of maintaining masculinity and how highly men rank in both works, but also society. “Iago seems to have too many motives for his evil and thus paradoxically, no motives for it at all." (Evans, 2015). Iago's own drive - to gain a higher rank - pushes the ideology that honour equates to your level of masculinity, something which Shakespeare is almost critiquing through his creation of Iago’s character – a erratic, self-serving and desperate person whom projects his own masculine insecurities for personal gain.

Within the play the character of Emilia is a key part of how masculinity is portrayed, with strong opinions and an understanding of the masculine ideology she said some of the most noticeable things about how significant masculinity is within the tragedy. “They are all but stomachs, and we all but food, They eat us hungerly, and when they are full / They belch us” (Act 3, Scene 4). This phrase clearly shows that for the men within this play, women are the source of sexual satisfaction and not much more than that. Not allowing women to have any position of authority or experience a liberty of decision-making - clearly shows how society’s obsession of masculinity at the time built a hierarchy, in terms of gender. Women only really had each other to rely on, and Shakespeare progressively shows Emilia's loyalty to Desdemona only growing stronger. As a woman of practical intelligence, shown to not be led by her emotions, Emilia becomes a key character in relation to masculinity within the tragedy. The juxtaposition between Emilia and her partner Iago creates the potential of her strong-minded personality being one of many causes towards Iago’s pathetic drive to emasculate himself. Although Emilia stands by Iago through the play, in the end she denounced his lies to defend Desdemona’s reputation after her death. With regard’s to Desdemona’s murder, after being severely wounded by her husband and close to death, she remains adamant on her refusal to reveal Othello as her murderer and claims it was suicide – “Nobody. I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. Oh, farewell!” (Act 5, Scene 2) This may be because of how much she loved her husband, but it was primarily due to the extreme effects of Othello’s desire to achieve true masculinity – a virtue Desdemona herself intends to assist with as to prove her true loyalty in her final moments. Othello’s goal to prevent other men from being betrayed by Desdemona, further perpetuates the idea that truly masculine men must adhere to the heroic stereotype and make sacrifices for the sake of other people, even when it concerns the love of their life.

During Shakespeare’s life, there was a strict social construct of gender norms, as well as a hierarchy of sexes. As each gender experienced their own role in society, it was only logical that they'd be shown within Shakespeare’s plays. Throughout Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ the ideology of masculinity is presented to us through the different themes that are addressed, whilst being set in a regressive and male-dominated world. The unachievable goal of obtaining an elite state of masculinity results in many conflicts of character, with horrific atrocities being committed as a result of this - from degradation of race and gender, to the sheer manipulative nature of many characters, there are a stark amount of negative consequences that can be construed as being tragic. Alongside the more obvious defining factors of tragedy within Othello, masculinity - and the constant urge to exude it – is the most consequential catalyst that results in the melancholic epilogue of this play.

Bibliography

Evans, R. (2015). Othello: a Critical Reader, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Kolin, P. (2001). Othello: Critical Essays., Taylor & Francis Group.

Loomba, A. (2015). Colonialism/postcolonialism (Third ed., New critical idiom).

Wells, R. (2000). Shakespeare on Masculinity, Cambridge University Press.

#othello #shakespeare #english lit #literature #playwriting #essay #analysis #university #racism #misogyny #masculinity #bachelors #tragedy

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fairycosmos · 4 years

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TRIGGER WARNING : I know you're not a psychiatrist tbh I just need to vent and I really like you so yea, I've come to the conclusion that I am what everyone thought I was which is a lazy little bitch using depression and suicidal thoughts as an excuse to be lazy I use to feel guilty but idc anymore it just shows there's no hope for me at all the only problem is I don't have the guts to shoot myself in the head and it's the last option I have Im sorry I just don't know who to turn to

hey dude. i’m sorry to hear you’re hurting so much right now. i know it’s a complex and personal issue that words alone can’t solve, but i still hope you’re open to some comfort, some alternative narratives to center your thoughts around. and idk just a few words from someone who can understand to an extent....i think first and foremost it’s a good idea to ask yourself, when you’re in the right state of mind to, where all of this self loathing is actually coming from. whether it’s grounded in anything substantial. it’s important to remember that a massive part of depression is feeling like you’re faking, over-exaggerating, using it as an excuse etc. i’ve heard a lot of people with mental illness echo the same sentiment. and the fact that you feel this way, so violently negatively towards yourself, indicates that you ARE struggling with a much deeper problem. but we’re taught to overlook it and to blame ourselves, partially due to society’s attitude regarding mental illness. in short we’re conditioned to feel like we’re lazy and worthless if we can’t produce labor and profit, or if something prevents us from doing so, but that’s merely a capitalist myth. those around you have internalized its message and are now projecting it onto you. but now that you recognize that fact, you can begin dismantling that belief system in your own head. cause in actuality, it’s got nothing to do with you or your value as a person. it’s the system that’s the issue, and the way it sees human life as nothing more than a means to an end, when people are so much more than that. you are so much more than that. you’re not here to constantly please everyone or to be some emotionless machine. so anyone who was judging you by that standard is fkn deluded and their opinion doesn’t hold much weight to begin with. then there’s also the stigma surrounding depression itself. people who’ve never experienced it don’t get how debilitating it is to live with. how it doesn’t just prevent people from working, how it prevents people from progressing in all areas of their lives when it’s left unacknowledged. which is why the answer isn’t to hurt yourself, it’s to admit to what hurts. this isn’t a matter of personal failure, or of laziness. it’s an illness, something that needs to be confronted head on with time, treatment, and self help in order to move beyond it. it’s just as serious as any physical ailment, but you don’t have to beg anyone to understand that. you’re going through so much just by getting through the day and the fact that you’re still here counts for so much. i promise, you are not your negative thoughts. your mind is just trying to get you to stay in the cycle of self hatred > self destruction > self hatred so that you feel more discouraged and less likely to seek the support you need, even though that could be the one thing that would break the repetitive pattern. idk who made you believe that you are this bad and unforgivable person but i hope you know that it is genuinely, truly possible to grow beyond that way of thinking. it may take time, and it may feel unreachable right now, but change is honestly constant especially if you seek it out. the way you see yourself in five years will not mirror the way you see yourself now, you know? this is all a process and as long as you’re getting through it, you’re doing so much better than you realize.

it’s ok to recognize all of that and to still feel like shit, to still feel like giving up sometimes. sadness, anger, pain - they’re exhausting and terrifying, but you don’t have to push those emotions away. though they don’t have to control all of your actions either. because they’re never as permanent as they feel. part of being suicidal is thinking in a black and white fashion, where everything has to be all or nothing. but it doesn’t. there’s a lot of nuance and a lot of different choices you can make, if you just breathe and keep yourself in a safe environment above all else. like i said, you’re living with an illness and bad days are a natural part of that. but having the tools to be able to cope with them in a healthy way could make all the difference. and that IS an option for you, even if you can’t see it right now. are you currently seeing a mental health professional? if not, i’d really really suggest looking into that before you make any permanent and heavy handed decisions about whether or not it’s worth it to stay alive. seriously, even if you’re unable to see a therapist at the moment - there are depression/suicide hotlines you can call who can help you with the next step, there may be support groups in your area, your doctor may be able to refer you to a counselor. you are capable of reaching out, as proven with this message, which is a really good sign. and building routines around personal self help and finding what works for you would be a step in the right direction, too. there is so much that can be done in terms of identifying what you feel the way you feel, relearning how to treat yourself, developing a support network over a period of time, opening up to make room to heal - it’s possible. i promise it is. it’s possible to live a full, stable life that you’re proud of despite having depression. if you have any trusted loved ones, now may also be a good time to talk to them about whats going on. i’m sure they want to have the chance to be there for you, and it’s alright to lean on them when you need it. you’re clearly in a very emotional state right now so i don’t blame you if you can’t bring yourself to believe me, but i hope it’s an idea you can keep revisiting. because really what my main point is, is that you deserve to stay alive regardless the fact that you’re dealing with a mental illness. i don’t want to sound cliche but it’s true that nothing would be the same without you, that you’re here for a reason (which you fulfill every day, just by being who you are) and that your presence is far more precious than you know. i’m sorry you were made to feel any different. you get this one life and i would really hate to see you do something you could regret over situations and feelings that can be helped. you are not beyond hope, you are not a lost cause. especially if you live your life as if you’re not. you still exist and that means there are a million different ways things could turn out, the future is ever changing. the present is all you need to worry about. it’s just another symptom of depression to catastrophize and picture everything ending in the worst case scenario, which is something that can also be helped with therapy/practicing mindfulness. anyway, i’m aware that this is getting super long and i’m going to leave some links that may be of some use to you in terms of follow up support, but i’m really begging you. no matter how awful you feel tonight, just allow yourself to breathe through it. cry through it. call someone if it all feels like too much. keep yourself away from anything you could use to harm yourself with. and then wake up tomorrow knowing you have the chance to try again, knowing that that is a good thing, knowing that this moment is not what your whole existence is going to look like. please, please call someone if you think you’re a danger to yourself. even if you have to pick up the phone on autopilot. you mean so much. im sending you a lot of love and hoping you find the self appreciation you deserve. if you ever need a friend please feel free to message me. you’re not on this alone.

https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/security-and-privacy/global-suicide-hotline-resources/

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/coping-with-depression.htm

https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/a-z/resource/50/suicide-coping-with-suicidal-thoughts

https://medium.com/@sameoldzen/finding-intrinsic-self-worth-in-a-capitalist-system-7069be072b5b

https://serenitymentalhealthcenters.com/31-coping-skills-for-depression/

#tw suicide #tw self harm #anon

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treehugginglibrarian · 5 years

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Social Justice Bedroom Warriors

Social Justice Warriors need to stay out of people’s intimate lives, unless they’re personally invited in, because they’re starting to sound a bit like incels.

