Radical – September/October - 2018 You can support this publication with people power at Patreon.com/LOviedo
Click a title below for the best of the best of the best of the best Intro: Self-Care Is...Focused Motivation Honorable Mention: Wilma Mankiller Writing: Mermaid Heart by Iris Orpi Art: Juicy by Kendal Fong Art: Nowruz by Amanda Kazemi Writing: Take Flight by Inisa Fajra NEW ARTIST: Tahlequah by Chief Lady Bird and Aura NEW WRITER: Cryptic War of Heart by Sarwat Pawar Art: Inner-Sight by Leah Oviedo D.I.Y. Therapy: Tiny Changes List of Healing Resources Free Book: Cultivating Radical Self-Love
Read previous issues and discover healing resources: ImpowerYou.org/Radical
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Self-Care Is... Focused Motivation by Leah Oviedo Self-care requires more focus on our self than we might be used to. It requires planting our roots in a new mental and or physical space. It's so much easier to just go with the flow and watch a few Vimeo videos or scroll through your Instagram feed for a few more minutes and then promise to get to work. NOPE! That ain't gonna cut it. You have to be firm in your resolve. You have to cultivate an inner reward system so that you want to follow your passion, finish editing that video, apply for that fellowship, reach out to your sponsor. Whatever it is you need to do, it's so much easier when you focus. Finally, after 30 years I can focus on my work because I LOVE what I do. This has been quite a journey and a lesson I would rather have learned in my youth, but hey, I don't have a time machine (Do you have one I can borrow?). What do you love to do? Can you lean into that and teach yourself to focus? I believe in you. You harbor a goddess or god inside of you that is crying to be seen, heard, felt, and freed from the shackles of fitting into the status quo.
Honorable Mention: Wilma Mankiller Growing up I had the privilege of Wilma Mankiller as a role-model. She was part of my mom's life when we lived in Tahlequah, OK (USA) the Cherokee Nation capital. Tahlequah is also the name of the orca who pushed her dead baby across the ocean for 17 days and has garnered international attention for it this summer. When I asked Chief Lady Bird if I could share her mural of the orca Tahlequah, I felt called to create an honorable mention to one of the strongest role models in my life. Wilma transitioned in 2010, but I still have her book that she gave to my mom many years ago. In this issue I want to honor her work, her spirit, and our Native American sisters and brothers. We must include and support them in our intersectional activism! (https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/249736.pdf) “During her three terms, Mankiller tripled her tribe’s enrollment, doubled employment and built new housing, health centers and children’s programs in northeast Oklahoma. Under her leadership, infant mortality declined and educational achievement rose. In 1990, she signed a historic self-determination agreement in which the Bureau of Indian Affairs surrendered direct control over millions of dollars in federal funding to the nation. Her leadership on social and financial issues made the Cherokee Nation a national role model and she remained a strong voice worldwide for social justice, native people and women after she left office in 1995.” Learn, be inspired, and support the Wilma Mankiller Foundation.
Mermaid Heart by Iris Orpi She can’t stay too long in shallow waters. The touch of dry souls is like a crime against her flowing form. Left to their own devices, things fall to the ground instead of emerging on the surface. All her claims to beauty seem out of place here: passion too deep, hurts too blue, and the way she moves— as if she’s certain that everything she does makes ripples that defy time and distance, bend light and leave echoes of her siren song in every corner of the connected, sentient universe. Iris Orpi is a Filipina writer living in Chicago, IL. She is the author of the novel The Espresso Effect and two books of collected poetry, Cognac for the Soul and Beautiful Fever. She was an Honorable Mention for the annual Contemporary American Poetry Prize in 2014. Her work has appeared in over two dozen online and print publications around Asia, North America, Europe, and Africa. Follow Iris at Sheisiris.wordpress.com
Iris Orpi's third book of compiled poems dwells on the dark, beautiful places, whether physical or mental, where people find love, answers, and themselves. She employs the vivid, irreverent imagery and mesmerizing rhythm that her work is known for. Rampant and Golden is bolder, braver, and darker than past collections, facing head-on such topics as racism, abuse, apostasy, cynicism, corruption, and greed. heck out Purchase books by Iris Orpi on Amazon.com.
