One of my goals since the last makeover of this site was to start bringing the different pieces of my life together - to create a more complete representation of me and the things I do. This is harder than it may seem. In another attempt to pull the pieces together, this update is going to be about work - or more specifically, what I get paid to do.
After relocating from Chicago to the Boston area, I was fortunate to get to work on some pretty awesome projects, including building out a platform for a local nonprofit to help track and show student progress through challenges that link martial arts with science.
Now, I’m a few weeks in with an organization where I’ll be serving as a Media & Prevention Specialist (or something like that - I was told to come up with the title I wanted). I’ll be doing HIV and substance misuse prevention work with high school and college-aged youth, with a focus on using media to do said work. I am really excited about this!
In an effort to get my head back into some of the issues I’ll be dealing with, I decided to take an online course, AIDS: Fear and Hope, offered for free by the University of Michigan.
The course introduced me to Visual AIDS, an organization that uses art to raise dialogue around AIDS and supports HIV+ artists. They are currently taking submissions of original 4”x6” works for their benefit sale. I’m hoping to put something together in time and encourage you to consider submitting too!
i shot bands has been up and running again for about a week now. For a little more about it, you can read the welcome back message. Or go to ishotbands.com to just take a look around. Hope you enjoy!
The May through September issues of Ima Eat You! are all laid out and ready to print.
i shot bands is on its way back. I’ve already finished building out the main framework for the new website, complete with new features to make it easier to explore or find what you’re looking for. Now to go back through all these years of photos, edit, and upload.
Much more time has gone by since my last update here than I would have liked (as usual).
Anyone who is really itching to know the details of my life will be glad to know the May through September issues of Ima Eat You! will be available soon.
For everyone else who is fine with getting only the big news, here it is:
I am now living in Massachusetts. I do miss Chicago, but I’ve been fortunate to get to work on some pretty cool projects as I seek longer-term opportunities here.
I am also trying to be more intentional about my own projects. Hopefully, there will be more updates to come on some of those.
Lots of time between updates equates to lots of updates. In this one: The Sketchbook Project, Unfacebooking, old projects, lots of zines, and ch- ch- ch- changes.
In February, I started a creative writing class at SAIC (thanks to the Judith Dawn Memorial Fund). It’s been a really cool, though sometimes challenging, experience so far. Getting feedback from other people is helpful, and it’s great to gain exposure to a wide range of work and ideas.
After a prolonged hiatus, Creative Divergents is back with a new look, new features, and new awards! Read on for more about the project’s background and what to expect now.
Major or unexpected life changes are often pretty good at making me want to step back and re-evaluate what I’m doing, my values, and if/how those are still matching up. The problem is finding the time, space, and energy for that kind of work. It seems like the past several years have been filled with these kinds of changes. Not necessarily that there have been so many of them consistently, but that some of them have been so big that I didn’t get a chance to recover before the next one hit.
I was honored to find out earlier this month that I will be receiving an award from the Awakenings Foundation through the Judith Dawn Memorial Fund, which was “created to recognize and support sexual assault and abuse survivors who are interested in pursuing artistic endeavors as a continuation of the life-long healing process.”