Recently, a member of one of my childfree on-line forums posed a question regarding dating and mental health, being unsure whether it was acceptable for her to bow out of a potential relationship because the gentleman in question suffered from depression and anxiety. While most people, including those with one or both of those health issues, were quick to reassure her that she never has to date anyone she doesn’t want to, and she owes no one an explanation, others were less supportive. One entire sub-thread of this mess ended up dedicated to the notion that, if she did not date this man, she was an “ableist cunt.” That’s not how this works. THAT’S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS. This also isn’t the first time I’ve seen this argument made.

As a population, we’ve gotten pretty good at reminding straight, white, men (and black men, on occasion) that women do not owe them anything. We don’t owe them our time, our phone number, a date, or sex. We do not owe them anything simply because they were born with a dick and took a fancy to us. It’s becoming increasingly clear, however, that the only people who don’t appear to be owed sex or relationships are straight, white, men.

On multiple occasions during the course of my adult life, I have been called a “racist” by a black man who wanted my phone number and to whom I did not want to give it. Sometimes I didn’t want to give it to him because it was obvious he wasn’t my type. Sometimes I was just disinterested. Sometimes I was taken. In all instances, my rejection was not met merely with annoyance, but with a charge of “racism.” As though their blackness entitled them to my time, even if their maleness left me disinterested. As though a failure to be interested on my part could only be attributed to an aversion to brown skin, rather than an aversion to them, as an individual. I never thought much of these instances because I have, in fact, dated men of color before. As a child, my first Hollywood crush was on a black man. As an adult, about the only human I would consider leaving my wife for is a black woman (I jest. I would never leave my wife. But if I did it would be for Jessica Williams). My disinterest in these men was not because I am incapable of attraction to black bodies. I just wasn’t interested in those men; a fact they were quite offended by and quite willing to project over.

Shortly after coming off of active duty, I got called “fat phobic” for the first time. It wouldn’t be the last time and, despite the general definition of oppressive hatred, at no time has this name been lobbed at me because I’ve been treating those who are overweight as though they are “less than.” I’m not scared of fat people. I don’t hate fat people. In fact, unless you are an overweight person with whom I am personally acquainted, I probably have effectively zero feeling about you or your excess weight. If you’re a fat person with whom I’m personally acquainted, my feelings towards you will have little to do with your weight and significantly more to do with your personality and your work ethic. You do you, boo, just don’t be a mean person or a shitty coworker along the way. That said, I acknowledge a lack of physical attraction on my part when it comes to overweight people. Part of it is that I’m just not attracted to the body type. Part of it is that I am an insanely active person, and I do make certain assumptions about other people’s lives and activity levels based upon their body types. I am going to assume that someone who is 150 pounds overweight is not going to be compatible with who I am as a person. My unwillingness to date people who fit this criteria, my disinterest in having sex with a body type that does not appeal to me, is apparently rooted in a deep and unacknowledged phobia of fat people. I got told by multiple women that unless I’m willing to force an attraction to fat people, I am fat phobic. How I treat these people out of the sheets is completely irrelevant.

A little research showed that fatphobia was hardly the only politically correct pile of shite making its way into bedrooms. White people who won’t date outside their race are, with some level of regularity, told they’re racist. Refusing to date someone from another country, culture, or religious sect is now deemed xenophobic. Even refusing to date someone who had children or wildly different political views than your own was, somehow, deemed inappropriate. Even as society has been trying to drill into people’s heads that no one, NO ONE, is owed a relationship, that same society is doing an excellent job of telling us that we’re not allowed to say “no” to certain people. Saying “no” to marginalized or “othered” individuals is no longer a simple declination of sex, and is now an act of discrimination. Their marginalization, apparently, entitles them to both my time and my body.

Through it all, sexism is a charge that has largely gone underutilized amongst most groups. Gay men are never called sexist for refusing to fuck women, and straight people are never called sexist or homophobic for not being queer. Lesbians, however, haven’t been granted this same dignity. (As usual, bisexuality is ignored. For once, the bi’s of the world are pleased about this). Probably because the idea that sexual pleasure can exist outside the scope of a penis is, for many, wildly inconceivable.

For as long as lesbianism has been a thing, people with penises attempting to convince lesbians that said lesbians do, in fact, enjoy dicks have been a thing. For most of history, those people have been humans presenting as straight men, who apparently can’t conceive of a woman not wanting any dick at all, let alone their dick. In more recent years however, a vocal cohort of trans women, many pre-operative and still possessing intact penises, have taken to outing lesbians who refuse to date them as “transphobic.” As though one’s bedroom is an arena in which our efforts at establishing equality for all can be adequately assessed.

Here’s the thing, a lack of attraction to a particular characteristic or a disinterest in having a particular characteristic in your bed or yourself, is not a form of discrimination. Why? Because absolutely no one, no matter how disenfranchised they may be by the rest of society, is ever owed personal time, relationships, or sexual intimacy from or by anyone else. They’re just not. Lesbians don’t owe transwomen sex or relationships, and they don’t owe them an explanation for why they’re not interested in these things. They are not suffering from a case of discriminatory genital preferences, because sexual proclivities are not preferences- they are ingrained parts of our beings.

Do you really think straight women wouldn’t make the transition to vaginas if it was as simple as changing their genital preferences? The existence of straight women is proof positive that basically everything about our sexual attractions are beyond the scope of our control.

While we can control whether or not we act on these attractions, control over what we are attracted to is pretty fucking limited. Do you really think pedophiles enjoy being pedophiles? If you do, I’d recommend reading an interview with one. It’s pretty eye-opening, if you can get past the part where you’re reading an interview with a pedophile. And all of them make quite clear that acting on their attraction to children is within their control, but the attraction itself is not. A fact that tends to leave them shunned by society whether they act on them or not, and pretty fucking miserable for obvious reasons. The list of things I’m not attracted to is relatively long and, while the list itself is mutable because additions have been made over the years, I have never found myself attracted to something that had once previously repulsed me.

You will not change someone’s attractions simply by couching their sexual disinterest in social justice warrior language and attempting to shame them into being attracted to you.

All you’ll do is piss them off and lose an ally. If you don’t want to date someone who is black, white, or purple, you don’t have to. If you don’t want to date someone with a particular set of genitalia, you don’t have, no matter what their external presentation is. If you don’t want to date a particular gender, you don’t have to. You don’t have to date people with mental illness, with food restrictions, with terminal cancer, or with webbed feet. You don’t have to date fat people, skinny people, or exercise obsessed people. You don’t have to date rich people or poor people, the fashion forward or the fashion oblivious. You don’t have to let anything other than your attraction to that particular person, or lack thereof, determine whether you date another person. And if you don’t want to date anybody, at all, you don’t have to. And you never, ever, ever owe them any explanation for why you are not interested. In fact, an argument could be made that you’re better off not giving them a reason.

Get your shamey social justice warrior bullshit out of our bedrooms. NOW.

No one owes you anything.

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radicalstorytelling · 5 years

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BLOG POST: A Summer of Poetry

I have been a poet (whatever that means) for the past 2 years. However, I have also been an A-Level student, which means that finding time to write has sometimes required more creativity than doing the actual writing. That all charged at 3.20pm on the 13th of June when I finished my final exam and entered into the longest summer of my life. I was determined not to waste a second of it. That was 5 weeks ago. If you're a concerned friend wondering why you haven't seen me in a while, here is what I've been up to.

1. Writing Spoken Word for #DarwenGetsHangry

#DarwenGetsHangry is a campaign to end UK food poverty, led by a group of young people. You may have seen them on ITV News recently - they're doing very well! My brief was to sit down with some of the campaigners to chat about how food poverty has effected them and then write a spoken word piece, from their perspective, in response. Members of the campaign will perform the piece at the End Hunger UK national conference in October and then will create a poetry-video based upon the piece to use as a tool for campaigning and recruitment.

This project has been both a challenge and a huge privilege. The sensitive nature of the stories I was helping communicate required me to work closely with the Darwen Gets Hangry campaigners, who blew me away with their bravery and trust. I feel real hope that soon the government will be forced to face up to the issue of UK food poverty, and it was an honour to feature in the history these extraordinary young people are making.

I'll be adding the #DarwenGetsHangry piece to my digital portfolio as soon as I have the go-ahead from the campaigners to do so!

2. Judging an environment-themed youth poetry competition From one group of youth campaigners to another!

Although school has finished, the Cumbria branch of the School Strikes 4 Climate Movement continues, proving once and for all that we are, in fact, not just lazy skivers... (as the random elderly folk who encounter our protests seem to LOVE informing me). Excitingly, it's making a difference as well! Already this year South Lakeland District Council have declared a climate emergency as a direct response to our February meeting, local media are providing regular coverage, and only last week Lib Dem Cllr Dyan Jones contacted us to arrange a meeting.

Unsurprisingly, poetry has cemented itself at the core of the movement, proving Shelley's assertion that 'poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world'. Inspired in part by the new poet laureate's pledge to use poetry to combat climate change, the organisers at UKSCN Cumbria decided to launch a competition for all school-aged young people throughout Cumbria, with subcategories for each Key Stage. Originally, my role was just supposed to be curating a judging panel, although this somehow has evolved to me being on the panel myself, promoting at it protests, and even appearing on BBC Radio Cumbria!