Reminder: You deserve to practice self-care daily. Read past issues of Radical for free self-care lessons.
Juicy by Kendal Fong
Self care means different things to different people. For me, it heavily leans on my creative process. Self care is survival. Self care means taking the time to check in with yourself, to process, to interpret, and to allow yourself to exist. I've spent too much of my life not taking care of myself for a variety of reasons, but came to realize the absolute importance. It's not easy, and it doesn't come naturally for me. It's a daily struggle to convince myself that I am worth that care, and that I need it. Even as a nurturing person, it felt presumptuous to turn that sensitivity inward. I started keeping journals. I started writing, daily, and simply putting words on paper resulted in a form of self validation, self acknowledgment that I had never experienced before. I learned boundaries. I began learning how to keep myself emotionally safe, how to take care of myself. It's a work in progress, and will continue to be so but it is a critical aspect of being alive and thriving. - K.Fong I am an artist currently based in San Diego. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a Bachelor’s in Fine Art with a focus in printmaking in 2013. Since, I have been working at the San Diego Museum of Art. My current works have predominately been portraiture, using acrylic paint, water color, embroidery, and various other media.� Instagram: Instagram.com/kendalistrash
Website: Kendalfong.weebly.com
Nowruz by Amanda Kazemi
With Patience Comes Growth by Amanda Kazemi Within the last decade, I’ve learned a lot about myself and the person I want to be. I knew that there were aspects about myself that I didn’t like, stemming from years of feeling inadequate, feeling like a doormat, and being hurt in my heart. I’d try to model my actions after people who I admired or felt like embodied the qualities I wanted to strive towards. Time after time I would get discouraged because it seemed to come so easily to others, and I never appreciated or acknowledged my true self and abilities. After graduating from the teaching credential program, I felt lost and discouraged because of how shy and anxious I felt inside despite my training. I was soon after introduced to graphic design by one of my best friends and worked for a small company for about a year. Towards the end of that year, I was offered a position as a visual arts teacher. I decided to give teaching another try, hoping that the many skills I had gained working as a graphic designer would help me to break out of my anxieties. Throughout my first year of teaching, I began seeing progress in myself as a person. I was able to use the tools I’d acquired through graphic design to better communicate ideas to my students, utilize techniques I had learned when I taught art classes several years prior, and I felt like I could share my own skill set with others. By no means was this self-acknowledgment easy, but learning to see even the smallest of gains lent great appreciation. My piece is symbolic of the ongoing growth and direction I hope to move towards. I used a peacock to symbolize the patience that comes with growth, and the kindness I must have for myself and others on my journey. The piece is entitled, “Nowruz”, after the Iranian New Years Day. Nowruz happens during the Northward equinox, which is also the first day of spring. I used flowers to embody the sentiment of new growth during the spring and shaking off the past. Flowers are also very symbolic for me because they start off as a small seed, are nurtured and cared for so as to begin planting roots, and thoughtfully grow towards the sun and transform into beautiful and meticulously crafted gifts to everyone. A flowers transformation happens over a long period of time but never the less is amazing through its growth. So with kindness comes understanding, and with patience comes growth. Amanda Kazemi is a visual artist and educator living in San Diego, CA. Her work explores the complex relationships existing between the inherited animal experience and the far-reaching capabilities of the modern state. Website: Amandakazemi.com Instagram: Instagram.com/AmandaKazemiArt
Take Flight by Inisa Fajra If you can't own beauty does its value change If you can't hold it does it feel strange If it was to be yours will it make you feel deserving The risk of losing it again will it be unnerving If it was an oasis that's too far from you to reach would you call it a desert to stop you craving for its beach If it was the sunshine with its warm bliss Would you call it too bright to resist its kiss If it was a soul who makes you happy that it exists would you be angry if you couldn't hold it in your fists Do you mind me saying that beauty should be free or would you wrap yourself around her wings instead of let her be. Inisa Fajra is a fire woman, a believer in the transformative powers of fire and everlasting change. She has traveled and worked in countries across the world, igniting her passion for the new and unknown. Recently abandoning her biggest passion and dreams of a career, Inisa decided to pursue a life, where careers are of no importance, but spiritual exploration, uplifting and love give life a meaning. We often seem to have it the other way around. She currently resides in Vietnam. As her priority in life, Inisa puts believing & dreaming (both carrying the same meaning) into making yourself and your world into whatever you’d like it to be and being part of the energies that shift, move & travel through time. She writes by ‘translating poetry in people talk’, silencing external distractions with real food for the soul through her poems and short stories. Follow Inisa at Instagram.com/inisa.fajra.poetry
