GIFTS—01
Life affirming content and creative inspiration for various parts of you
Dear reader,
Instead of sharing my writing today, I want to pass on some gifts I have received on the internet.
I wanted to do this since three years. Why did I stop myself? The inner critic works in mysterious ways. It is sitting on my shoulder and judging this very sentence.
But if the inner critic can do its job well, so can I! My job is to write. And to spread the spirit of Creative Resilience. Through stories, examples, and manifestations of creativity. Art that celebrates our weirdness. Ideas that quieten inner and outer critics. GIFTS!
About once a month, I will share three to four gifts. They could be anything, videos, art, podcasts, experiments, rituals, poems, excerpts. You are free to share them further.
In the comments, please let me know the ONE gift you are keen to explore or that you enjoyed?
Let’s get started:
Poetic Art + Simplicity = Baopu Comics by Yao Xiao
Baopu comics on Autostraddle never fails to soothe me. The author bio on the website says: “Yao Xiao creates artwork depicting a poetic visual world where complex concepts and human emotions are examined, amplified, and given physical form…” I love how many of her comic strips don’t reach a conclusion, like a friend on the phone. Instead there is a subtle story or a simple line of thought that slyly leads you to acceptance. Here’s one of my favourites:
Want more? I love this one on monsters and nightmares. Enjoy this jigsaw puzzle of her art, I am of this world.
Pleasure + Vulnerability + Activism = adrienne maree brown
I thank her every day in my mind, the friend who introduced me to adrienne maree brown. brown is a phenomenon. A trustworthy voice, who will take care of you as she leads you towards personal and social justice. Her videos, podcasts, books, blog, leave me feeling rested and ready to do my work. I had assumed that she has perfected self love. But in this powerful ‘What’s Underneath’ video, I see her accepting herself in live action. I am curious about the effect it will have on you:
Want more? A gorgeous interview of adrienne maree brown on the On Being podcast. Another What’s Underneath interview that moved me: Melinda Alexander: An Abuse Survivor Let Go of Her “Cool” and Found Freedom
Love + Film + Activism = Deeyah Khan
I’ve not heard a calmer voice speaking about violence and injustice. I love voices that rant, rage, and shatter the silence. But people like Deeyah Khan show us creative ways to speak truth to power. Deeyah Khan is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has spent hours and hours with people from extreme and violent ideologies. Here’s a video about her journey from being targeted to choosing love and art as ways to heal our society.
Want more? Check out her podcast interview with Russel Brand here: How Love Will Defeat Hate
Hope you unwrapped and enjoyed one of these gifts?
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loved it, keep sharing!!
Woah! That phrase, "life-affirming," has suddenly been coming up for me, too (and will appear in an upcoming newsletter...). Glad to be in sync with such a brilliant mind!