Overall, the competition has received 365 entries, which isn't bad for a contest arranged by a handful of teenagers without a budget! Winning entries are still to be announced, as the other judges and I are taking our time reading through our allotted poems. With so many negative messages about the future circulating, it's good to know that we can still find hope in the next generation. In the same vein but not completely related - if you do fancy listening to some poetry about climate change, one of mine received international attention earlier this month when it ended up on Extinction Rebellion's digital newsletter! (what witchcraft...) I'm about halfway down, dressed as a penguin.

3. Helping Organise a Literature Festival

Tidelines Literature Festival is a brand new family-orientated literature festival taking place in Grange over Sands on the 17th and 18th of August, for free. They've got special guests like Kate fox, Katie Hale and Tony Vino, as well as a storm slam, crafts, and open mic, a living library and plenty more. Originally I was only supposed to be hosting the poetry open mic (are we sensing a theme here?) but talking to the organisers, I confess, I may have gotten excited and volunteered to be the volunteer liason, as well as to put together a team of young poets-in-residence, help out with social media, help with promotion and perform an hour long show (more on that later) as well. Not that I'm complaining. Helping out with this festival has been more fun than I can say, and it hasn't even happened yet! For more information please do check out the Tidelines eventsbrite page.

4. Writing a full length show!

By far my most ambitious project this summer has been writing my first full-length show 'Kidz Theez Dayz'. This has been A LOT of work, and I've loved every minute of it (except cutting it down at the end, damn time constrictions!). 'Kidz Theez Dayz' is a (hopefully) powerful and thought-provoking spoken word/theatre piece about what it means to be a political big-mouth teenager in the 21st century. The show deals with everything from school life, the environment, first loves, mental health, powerful friendships and parental pressure, and is very firmly routed in our current political landscape. Does that sound interesting enough? I hope so. The whole process of planning, writing, editing, revising, designing sound, rehearsing and promoting has, and continues to be, a truly valuable learning curve and one which has allowed me to produce something I'm actually very proud of.

So far, I have 2 performances lined up, one at Tidelines Literature Festival in Grange, Lancashire on the 17th of August, followed the weekend afterwards by Greenbelt Festival in Boughton House, Northamptonshire. If you are interested in coming along but can't make either of those dates, I'll be announcing further performances on twitter, and after that... Fringe 2020?

5. Other things...

Upon reflection, cramming every poetry-related event, competition or project that I've been a part of so far this summer into this one blog post could be a stretch, so please forgive me for cramming a few into this one section.

One of the greatest privileges I have is being able to go into schools and teach poetry and creative writing, as I did at a primary school in Morecambe last week as part of their 'Wonderfest'. I've also been working with another artist to create a 10-minute piece of street theatre around climate change, set post-apocalypse, that will debut at the Torchlight Carnival in September. Another friend has recruited me to help organise a showcase of talented young artists, in aid of Ovarian Cancer, which we are busy planning and which I will be hosting. I've also finally had the time to start this blog! Hello, by the way.

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tackyornamental · 5 years

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dream 20 june 2k19

living life past the two most intense months of my life, remembering a dream has become an unfortunately rare occurrence. but this one lingered.

If you are kissing a close friend, then it represents your respect and adoration for your friend. You are seeking some intimate closeness that is lacking in some waking relationship. It may or may not signify a romantic interest for her or him.

obviously seeking intimate closeness that i recently lost. i may or may not have a romantic interest for this friend. haven’t really decided. focusing on other things.

To dream that you miss your flight or a connection or that it was cancelled indicates that you are feeling helpless and trapped by some situation. You feel that you are being held back, either physically or mentally. Alternatively, the dream may also suggest that you are feeling disconnected in some aspect of your life - work, relationship or home life.

here’s what makes this funny - of the only other two moments i remember from dreams these past two months, one of them also involved missing a flight. and in that one, the indication of feeling helpless & trapped was apparent. here, i think it had to do with the alternative. feeling disconnected from some people i have been close to for lifetimes. feeling disconnected with the coffee shop project i have/had an opportunity with.

Flickering or dimming lights: Uncertainty; struggle to understand; loss of power or mental clarity; feelings about approaching death. Also can show a change of normal awareness, from darkness to light, saying something unusual is about to be experienced.

there was such a strong loss of mental clarity, & death was a reoccurring thing throughout that one disgraceful night. i feel like this is perfectly framing what is happening - my normal awareness has shifted, & seems to be getting lighter. makes sense because after the ghost attack, the lights flickered again. and, needless to say - something unusual is always about to be experienced.

To dream that you are being attacked by someone indicates your character is being questioned. You feel the need to defend yourself. You are feeling stressed, vulnerable and helpless. You may also be facing difficult changes in your waking life. Dreaming of an attack provides a way for you to confront these situations that you may be avoiding in real life.

To see or talk to spirits in your dream signify your fears about death. The spirits may be trying to guide you through some waking issues or problems. Pay close attention to what the spirits are trying to convey. Alternatively, the dream may be a pun on your enthusiasm and uplifted spirit for some matter or occasion.

ah, so helplessness comes up again. most certainly facing difficult changes. the details of the attack tell me i should roll my eyes at myself less, & let things go. we fought in a sense, as it took some of my punches - but since it seemed to have grabbed me from behind, my angles were all off. and what would this aggressive spirit be trying to guide me through? whatever makes me feel trapped? & why did it let me go?

To see friends from your past in your dream points to your desire to reconnect with a part of yourself that you have lost touch with. Perhaps it is time to pick up that old hobby or put a long hidden talent to use. A more direct interpretation of this dream may simply mean that you should look this friend up and reconnect with them.

If you dream that you make a drastic change to your hairstyle, then it means that you are taking a drastic, new approach to some issue in your waking life.

the connection here is a little off because the one who made the drastic change was the old friend, not me. but i did enjoy the vast balance of open & elusive i had in our good ol’ days. and i do still consider hitting him up, so maybe i should. but honestly, the last thing i want to be in this moment, is drastic.

p.s. shoutout to dreammoods.com for all my interpretation needs, and in this particular reflection - dreamhawk.com

#dreamz

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superseraphim7 · 6 years

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Trump’s Administration Has Been Briefed About UFOs; According To Steven Greer

donald trumpWhat do presidents know about UFOs? Well, if you’re an avid researcher of the topic, you’ve probably realized by now that presidents don’t really have a “need to know” about these things. The “military-industrial complex” that Eisenhower spoke of, which has become as uncontrollably powerful as he feared, has completely taken over operations that not even the president knows about. Many from within political realms who’ve held esteemed positions have spoken out about this fact.

Take Paul Hellyer for example, a former Canadian Defense Minister, who gave lecture at the University of Toronto in 2008 where he said it is “ironic that the U.S. would begin a devastating war, allegedly in search of weapons of mass destruction when the most worrisome developments in this field are occurring in your own backyard.” He was referring to black budget special access programs, which receive no oversight from Congress. This means that not even the government knows about the developments happening in this area, all for “national security” purposes.

It is ironic that the U.S. should be fighting monstrously expensive wars allegedly to bring democracy to those countries, when it itself can no longer claim to be called a democracy when trillions, and I mean thousands of billions of dollars have been spent on projects which both congress and the commander in chief know nothing about.

To The Stars Academy

It’s almost 2019, and the topic of UFOs has exploded into the mainstream, especially with former rock superstar Tom Delonge gathering defense intelligence officials, world-renowned scientists and more to relay this information to the public via the ‘To The Stars Academy.’ They’ve already released multiple videos of UFOs, and have publicly stated that there are programs within the government that study this phenomenon.

They have Luis Elizondo, a former director of a government ‘aerospace threat identification’ program. This was all disclosed via establishment mouthpieces like the New York Times and the Washington Post. They’ve also admitted to recovering materials from these ‘unidentified’ objects. You can read the latest updates about what’s going on with that and mainstream UFO disclosure, in general, below.

Black Budget Projects

The black budget is something we easily get information about, and for those who try to bring out information it is difficult to investigate. One example is the efforts of journalists Dana Priest and William Arkin of the Washington Post in 2010. Their investigation lasted approximately two years and concluded that America’s classified world has “become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, and how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.” You can read more about that, and see more examples, in this CE article.

Here is one of many statements from people who have been “in the know” so to speak. There are thousands of verified quotes on this subject, and we now have the electro-optical data and evidence to back up all of this witness testimony.

We have, indeed, been contacted – perhaps even visited – by extraterrestrial beings, and the US government, in collusion with the other national powers of the Earth, is determined to keep this information from the general public. (Second Look, Volume 1, No 7, Washington, DC, May, 1979)

What are the intentions of the cabal when it comes to UFO disclosure? We’ve been lied to about so many things by them, that it’s become hard to believe anything we hear from mainstream mouthpieces. Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama, who I believe are establishment puppets, have brought up the subject, acknowledged it, but have refused to share any information on it. They did so in cryptic, often comedic ways on popular television, on the Jimmy Kimmel show. It’s hard to know what to make of their comments, or even their overall knowledge about this.

So What About Trump?

Has Donald Trump been briefed? Yes he has, according to Dr. Steven Greer. Greer is the founder of The Disclosure Project, an initiative that has brought forth hundreds of military/defense/political personnel from all over the world, with verified credentials, to publicly share their testimony about their experiences with UFOs and extraterrestrials. He also released a film last year, called “Unacknowledged.” It was one of the most popular, if not the most popular film on Itunes & Netflix in 2017. It’s highly recommended if you are new to this subject and don’t already know much about it.