Tahlequah by Chief Lady Bird and Aura
Our communities live in a constant state of perpetual grief. As indigenous people, it feels like we are always mourning the land, our languages, our loved ones, our connections. But despite all that, we find ways to hold each other up and love each other so deeply that even though there seems to always be something or someone to mourn, our laughter still vibrates across turtle island - indication of ceremony and healing. I am grateful that I got to share so much laughter with my favourite people in the whole world today and that me and my sister @monique.aura got to paint a tribute to Tahlequah the orca who traveled 1500 km carrying her dead calf on her tour of grief- supported by aunties who helped her carry her baby- and literally carrying the burden of loss that we all know so well for 17 days. Miigwech to @bkez for organizing #womxnpaintTO. Miigwech to @emma_petahts @danicadrago @justin_wiebe @mitchhol and @scarlettcole for hanging with us and sharing all the good vibes. We love you! This piece can be found at Beverly and D’Arcy near @agotoronto and @ocaduniversity make sure you check out the whole laneway which is now full of gorgeous art by all the participants of Womxn Paint TO!
Chief Lady Bird and Aura are a sister duo who create street art together. Chief Lady Bird is Potawatomi and Chippewa and Aura is Oneida. Quote from Chief Lady Bird: “The imagery that we put out there is seen by the general public from all classes, genders, races, and other intersections everyday. We hope that the love we put into our work is palpable. But, mainly, we hope that it helps other Indigenous people feel represented in a culturally accurate way. One way that Aura and I strive to give back or feed/nourish our communities is through positive and culturally accurate representation in public spaces. Something that sounds so simple can make a world of a difference. I also think about it in terms of feeling represented on our own land base- on our own territories. That strengthens community.” Quote from Aura: “I love creating portraits of Indigenous womxn to highlight their strengths and support their empowerment journey. Everything I create and share nourishes me and others who experience it.” Instagram: @chiefladybird and @monique.aura
Cryptic War of Heart by Sarwat Pawar She wrapped her unsettled heart and search outside the window; The inner meaning of life! She wants to look beyond the horizon to find her sunrise. She sees lighter and darker orange tones, Just above existence, Beyond her obvious and abundant; She found her sunrise! She wrapped her unsettled heart and search outside the window; The inner meaning of life! She wants to look beyond her sunrise to find her disguise. She sees the brighter abundant, Just above life, Beyond herself and sustenance; She found her sky white! She wrapped her unsettled heart and search outside the window; The inner meaning of life! She wants to look beyond her sky white to find if she was unwise? She sees everything white, Just above existence and life, Beyond self and soul; She found her unsettled heart fight! She wrapped her unsettled heart and said, Look no further for you are born to live. Do not try to reach where the abundant has shrunken, Where vastness has buried its wings. Where your flaws have settled beneath; For your war is just wasting the moments of life! @the_anesthetic_sink Passion is what you continue doing even if they don't know it, they don't see it. It is a zeal for which you don't need a follower nor want to monetize it. Something which you continue doing relentlessly with your heart and can find to do it at any hour of the day. A point of realisation which you need often in your life to face yourself and find peace to embrace what you are becoming and have become. My passion is writing and it has been 14 years I'm writing without any of the former adjectives I mentioned. Life sometimes chokes us in two ways! Physical and Mental. Physical choking can be corrected by changing the environment we are in but what about Mental Choking? Mental choking needs a lid which has to be lifted and our passion lifts this lid. I write to lift the lid and it relieves me mentally. It gives me the strength to face the world with what I have become and intend to.
I am Sarwat Pawar a Fashion Management Professional from Delhi and my Instagram handle is @the_anesthetic_sink.