Greer has amassed great credibility for his claims. For example, many years ago he claimed to have had meetings at the Pentagon with some very high-ranking people. After this, Apollo astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell admitted that he also attended these meetings with Greer. What came out of these meetings is that not many people knew the details of this topic, nor wanted to discuss it. Wikileaks documents have also been released which saw astronaut Edgar Mitchell communicate with US politician John Podesta. You can access those documents and read more about them here.

He’s been able to develop relationships with individuals he has interviewed from various branches and ranks of the military as well as within the intelligence and defence communities.

In my opinion, Podesta, Clinton, Obama and Bush are all cabal puppets. Therefore, anything they say about terrorism, national security, or UFOs, is probably lathered up with some ‘disinformation’ soap. Without this point, if we completely disregard it, there is still more than enough evidence to show that they are simply following the will of their masters. But that’s a topic for another article, back to UFOs!

Greer says he has briefed people close to Trump about the UFO/extraterrestrial issue in this interview. He has also claimed to have briefed past presidents, like Obama and Clinton, and provides those documents on his website, Sirius Disclosure. It seems credible, especially when his claim to have had high-level meetings within the Pentagon was verified by Dr. Edgar Mitchell.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has so far not answered any questions that have been asked about UFOs. Will There Ever Be A Full Mainstream UFO Disclosure?

Given the fact that this topic seems to be controlled by a small group of very powerful people who gets to decide what humanity can and can’t know, I’d say that as long as this group maintains power, the reality of UFOs and extraterrestrial beings will be hidden from humanity in official channels. A censorship plan has also been spoken about for years by those within. Roscoe Hiellenkoetter, the first director of the CIA, for example, pointed out decades ago in the New York Times that, “through an official campaign of secrecy and ridicule, many citizens are led to believe the unknown flying objects are nonsense.” He went on to state that they are operating under intelligent control.

That being said, there is a serious effort by multiple nations, and perhaps those within this power structure as well, to reveal these truths to humanity. This is evident by all of the whistle-blowers with verified credentials who have shared their experiences, as well as the release of evidence in the form of radar trackings and electro-optical data.. There is a serious push for mainstream disclosure, this can’t be denied and is quite evident by the article linked earlier. Establishment mouthpieces are slowly disclosing this reality.

In 1979 Spanish General Carlos Cavero told the world the following:

“Everything in a process of investigation both in the United States and in Spain, as well as the rest of the world. The nations of the world are currently working together in the investigation of the UFO phenomenon an international exchange of data.” (via Richard Dolan, “UFOs & The National Security State”)

Why Any Disclosure At All?

Why would the New York Times, CNN and the rest of them share any of this truth? Can we believe what they say? Perhaps not everything they say is false, but for years we’ve seen major geopolitical issues completely twisted by the mainstream media, and evidence of ‘perception manipulation’ that is fostered by their close relationship with US intelligence agencies. There is also the testimony of multiple award-winning mainstream media journalists who emphasize how mainstream media outlets are paid by governments, corporations and intelligence agencies to present a specific narrative.

Is the establishment trying to lay the foundation for a ‘war against aliens’ like they made a ‘war against drugs’ and a ‘war terror?’ Or are we seeing the white hats within these groups push for the disclosure of information? All this remains to be seen, but we must understand why this topic would be extremely difficult to disclose and to be honest, it’s probably a mix of both.

For one, you have the energy question. These crafts are clearly not using petroleum. Have we harvested technology from these crafts? If released, what would that mean for the oil industry and our economy? Who would benefit, who would lose? What about the historical questions, the scientific questions? What about our laws of science and what we understand about ourselves and perhaps human origin? What about the idea that there are intelligent extraterrestrials surveying, visiting, and interacting with people here on Earth!

Tremendous Implications

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the disclosure of this information leaves no area of humanity untouched. As you can imagine, it has tremendous implications and it’s something that would change the world forever. I am sure the existence of extraterrestrials and the fact that we’ve been visited and are being visited, is not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to discovery.

Most important will be the impact on consciousness, the deeper investigation into metaphysical realities, and the validation of non-material science. One can expect that disclosure will impact our understanding of who we are and why we are here, and perhaps there is some sort of spiritual lesson to be reaped from the realization that we are not the only ones. There is a CE podcast featuring CE founder Joe Martino, myself, and a “contactee” who discuss this exact topic. You can listen to that, it’s linked at the bottom of this article, for more information.

The Takeaway

Humanity is just now waking up, and ready to take the steps necessary to move out of infancy. Understand “them” will help us to understand ourselves. We are all connected in some strange form, and the future is exciting. It’s a topic that, most importantly, we DON’T have to be afraid of or react to with fear, despite the fact that that this type of reaction seems to have been programmed into us. We need to deprogram ourselves from what Hollywood has presented us with, and start to examine the actual evidence and what’s really going on here.

I don’t believe you have to be afraid to discuss or talk about this topic with your peers and your family anymore. It’s no longer taboo, and the more we speak up, speak out, and generate discussion, the closer we get to finding out what’s really going on. It’s definitely an exciting time to be alive.

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heidiarnhold · 7 years

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Reflection

10 years ago today, I was published for the first time: https://www.amazon.com/Legends-Dark-Crystal-Garthim-Wars/dp/1598167014

I’ve had many highs and lows over the past decade. Lots of learning experiences. Most are pretty universal and are commonly talked about, but they remain important and bear repeating. I thought I’d share one of them from my personal perspective, so here we go!

This is my big one: Your work does NOT define you or give you value. Neither does your career success, follower count, what your peers do/don’t think about you, or whether or not you’re a “name” in the industry or online. I struggled with insecurity for many years and chased after the validation that I assumed would come with those things.

When I finished my first book, I did feel a sort of validation as a guest at that year's SDCC, backed by my publisher and there to celebrate with the rest of my team. It was so encouraging and made all the late nights and deadline anxiety seem worthwhile. When I started the second book, I would remember the excitement and, yes, validation of that convention as motivation on my most difficult days. I would constantly think, “when all of this is over, you’ll get to be with everyone you’ve worked with again and have another party!”

The situation was far different at the end of that second book. The publisher had laid off much of its work force and its business goals were in a state of flux. I emerged from my isolation and was happy to see the people I’d worked with, but the effort we had put into the project went more or less unacknowledged. After months of stress without a break, that was a real blow. I was not secure enough as a person, at that point, to know how to properly respond to it.

Over the two years that followed, I worked on some smaller projects but struggled to land anything long term. Depression inhibited steady/reliable work flow for most of 2012. There were many lost opportunities during that time which I still regret to this day. Fortunately, my current project was beginning to take shape, but at the time I saw it mostly as another chance to show, to PROVE my worth to people.

I can’t point back to one single “a-ha” moment that helped me start moving away from that line of thinking. Between the start of COTTONS and now, I’ve spent a lot of time working alone and listening to other artists share their experiences online. One artist made a comment that hit me particularly hard: if you’re not constantly putting work out there, you’re quickly forgotten. Even the moments when people do take notice are fleeting. In a weird way, this was a freeing thing to hear. I was tired of the chase, of trying to prove myself, of all of it. I had grown weary grasping for this ethereal thing that would vanish mere seconds after it was in my hands.

Instead of focusing on what might be waiting at the finish line, I’ve been growing more in my relationship with God and have been learning how to have a healthy love for myself. What I look forward to at the end of this series is not any kind of public or industry acclaim; I want to have more time to be there for and to love other people. Do I still struggle with "industry validation" issues? Absolutely. I love this project so much, and I sincerely hope others will too. If they don’t, I can’t say it won’t sting a little bit…but I feel lighter knowing that, regardless of the outcome, I've poured myself into work that has meant something to me and that is enough.

It is crazy to me how long ago my first book was. I am extremely grateful for the people who saw enough potential in me to give me that opportunity. My work was really rough then (I’m sure 10 years from now I’ll say the same about my current project), but you can’t help but grow the more pages you put behind you.

Do art because you love it, because it was what you were put on this earth to do…and let the chips fall where they may. I’m so excited to see where the journey takes each and every one of us. Love you all.

#life lessons #drawing comics

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myfuckingpoetrt · 5 years

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Dreams from two nights ago-stress dreams

M and ms at grandmas

I arrive at grandmas, everything looks the same outside. I go in the usual door to the den. The m and ms are packing or unpacking their bags to stay or leave grandmas. The den looked like it used to, blue and white striped couches and the entertainment stand against the left wall. The kitchen table looked the same.

The Morgan and Monica were all openly angry with me about something but I wasn’t sure what. I was trying to reason with them. They weren’t listening to me they were just yelling/griping at me. Molly was being quietly angry in the background.

Grandparents

To dream of your grandparents' home refers to longevity, security and good old fashion values. You need to lay a solid foundation in order to grow. Obviously, your own personal associations with your grandparents' home will factory strongly into its significance. What did you do while you were at your grandparents? What sort of memories did you have? What did you do when you visited your grandparents?

Packing

To dream that you are packing signifies big changes ahead for you. You are putting past issues to rest or past relationships behind you. Alternatively, it represents the burdens that you carry.

Furniture

To see furniture in your dream represents how you feel about yourself and your family. It refers to your relationships with others and how they fit into your life. To see old or worn furniture in your dream symbolizes outdated attitudes former relationships, and/or old ways of thinking.

Family

To see your own family in your dream represents security, warmth and love. It could also symbolize bitterness, jealousy, or rivalry, depending on your relationship with your family. Alternatively, it could mean that you are overly dependent on your family, especially if the family members are in your recurring dreams. Consider also the significance of a particular family member or the relationship you have with them. If you dream that your family does not act or appear as they normally are, then it means that you want to distance yourself from them. Or you simply don't understand where they are coming from.

Fighting

To dream that you are in a fight indicates inner turmoil. Some aspect of yourself is in conflict with another aspect of yourself. Perhaps an unresolved or unacknowledged part is fighting for its right to be heard. It may also parallel a fight or struggle that you are going through in your waking life. If you are fighting to the death, then it refers to your refusal to acknowledge some waking conflict or inner turmoil. You are unwilling to change your old attitudes and habits.

Interpretation:

I think this one is pretty easy. I am afraid that my family is mad at me but for once I am trying to defend myself and I don’t feel heard/feel misunderstood. Molly is still a background role in this dream as well because she is not actively taking part in it. Monica and Morgan are really upset with me because Morgan is and Monica will be on her side no matter what the circumstances. They are packing their things in a threat to abandon me because I am not agreeing to what they want. And also they are packing because they are holding onto all of these issues instead of letting them go. The old furniture indicates that we are all stuck in the same patterns as a family while everything else changes around us. I think it took place at my grandmas because that’s a place of family togetherness (even if it’s toxic) so that was just the most realistic place to see them. Also because when I see them all at once I again I think it will be the holidays and I am stressed out about it, I have no good options and I have to face the music.

-Turkey beach house-

I went to stay at a small two story beach house with the m and ms. It wasn’t Florida and we just got there. The beach house was all blue and white inside and flooded with sunlight. Jon, Monica, Morgan and I were downstairs. Molly was upstairs unpacking or whatever. Monica was bustling around cleaning and unpacking downstairs.

Morgan, Jon and I were sitting on the couch. Morgan asked if we were ready to get in the ocean. I said we would be shortly and we’d meet her down there. She said with a smile and a giggle “I’ve been looking forward to this trip because I wanted to spend time with you. But I see now you will be hanging out with molly or Jon.” I said that I would in fact be hanging out with her too that we would just meet her at the beach. She went ahead to the beach and Monica went upstairs to check on molly or whatever, she didn’t say.

Jon and I got ready to go to the beach. We were about to walk out of the side/back door in the dining room. I looked out the window next to the door and there was what looked like a missy toilet paper tube stuck in a paper towel tube with a snake head thing bobbing towards the window one bob at a time. I told Jon to shut the door and what the fuck is that thing? He didn’t know either. We guessed a snake, a turtle. It had a snake like head but a beak like thing a specific type of turtle might have. It finally stopped and looked at us through the window and it was a turkey somehow. It had a turkey head but paper towel tube body and it started talking to us.

“Help me! There’s something wrong with my leg! Call 911!!” It turned over and had two turkey stem like legs but one of them was swollen and looked floppy like the bones were broken or missing. I said yes! Of course! I am calling 911 right now! Can we get you some food and water? It said yes so I brought it a glass of water, chicken, green beans and macaroni. It ate it up and they complimented the meal and said thank you.

Beach House

To see or live in a beach house in your dream implies that you need to take time off and relax. Alternatively, the dream means that you need to confront some emotional issue.

Window

To see a window in your dream signifies bright hopes, vast possibilities and insight.

To dream that you are looking out the window signifies your outlook on life, your consciousness and your point of view. It also refers to your intuition and awareness. You may be reflecting on a decision. To see another face in the window in your dream suggests that you are feeling emotionally distant and physically detached. Also consider the emotion depicted on the face.

Door

To dream that the door is closed or locked signifies opportunities that are denied and not available to you or that you have missed out on. Something or someone is blocking your progress. It also symbolizes the ending of a phase or project. In particular, if you are outside the locked door, then it suggests that you have anti-social tendencies. If you are inside the locked door, then it represents harsh lessons that need to be learned.

Turkey

Alternatively, a turkey is symbolic of Thanksgiving and thus, a time of togetherness and family.

To see a sick or dead turkey in your dream denotes an attack to your pride.

Couch

To see or dream that you are on a couch represents rest, relaxation, laziness or boredom. It may also mean you need to clear you mind and thoughts.

Family

Interpretation:

The beach house represents the peace/relaxation I want to be able to have with my family. Morgan saying what she was looking forward to was upfront as to say she won’t allow the peace. Molly being in the background shows she isn’t actively being apart of the problem but isn’t putting in the work/time to keep the peace either. Monica puttering around the house indicates that she is seeing everything that’s happening and trying to fix things in her way but not openly taking a stance and doesn’t want to deal with what’s right in front of her. I remember in the dream wondering what she was thinking/why she was cleaning to a place we just arrived at. I think the turkey is a literal representation of thanksgiving and how I’m afraid of the holidays because what was once a secure and exciting thing has been repeatedly damaged & I want to fix it but it isn’t up to me/I need outside help (911) for my family to be repaired. I think I saw it out of the window because it’s something I need to really look at and accept it for what it is. I never got to leave the house from the door Morgan went out of because it was showing the door has been closed on our relationship and I can’t join her anymore.

-Hotel haunted-

Jon and I went to stay at this dated 70s looking air b n b/hotel. It was velour items, big neon sign, type of place. Our room had two double beds in it and connected to the rest of the house, really it was more of a house. The old tv was on and it was night time outside of our sliding glass patio door.

Some band came to stay in our room with us against our wishes and unbeknownst to us. The singer was drunk and laid down next to me in bed and started hitting on me. I was very uncomfortable and asked him to stop but he wouldn’t. Jon and I eventually decided to leave because wtf at all of this. The hotel wouldn’t let us leave, I can’t remember how exactly. When we drove away from it laughed at us and screamed and melted or caught fire or something? I can’t remember all of the specifics.

Dream diary:

No hotel

Motel

To see or live in a motel in your dream represents your potential to achieve your goals. You are going through a transitional phase.

Band

To see a band or play with a band in your dream represents a sense of community and belonging. The dream may also be a pun on banding together and need for cooperation/unity.

Hit

To dream that someone is hitting you implies that you are feeling helpless or powerless in some waking situation. Someone is trying to force their opinion or view on you.

Trap

To dream that you are trapped or caught in a trap suggests that you are feeling confined and restricted in your job, career, health, or a personal relationship. You may be in a rut and are tired of the same daily monotony.

Evil

To dream that someone or something is evil denotes a repressed and/or forbidden aspect of yourself. This part of yourself may be seeking recognition and acknowledgment. Alternatively, evil may also be a reflection of your strong, negative emotions like hate, anger, etc.

Interpretation:

I have no fucking clue at this point.

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ourspeakscity · 7 years

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Onehou Strickland.

Our next interview wis with one of my favourite people in Auckland, and incredible author, writer and collaborator.

Onehou is a Cook Island/Maori and proud resident of South Auckland with a passion for story telling both visually and lyrically. She has been a member of the South Auckland Poets Collective since 2012 which has seen her travel the country performing and running workshops in Spoken word. She has also been a mentor for Word - The Front Line since its beginnings. In 2015, Onehou wrote and directed the short film 'Two Steps Behind' as her graduate project at Auckland University of Technology which has since featured in the Pollywood14 film festival, Pasifika Film Festival and Maoriland Festival. Onehou has a strong love for the arts and how it’s simple nature can reach and break through even the hardest of shells. It is something she has seen happen many times at workshops and events.

Do you consider Auckland home? My home I don’t think could ever be defined by one place. I consider the Pacific in all its wonders to be a place of home for me. My roots stretch out and deep to many different lands, all of which hold my heart in splendour .

Yeah sure, Auckland is one home. But it was the Southside that raised me, South Auckland is my hearth in a wider tribe of people but theres truly no place like it anywhere else in Auckland***.

Where in Auckland did you grow up and how has it changed? Development: Buying up land and squashing as many houses onto it as possible is a thing. Ironically, a housing crisis is also a thing.

What is the biggest issue currently facing Tamaki Makaurau? The ridiculous cost of living. Especially for many hard working families. Its still quite hard to fathom that the ‘working poor’ is an actual thing let alone risen so vastly here in Auckland.

Do you feel as though this city respects the arts? The arts are constantly unacknowledged for what they can contribute to a persons well being. Art may not stop world hunger but it is food for the mind, soul, spirit and body and can reinstall mana and wairua unto a person who maybe have forgotten. This is something I think Auckland does forget…sometimes

Who is an artist or group of artists that are doing something especially awesome right now. Black Friars, FAFSWAG, Coven, Thursday Girls, Savage Klub, Kura productions, my friends at SAPC, Tourettes, Jahra Rager, Tusiata Avia, Victor Rodgers, Albert Belz, Tainui Tukiwaho. All are amazing artists that continue to do beautiful art and create spaces for other artists to be heard and seen.

What is your favourite part of Auckland, a space that is especially important to you? Ihumatao - My heart.

Without giving away too much about the piece, why does your specific topic speak to you? The repetition of history, the injustce done upon our whenua by private corporations and ultimately, the greed of council. This may not be completely evident in my piece but its the fire that drives this piece.

Outside of Auckland: Speaks, what are you working on right now? Im working to fiiiiiinally finish my Comms degree, get some scripts off the ground, work part time here and there, and still find a job that resembles a career.