I'm stoked to welcome Chief Ladybird @chiefladybird, Aura @monique.aura, and Sarwat Pawar @the_anesthetic_sink to Radical. Follow them on Instagram and leave a comment for them about how radical their work is.
Inner-Sight by Leah Oviedo
Do you see value inside yourself? Do you trust in your abilities? Do you focus on your goals? ¿Puede ver el valor dentro de ti? ¿Confía en tus habilidades? ¿Usted puede centrarse en sus objetivos? Leah Oviedo can be found talking to strangers, digging in the dirt, playing with paint, spilling her heart all over paper with ink, and marching through the streets or standing at city hall asking for intersectional equality. Website: ImpowerYou.org Twitter: Twitter.com/mpwru
Instagram: Instagram.com/impoweryou Patreon: Patreon.com/loviedo
D.I.Y. Therapy: Tiny Changes Clarity about life comes with experience. I can clearly see that all the tiny choices in my life added up into both wanted and unwanted actions. Through recovery I learned to make tiny changes so I wouldn't feel overwhelmed. We are biologically wired to handle tiny changes better than huge transformations. While you may need to make a huge change such as sobering up or leaving an abusive family quickly, it's the tiny changes that really guide you to your higher power. Here is an action you can try for healing on your journey: • • • •
Write down the transformation(s) you want to create Write down a tiny change you can make to help you reach that goal Be nice to yourself while you learn this new method and unlearn what has held you back Breathe profoundly and know you are loved
For me, the tiny changes seemed inconsequential in the beginning, but now I'm great at making tiny changes that lead me to big transformation. I believe in you. I know you don't even know me, but I believe in you. I have seen transformations that seemed impossible. You are just as capable as anyone. That is truth.
Healing Resources Nationwide Suicide Prevention crisis line: 1-800-273-8255. Don’t want to call? Use a text help line. Text 741741 anywhere in the USA for a live trained counselor. The Trevor Project – Suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth, 1-866-488-7386 or TheTrevorHelpline.org There are apps that support mental health. The My3App connects someone who is feeling suicidal with their three main support contacts. My3app.org Mental Health America offers free mental health first aid training, Mentalhealthamerica.net NAMI – Alliance of mental illness has a program called Peer to Peer, similar to Big Brother/Big Sister, which is a way to socialize and give support for those who are feeling isolated. Nami.org
DBSA– Depression, Bipolar, Anxiety. Dbsalliance.org Survivors of Suicide Loss. SOSLSD.org The Love Warrior Community focuses on helping people work on self-love and body acceptance. Lovewarriorcommunity.com Try the free Healing Journey e-course on Impoweryou.org/healing-depression.
What is Radical zine? Radical is a healing through creative arts zine supporting the idea that we should live our journeys on our own terms. It is moving beyond expectations and limits to see what we are made of. Choosing to be radical is a way for us to forge our own paths and create an accepting, compassionate community along our way. I created this monthly e-zine to spread a message of sustainable self-care and to promote independent artists, writers, and healers, especially those who face oppression and exclusion. I was depressed for seventeen years and now am thriving! Healing my trauma has been an epic journey. I’m still learning, still healing the little things. Choosing to love myself unconditionally and heal is the reason I am still alive. Peace and hugs, Leah
“Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists and Writers” >> Download this free e-book on Patreon – No sign up required <<
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What is radical self-love? It’s a letting go of the idea that your worth is tied to your future accomplishments. It’s being accountable for your actions. It’s choosing your own path. Self-love manifests itself in different ways for different people. By cultivating radical self-love, you are choosing to believe in the radical idea that you are whole and valuable as you are. Loving your imperfections is one the bravest things you can do. This book features work by Michelle Minero, Kiyoshi
Shelton, Jaz Gray, Corry Lang, Natalie Small, Rae Lawrence, Jason Freeman, Jasmine Farrell, Anaid Garcia, Donovan Cheney, Vidya, Katrina Mendoza and Leah Oviedo. These amazing people are different genders, skin tones, sexual orientations, abilities, and hold various spiritual beliefs. What they all share is knowing that self-love is an important aspect of everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey. Choose your complimentary e-book format or PDF on Patreon.com/Loviedo.
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