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mothershipresidencies · 8 years

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Chloe Alice Hayes

It began with the first conversation I had had with an artist in a very long time. Of course many of my friends are artists/ photographers or work in the art industry however, because they are my friends and because we rarely get to see each other we don’t tend to fill our discussions with intellectual or philosophical talk. It came on one very wet and foggy night in the middle of the Dorset countryside after a rather long drive to my first real artist residency. Anna Best, the artist running the residency ran up to my car window dragging a very wet Curly Wurly, the residency Labradoodle behind her telling me where to park and inviting me in for a much needed and appreciated cup of tea. I stumbled in to her hectic kitchen cluttered with books, papers, teapots and plants, thinking it looked like my dream house and sat down with the cat and the tea to meet the woman who granted me this opportunity.

Firstly, she wanted to know about my recent travels and how brave she thought I was and envious that I had gone, probably not nearly as envious as I was over her purpose built studio, to die for land complete with flowing stream and incredible veg patch with her own categorised compost bins, yes I am that sad. Then we got on to what I wanted to achieve during the residency and what it was that I was thinking about looking into. She immediately lit up at the mention of me wanting to look into the local buses and how recent cuts have affected local residents. She herself had become somewhat of an activist around this area after finding that her girl’s school bus would be cut purely because of where they lived. She said she could introduce me to a local activist bus group and gave me suggestions about how to go about it and the politics behind such an issue.

My second idea was to look into the unseen, and furthering the exposure and documenting the concealed, the unacknowledged tasks of parenting. I told her that I was specifically thinking of focusing it onto rural parenting as I felt that was a less exposed area and I wanted to utilise the very rural community in which I was staying. Through discussing this Anna suggested looking specifically into the role of the woman, having seen much on the published rural man throughout history, but not of women. She had also recently skimmed over an article on womens labour and thought it might be helpful in the development of my idea. She felt the thought of looking into the mothers side of the parenting, specifically a rural mother would be very interesting and a so far an unexamined and niche issue. I drained my cup and went to my studio to settle in for the night, allowing these ideas to stew.

The next morning I began the research on the rural mothers project, having received an email with the essay from Anna attached. It was entitled Labours of Love: Women’s Labour as the Culture Sector’s Invisible Dark Matter by Macushla Robinson. It was rather in depth for a short piece and in some ways going off topic to my project, however made a lot of sense and I wanted to knit it in as much as possible as it drew broader intellectual ideas into my work, many I had never dealt with before. I had never focused on feminism for any of my previous projects and most of my post-university pieces had come from fact-based research of a place or history as opposed to theories or questions. I actually hadn’t worked from a piece such as this since writing my dissertation, which sounds awful being a practising ‘artist’, however my photography usually stems from a site-specific or current interest I have. When reading, although I felt inspired an intellectually stimulated, I have to say I felt a little bit daunted about addressing my proposal to an audience in a few days, Anna had organized a talk for me at Bridport Arts Centre. I always feel slightly worried about talking about something when I don’t fully know all the facts, concerned for being caught out or contradicted and rightly so if I am not fully knowledgeable on the subject matter.

The piece enlightened and stimulated me so much however, that I was determined to not only use it as inspiration but to directly apply it to the project itself. So I wrote my talk focusing on the proposal of the two projects I wanted to initiate whilst on the residency, already knowing my initial methods but most certainly prepared for feedback and suggestions. Debate and theological discussion amongst artists and groups of people is important in a world of verbal propositions and direct challenges. Art- Language was first published in May 1969, developed by ‘possibly the most misunderstood and controversial artists of all’ (Cork, 2016, pg. 76). Terry Atkinson, Michael Baldwin, David Bainbridge and Harold Hurrell were unified in an analytical action and published the journal with essays employing ‘the weapons of philosophical debate to substantiate their belief that art theory could itself be considered as a work of conceptual art’ (Cork, 2016, pg. 76). The artists disputed the idea that art was just a visual medium and ‘as a result, contemporary art was liberated in so many ways, and this exhilarating freedom continues to stimulate the most adventurous practitioners today’ (Cork, 2016, pg. 76).

The time came for the talk on a chilly Tuesday evening in the cosy cafe area of the arts centre. The turn out was much better than I had expected, interestingly all women regardless of the fact that the content of my talk was not advertised and so I began my spiel about both projects apologising for my lack of improvisation when public speaking, sticking religiously to my script. The atmosphere was relaxed and I welcomed questions at any point. During and at the end, I had a lot of interesting comments.

These soon evolved into a full discussion about my work and before I knew it I had so many suggestions and insights into research for it. Many were questioning what the word ‘rural’ actually meant and where the boundaries lie within it, I hadn’t realised how many times I had actually used it until that moment. A few challenged the fact that only men where documented in rural history and told me where I could see images of women’s labour in local museums and archives, this I must say I agree with and were glad that they didn’t feel they had to just accept what I said. A few commented on the issue of the exposure of the women and children that I had given the cameras to and then the discussion moved on to the rural buses project. Some were concerned how I could really make a difference with an art project, some gave me their experiences of the bus system and their concerns for other users. I told them about some of the anecdotes that the people on the bus had told me during my research in the daytime and Anna went on to tell her story of her anarchist friends having theories that it is the governments way of pushing people out of villages and forcing them into towns where it is easier to control them. Which in actual fact does make a bit of sense I have to say. The conversation evolved and got deeper the more we went on, I found myself really enjoying the critique of my ideas and work.

This is when I realised how much I truly missed university. The value of having a room full of impartial, varied feedback about proposals of potential projects is incredibly important and so rare once you leave education. Artist Roy Ascott describes his own experience in education and the inspiration from his teachers in Tate Etc. Spring 2016. Ascott, taught by both Victor Pasmore and Richard Hamilton at King’s College, Newcastle was imparted a mix of ‘radically constructve, poetic, process based and conceptually rich aspects of art.’ (Ascott, 2016, pg. 22). Ascott considered his own experimental and influential Groundcourse at Ealing in the 1960’s to be a rejection of Basic Design Formalism and was actually in some ways ‘an extension of the very ‘developing process’ that Pasmore and Hamilton initiated, although more radically investigative into identity, behaviour and environment.’ (Ascott, 2016, pg. 23). Ascott said that ‘It is clear to me that the teaching I have received, from many sources in many cultures, has enriched my own contribution to the field.’ (Ascott, 2016, pg. 23).

Within a week I had conceived two project ideas, discussed them, developed them, began to work on them, wrote about them, severely doubted myself, had creative block, presented them, found inspiration and found confidence both in my ideas and executing them. The importance of discussion and conversation between artists is paramount to the work created. It not only challenges artists about their own and others works, but allows the artist to successfully draw inspiration from others and observe deeper thoughts and connotations within their own practice. Being an artist is being part of a global community that shares, interacts and asks questions like no other group and will continue to communicate in such a way in order to continue to ask the important questions, spark discussion among viewers and inspire.

— Chloe Alice Hayes, Mothershipper 6th- 13th January 2017

#artist residencies artist photographer art residencies themothership annabest chloealicehayes creative ruralbuses documentaryphoto

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robpoolephotos · 7 years

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“I never thought about shooting street photography or even street portraits until I found myself living in Mexico. I started seeing pictures materialize in front of me in a manner I wasn’t used to and it wasn’t until I picked up a camera and took to the streets that a light turned on. I wanted to show people this different way of life, these ordinary moments that were going by seen, but unacknowledged; simple day to day activities that were brought to the light by simply paying attention to them.

Ever since those first few months of daily walks throughout the streets of Mexico City I’ve found that I like capturing life. It’s as simple as that. I like taking engaging pictures. Whether it’s in everyday life or through people posing, my camera is the connection between the person and the narrative that captivates me.

And in the glimpse of a single moment, I am allowed to capture stories.”

– JACOB

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I discovered Jacob via an Instagram story. There was a photographer in NYC giving away hand printed images for free. All you had to do was make a donation to a charity helping out in Mexico after the devastating earthquake there earlier this year. I’d already been following the news of the earthquake (I’m a geographer and I like to keep track of these things) and was touched by the stories coming out, especially about Los Topos, a group of civilian volunteer rescuers. I made donation over and contacted Jacob who told me to pick an image and he would print it and send it over at his own expense. I was touched by such genorosity and by the humanistic nature of Jacob’s photos and needed to find out more about him. When I did I knew that I had to share with the world his fantastic and ever expanding body of work.

RP: Hi Jacob, please tell us a bit about yourself.

Hey Robert, just want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to be on your blog and talk about photography with your readers. My name is Jacob Murphy, I am a street photographer based in NYC and I exclusively shoot film for my personal work.

RP: what inspired you to become a photographer?

I would say it’s a combination of things that pushed me in the direction of photography. As a kid I was always involved in art but never felt the right connection. However growing up I was fascinated with light and ended up in theater for awhile working on stage crew, lighting sets and musicals and really missed doing that when I went to university to pursue another major. While I was there I spent a lot of time photographing things when I should have been studying and ended up switching schools the next year to get on the fast track to becoming a photographer.

“light and life”

RP: What/who inspires your photography?

Oh man, the question that always has an evolving answer. The short version is light and life. The long version is so many things. I live in NYC which is a photographers playground with no shortage of inspiration. I say that I’m inspired by life because any time I may run into creative block all it usually takes is going to another part of the city, there’s always something going on. But besides that I’m constantly inspired by my fellow photographers both old and new particularly things in print, I always flip through books or go to exhibits when I’m feeling lost. The exhibitions Diane Arbus: In the beginning and Henri Cartier Bresson: India in Full frame were huge inspiration boosts for me, exactly when I needed them. And I’m constantly revisiting my books from Martha Cooper to Sebastiao Salgado to Jun Abe and back again.

RP: I believe you’re working on a project in New York right now, what can you tell us about that?

I am working on a few projects at the moment, but my day to day project is about the New York City experience. What is it like to live here. NYC is a city that gets photographed and visited everyday by thousands of people but ever since moving here I feel like there is a side that never gets shown. Everyone knows about the tourist hotspots but I’m hoping that I can show the daily ongoings of NYC residents. So I’m currently pulling images from the last two years for my first NYC zine, and once I’ve figured out the design issues I’m running into, it should be hopefully being printed by the beginning of 2018.

“Photography is a lifestyle. A choice that’s larger than life.”

RP: What does photography mean to you?

I’m still young so I’m learning the answers to these questions as each day goes by, but to me photography is a lifestyle. A choice that’s larger than life. It’s knowing that I’m participating in something that may not accomplish what I want for years to come. To me it’s my only way of truly communicating what I’m thinking, feeling and seeing and I’ll always be forever grateful for what it provides me.

RP: What cameras do you shoot with and why?

I actually only shoot with one camera my Leica M6 with the Voigtlander 35 2.5 and usually bulk loaded HP5. It’s a great camera for starters but besides that it’s simple, it never gets in the way of me capturing exactly what I want to photograph. I spent the last year getting used to Leica rangefinders and it’s like a point and shoot at this point. I’ve recently been playing with an old Leica mini II with color film but I’m not sold on whether or not it will become part of the daily setup.

RP: Any anecdotes you can share?

This is gonna sound like a cop out but I don’t really have any anecdotes or stories that I can tell. I guess maybe it is because I approach photography in a way that is non-confrontational or I try to remain discreet when I’m taking pictures. Maybe in the years to come I’ll have a great story I can tell.

RP: You’ve recently been giving away prints in aid of the Mexico City earthquake appeal, want to share what this was all about?

Yeah, Mexico City went through a pretty bad earthquake and it happens to be the country that my wife and her family are from. Right after I graduated from photography school I spent six months in Los Angeles before I moved to Mexico City with my wife and lived there for three years. Mexico City was really the place that showed me how and what I wanted to photograph, so it holds a really special place in my heart and I wanted to help in anyway I could and I think every photographer would use their photos help if they could.

“Just keep shooting things that you love”

RP: What are you looking for in a photo?

I’m constantly looking for that connection to a photo, for it to be a really great photo it’s has to make me feel something. Emotion is something I’ve been really trying to capture lately and incorporate that into a larger storyline.

RP: Biggest regret relating to photography?

That I didn’t start pursuing street photography and the projects I wanted to work on sooner when I lived in Mexico. I’m honestly not sure when I’ll get to experience that culture on a day to day basis again and it certainly won’t be with the fresh eye I had back then.

RP: Any closing comments?

I could pass on some final thoughts it would be to just follow your instincts when it comes to photography go for what feels right and pursue it no matter what. And in the end just keep shooting things that you love eventually it will pay off.

Check out more of Jacob’s work on:

His Website

Instagram

Facebook

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"I never thought about shooting street photography until I found myself living in Mexico" "I never thought about shooting street photography or even street portraits until I found myself living in Mexico.

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trishgibsontx · 7 years

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unconscious projection, at its worst: what it looks like

photo by Nelson N. Castillo

unconscious projection is something that I see everywhere: a person, with unmanaged, unacknowledged — hence UNCONSCIOUS — experiences > issues, applying and assigning that unconscious debris to another person or persons.

the first rule of unconscious projection is that we are only as sick as our secrets. whatever we hide, manifests in our unconscious and projects onto the outside world — typically a person who has absolutely nothing to do with our actual debris, but an easy target for that debris. this way, we do not have to actually deal with our debris (false).

I once had a friend, she was a new friend, for maybe about a year. this was a number of years ago. she was living a complete lie, in every sense of the word. but, she had fooled herself enough, to the point where she felt “safe” around me in the beginning. basically, she thought she could hide her truth from me. while I am far from perfect, I put myself — wholly — “out there”. at first, people will often confuse my authenticity with kindness or weakness. it is neither: I am simply willing to be who I am, even if it hurts or makes me vulnerable. vulnerability is a key point to finding personal power, and so few people in my experience understand that. anyway, back to the friend. as she got to know me, and saw how deeply and openly I lived in my truth, her truth aka unconscious mind began to peek its head out. her truth was not something she was willing to contend with on ANY level. she used psychic studies and woo-woo crap to “cover up” her fake romantic relationship, her lack of any social connection or close personal relationships, and her actual intentions with others. as I was still making strides in my ability to spot sickness (if we are taught to run TOWARD sickness, or sick people, we will do it until we die a million deaths over it and finally stop), it took me a bit to see how her unconscious territory manifested itself over and over again. as time went on, as physics would suggest, we were two different energies trying to share space (any space: emotional, cognitive, physical, or energetic), and that does not work: the more aligned energy will have to drop to match the unaligned energy, since energy flows from top to bottom. as I reached healthier and healthier places within my own unconscious field, I literally could not support her density. of course, I did not see it that way though. I went bumbling along, trying to maintain the sick friendship. I began to notice her erratic and inconsistent and — passive aggressive — behavior with me. it did hurt. it will always hurt when we are nothing but kind to another human, and that is not only not reciprocated but used against us in some way. however, I was really out of the zone of internalizing much of those kinds of things anymore, thankfully, so there was no opportunity for me to partake in her sick unconscious (some were absolutely conscious) games with me. what was happening, on a psychological level, is that I was unwittingly reflecting back her inauthenticity, just by being myself. since she was not honest with herself, I became the easiest “target” for her unconscious debris. when she could not provoke me with her inconsistent (and quite frankly, spiteful passive aggressive) behavior, such as inviting friends of MINE places and leaving me out in a really conniving fashion, she decided to ghost on me. but here is the kicker: she decided that I had ghosted her, and played victim! let me point out, for starters, that this friendship in the first place ONLY worked when I reached out to her. if I did not reach out, we would simply not talk. which ultimately became the case. which, by that point, was just fine with me. she had taken all that she could from me anyhow, and could not live in truth. very simple conversations that seemed to trigger any truth in her would leave me with the silent treatment for days on end. that said, I was her greatest projection screen ever! and, historically, she had actually done this with every single female friend prior: she had built them up, put them on pedestals, and when shit got real (as in she actually had to be transparent and honest with herself because that is what close relationships/friendships require!), her unconscious created a sick backstory and decided that I was all of the things that SHE was in her unconscious field.

thankfully I have not had a personal facebook account in a long time, because it is full of people vomiting their unconscious territory: we are in a prime/perfect time and opportunity for this to occur! whatever it is that we have not dealt with, or will not deal with, we will find projection screens for it. until…we really hit a rock bottom and have no one new left to blame. then, the cycle continues. or not. we are living in one of the most active blame-game eras I could ever imagine seeing at this point in time. people are literally going out of their way to find any scapegoat they can, to not deal with the debris that they can not access. but the thing is, the debris isn’t going anywhere: it is piling and piling and piling.

so, what can we do for ourselves and for the collective as it relates to our individual unconscious territory? for my part, I attend therapy consistently. to be honest, it’s not a whole lot of what I do not already know, but having an objective and clinical individual with decades of experience support me in monitoring my own barometer is freedom. I NEVER want to be like the behavior I describe in this post. it is one of my worst fears. each day, I take personal inventory and make a list of my 1) thoughts 2) feelings 3) words and 4) actions. I ask myself if the 4 things align, or not. if not, then where/why am I lying to myself? what am I gaining from that (or not)? am I willing to give up one of my psychological or otherwise “coping” mechanisms?

how do we know if we are lying to ourselves? 1) we feel like shit. we will spiral around and around, feeling like shit, and looking for desperate ways to escape the shitty feelings. we will blame other people who have nothing to do with our core issues, but make for fantastic projection screens for those issues. if we are not self-accountable, we will simply repeat the same patterns over and over again because we refuse to take self-inventory. 2) we repeat the same patterns over and over again. for example, I’ve had to ask myself, why I am so attracted to helping sick or broken people (in my personal life, mainly). I discovered that part of my child self — this is in the UNCONSCIOUS territory — still feels guilty and indebted to helping sick or crazy people in general. what ends up happening is I become a target for their un-owned and unconscious sickness. one of my handlers recently said to me: “you can not do this anymore. you can not hire or help people who are supposed to be helping you”. there are great examples of people running empires who need people like that around them constantly, because there is something stuck in their unconscious field (like mine) that is vulnerable and needs work. I hope, one day, to be more aware of my pattern of attracting sick people and wanting to fully renovate them when, in fact, they do not want to ever be healthy. I’m actively working hard on this pattern. and I am happy to make myself vulnerable right here in this post by saying it. it is what it is. thankfully, with regard to my actual consulting and healing work, my unconscious territory rarely rears its ugly head. there is no way that I would be working at the level that I am, with some very regulated and powerful people, if I were to be in an unconscious state there. and, actually the more powerful and successful the person is whom I work with, the less opportunity I find for my unconscious mind bringing in even a shred of my old/ceasing pattern. 3) we desire to blame other people. when we blame other people, we give up our power to change. this is different from holding people accountable and moving on. big, big difference. blame is active and ongoing. accountability is decisive and allows for us to evolve. 4) we dislike someone “for no reason”. enough said.

as we observe others around us, especially in this day and age, we can so easily see who lives in a state of non-stop unconscious projection: there has never been a better time to observe sick people. they are the online trolls, the blamers, the dwellers, the debate-obsessed, the chronic complainers, those with active addictions that they have no intention of properly fixing because it soothes their sense of unconscious reality. of course each of us unconsciously projects, somehow, somewhere, and at some point. but the point is: how do we manage ourselves and look within to move forward without injuring others in the process because we are too weak to address ourSELVES?

our current climate illustrates a complete collapse of time and space. you may want to consult Neil deGrasse Tyson on this one! what this looks like and feels like, is every piece of ourselves — past, present and future — coming up for *review and integration*. the past is not the past. it is the present, AND the future. unfortunately, or fortunately, that is NOT up for debate with the universe at this point of our planet’s position in the galaxy.

The post unconscious projection, at its worst: what it looks like appeared first on The Medical Intuitive Blog: Energy Medicine & Reiki Therapy By Elaine™.

from Trisha Gibson http://www.themedicalintuitiveblog.com/2017/06/19/unconscious-projection-worst-looks-like/

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billgsoto · 7 years

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Pesticides found in human breastmilk

Photo credit: Raissa Ruschel

A study has found persistent pesticides in human breastmilk for a high percentage of women. The researchers examined 40 women in Western Australia during the first year of lactation, and tested for 88 persistent organic pollutants. They found levels of DDE, a breakdown product of DDT, in 87.5 percent of their samples, with an average concentration of 62.8 ± 54.5 ng/g fat. On a positive note, they did not detect organophosphates, carbamates or pyrethroids, and babies did not experience negative growth outcomes such as lowered weight, length, head circumference and percentage fat mass. However, noting that several other studies have shown negative associations with pesticide concentrations in maternal milk, the authors recommended that consumers should avoid exposure to pesticides when possible.

from Blog – The Organic Center http://ift.tt/2qXSNn9

from Grow your own http://ift.tt/2rRMIc6

#Grow your own

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artsed105 · 7 years

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6 Ways to Develop Resiliency Through Dance:

“In the darkest of times, when feeling most alone, when the worst thing has happened, there is always still your breathing, and your breathing is a kind of dance… There is always the impulse to stamp your feet in anger, shake with frustration, to lift your arms in hope or to be helped…Whether there is music or not, whether there is a lot of space to move in or if you are sitting in a chair … even if you’ve never been to dance classes, there is always a part of you, of everyone, that can express the feeling inside with a gesture or posture or rhythm. Dance is the body singing, shouting, and painting in the space. It can be a way back to your self.” – ADTA

The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) promotes the use of dance and movement as a form of therapy “to further the emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration of the individual,” allowing you to connect your mind and body to become more aware of your environment. The following list of exercises was developed from a survey of research exploring the benefits of movement therapy.

1. Expression

“Emotion is the interpretation of physical sensations in your body,” according to the ADTA. Improvisational movement can help increase your awareness of your body, which can help change not only your outlook on your day, but your overall disposition. Express yourself and try exploring your feelings and emotions through action.

Try it Out!

What do your emotions feel like? Try imagining how your feelings and experiences manifest in your physical body. What does happiness look like? How about sadness, anger, or excitement? Think about what gestures and qualities of movement are associated with these feelings and translate them into movement.

2. Relaxation

Life is filled with both good and bad days, but when you are faced with long-term stress it can seem like the bad days outweigh the good. Dance can be a therapeutic medium for relaxation and can help relieve tension both physically and mentally.

Try it Out!

Try making simple movements and shapes with either an arm or a leg. Connect these gestures with the flow of your breath and start to involve your whole body in circular motions. Take time to feel the distant and immediate boundaries of your kinesphere (an imaginary sphere surrounding your whole body).

3. Relieving Anxiety

Its not easy keeping up with the strenuous demands that school or work can put on you. It can leave you feeling anxious, tired and stressed. However, dance can be a great way to alleviate these feelings. A study on undergraduate college students showed that dance movement therapy was more effective in helping relieve anxiety than exercise, music, and math independently.

Try it Out!

One of the reasons why dance movement therapy is so effective is that it combines movement and music. Make a playlist of your favorite upbeat songs and start dancing around whatever space is available to you—embody your emotions to let your movements communicate whatever you may be feeling.

4. Energize

We all have days where we find ourselves feeling sluggish, slow and have difficulty leaving the comfort of our beds. By using dance, you can shake up your day, re-energize yourself, and get out of that funk.

Try it Out!

Try attending a dance exercise class at a gym near you with a family member or friend, or just by yourself! You will leave not only feeling energetic, but also having accomplished an active workout.

5. Improve Self-Esteem:

Engaging your body and mind through dance can also help improve your attitude towards yourself, your interactions with others, and your overall mood.

Try it Out!

Rather than consciously deciding what move to make, close your eyes and wait for the impulse to move. Don’t think about it! Follow whatever feels most comfortable and natural. After you have finished, take a moment to recall what moves made you feel good and why that may be. Remember, its not about the form its about the fun.

6. Creativity

Dance is also a useful outlet to explore your creativity. It can help you expand your repertoire of motions and give you the opportunity to depict an event or feeling that may be difficult to articulate.

Try it Out!

Choreography can be both a projection of your dreams and a document of your past. Start with acting out a situation, past or future, using everyday motions. Once you have a sequence of movements try to abstract them, making them less identifiable. Now choose a beginning and an ending position, and you have a dance!

—————

TITLES:

“Creating a Pathway from Juvenile Camps to Careers in the Arts”

“The Power of Arts to Build Strong Youth and Heal Trauma”

“We Need to Talk About an Injustice,” Bryan Stevenson

TEDxSanQuentin2016: “The Power of ‘When’”

Weekly Video: “The Big Picture: End Mass Incarceration,” Robert Reich

SUMMARIZE:

“Creating a Pathway from Juvenile Camps to Careers in the Arts” follows actor Johnny Ortiz’s journey from incarceration to a career in the performing arts. The KPCC article articulated how many arts programs in prisons, such as the Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, are capitalizing on the flourishing creative economy in Los Angeles to provide incarcerated youth with a “reverse pipeline” to jobs once they are released. Another article from KPCC, “As LA County Ends Solitary Confinement for Minors, Artists Step in to Reimagine the SHU,” focused on the process of eliminating solitary confinement for youth and conceiving of new alternatives, such as “cooling down areas” and arts integrated curriculum. The reporter emphasized a mural painting project at Camp Joseph Scott that is standing at the forefront of many of these changes. Based off of a plethora of growing research proving the positive effects of artistic practice, a range of programs are being implemented to test different methods and act as an example for expanding arts opportunities for incarcerated youth.

Alex M. Johnson’s Huffington Post article “The Power of Arts to Build Strong Youth and Heal Trauma” reflected on the significant impact the arts have on not only making incarcerated experiences more rehabilitation focused, but also actively taking part in “disrupting and dismantling” the school-to-prison pipeline. Johnson made a direction connection between underlying unacknowledged traumas and individuals who are affected by the pipeline, noting that combining trauma-sensitive mental health treatment with engagement in the arts can be effectively implemented in programs for both diversion and reducing recidivism.

Bryan Stevenson’s TED Talk opened with a testament to the power of identity. Stevenson went on to tell stories about his family and significant historical figures like Rosa Parks, as well as his profound encounters with people whose voices are often left out of history, such as the janitor at his court house. Retelling these interactions to the TED audience relayed the disconnect between historical events and their present day ramifications on individuals disproportionately effected by the prison industrial complex. Stevenson imbued themes of courage, compassion, and humanity to implore the audience to develop a “mind-heart connection” to tackle issues that don’t directly appear in their everyday lives. In the middle of the talk Stevenson said something that particularly struck a cord with me, and that will help give individuals the strength to embody the more challenging identity of working against deeply engrained systemic problems. Stevenson claims, “The moral arch of the universe is long, but it bends towards dignity.” Taking a different approach towards exposing the discriminatory nature of the judicial system, Robert Reich focuses on the economic pitfalls of mass incarceration in “The Big Picture: End Mass Incarceration” to prove that methods of treating incarcerated peoples more humanely is also more “cost effective.” Both Stevenson and Reich made appeals towards smarter sentencing laws, ending mandatory minimums, and focusing on the future rather than an individual’s past mistakes.

CONNECT:

Before my sophomore year of college, I participated in an internship at UCSF developing online mental health tools for youth and veterans. The head of the program emphasized a concept called “The Fourth R,” which expands on teaching the traditionally accepted reading, writing, and arithmetic, to include resiliency. In his Huffington Post article Alex Johnson states, “Healing the effects of trauma builds hope and resiliency; and, resilient children grow up to live healthy productive lives.” Although we were less focused on productivity, the goal of the program was to help manage trauma through tangible methods that would help individuals engage in society in healthy ways. As the only intern working in an arts medium, I researched movement therapy studies geared towards developing resiliency skills for teenagers and veterans with depression or anxiety stemming from trauma. I revisited my research for my creative connection this week, developing a guide for self-led at home movement therapy based on the knowledge and insights I have gained in this class about trauma-informed teaching in arts programming. Although they were created from research focused on individual practice in non-incarcerated spaces, I hope that I will be able to utilize some of these activities in my final lesson plan.

Alyssa Scott

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