you are trying and that is what matters ⁣ ⁣ You’re not always gonna get it 100%! That’s ok! That’s life! Good job for showing up! Good job for trying! If you couldn’t show up this time, maybe communicate that for next time! Good job taking time for yourself! ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with stars and sparkles on persimmon colored paper]
“never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game” - Babe Ruth ⁣ ⁣ Can we just talk about how “A Cinderella Story” was an iconic film. What a classic. I don’t care about baseball, I do care about the scene where the guitar Fiona put up to cover her dads lil sporty diner falls down and Sam decides to live her truth. She finds that will and lives her dream. I am also perpetually confused at how Chad Michael Murray AKA Austin Ames DID NOT recognize her with her sad lil fake mask. Still VERY frustrated @ that scene. ⁣ ⁣ In other news, idk go do what you’re gonna do! Don’t let the fear hold you back! Be like Sam! ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the quote in black bubble letters with stars and sparkles on yellow paper with orange, pink, and red circles and swirls]
speak your truth. there is power in sharing your story. ⁣ ⁣ There is a time when we are kids where we get told we can do whatever we put our minds to, that we can be whoever we dream to be, that our paths are wide and open and reach far, far beyond us. ⁣ ⁣ And somewhere along the way we forget this — we get the hope and joy conditioned out of us — and start to feel ok with existing without as many grandeur ideas of who we could, should, or would be. In some people, it seems there’s only a glimmer left, but it’s still there. ⁣ ⁣ I’ve been thinking a lot about how we gain the awareness and acute perception to speak about our own experiences, as if to bring them to the light of day. To make our hopes, fears, brightness, darkness, and everything in between: visible. ⁣ ⁣ There’s a language you have to learn before you share. A language of listening. A language of asking questions and questions and more questions. A language of accepting silence as a currency, not of discontent, but of a frozen fragment of time, something almost comforting. A language of seeking the words you don’t know. A language of immersing yourself in ideas and images that you have never known before, yet you feel all the same. ⁣ ⁣ To speak means to listen first. To hear the inner workings of your mind and say “I do.” To understand that there is power in you that is unparalleled and unmatched, if only not thwarted by your harshest critic... yourself. ⁣ ⁣ Who do we fear? It is others? Is it ourselves? We can only know if we try. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with starburst, stars, and circles on light blue paper with a painted red squiggle]
I can’t tell if I know a lot about nothing or a little about everything ⁣ ⁣ U ever just think about the things you think about and you’re like “how even does this relate back to my life and the world and existence and nonexistence?” ⁣ ⁣ As I get older I realize how much I have left to learn, and how much our ideas of who we are are informed by experiences and identities beyond our own — those that are aspirational, those that solidify us as understandable, palatable, consumable. ⁣ ⁣ It feels like so few people ask themselves who the fuck they even are and why they strive to be that. We all have this innate fear of not knowing, so we construct ideas of ourselves that make us #smart, #knowledgeable, and #enviable in some way. An idea of ourselves not always structured in the truth that we are malleable and do not truly have fixed selves. What’s the difference between truth and fiction in the era of personal branding? ⁣ ⁣ Maybe that’s naive of me, maybe everyone has it figured out and I’m unnecessarily taking a magnifying glass to their life.⁣ ⁣ I definitely don’t know everything, but do I truly know nothing? ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with starburst, sparkles, and circles on a persimmon colored paper painted with red, orange, and yellow circles and swirls]
ORANGE U GLAD ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of an orange circle with a smiley face and an orange slice, both with glossy water droplets coming off of them / on yellow paper with purple curves on the top right and bottom left corners]
painting on stuff ⁣ ⁣ [images of three painted faces on a bright red bag / 1 - dark blue circle with green freckles and open eyes / 2 - lime green face with blue freckles and open eyes (another face with cat eyes is off to the left / 3 - a large dark blue face with freckles and closed eyes]
put your feet on the earth. breathe in. breathe out. remember you are alive. ✨ refresh of this from last year [illustration of the first blurb in black bubble letters with stars and starburst, on green paper with painted green wavy lines / photographed on grass]
BLACK AND TRANS QUEER LIVES MATTER ⁣ ⁣ important collab @ work with @meganmadden for @refinery29⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with starburst, stars, and circles on orange paper, photographed on a shiny, textural background with an orange/pink glow]
the more I try the more I grow⁣ ⁣ DREAM COLLAB WITH @BIGCARTEL!!! We created three images that speak to mental health, creativity, and the process of trying and trying and trying some more. Thank you so much!!!!! ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with stars, starburst, and circles on a yellow background with a large pink circle and a smaller orange circle]
no human being is illegal⁣ ⁣ PROTECT EACH OTHER. ⁣ ⁣ #nodetention ⁣ ⁣ #nodeportation ⁣ ⁣ #familiesbelongtogether⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with starburst and stars on a blue background with painted red semicircles]
cut off the thoughts that make you hate yourself⁣ ⁣ do you ever feel like entertaining yourself in a self deprecating downward spiral? ⁣ ⁣ same. ⁣ ⁣ LEARNING TO SNAP MYSELF OUT OF IT.⁣ ⁣ Yes to being reflective. ⁣ Yes to recognizing where you can grow. ⁣ Yes to wanting to be the best version of yourself. ⁣ No to tearing yourself down. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence painted as pink bubble letters with stars and circles on yellow paper]
all I am is smiley faces now ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of give smiley faces in white paint pen with stars and sparkles on a background of green and blue circles and semi circles on black paper]
every feeling is fleeting there’s a sense of impermanence to it all try to not let it weigh you down [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with sparkles and stars on yellow paper with a red squiggle]
all of our bodies are different and that is wonderful⁣ ⁣ It’s weird what the construction of ideal body types can do to us. ⁣ ⁣ We are inundated with images. We look at billboards or tv or social media and we start to internalize the ideas around “THIS body is good, THAT body is bad, THOOOOOSE bodies are unacceptable, and MY body falls somewhere in between good and grotesque.” We forget to say “fuck this” because we 1) aren’t told we can and 2) clearly see how people benefit from conforming to the standards of beauty and 3) recognize and how others are largely disenfranchised for something out of our control (among other points). ⁣ ⁣ It’s wild how much of of this construction of beauty is formed within the US, and especially New York, and I get stunned because standing on the subway is a fantastical thing of people of all backgrounds, yet I rarely see that represented. ⁣ ⁣ When will we be able to get to a point where we recognize each other’s bodies as they are, without the inane expectation that we all cal, or will, squash ourselves into the standards of beauty or acceptability for someone else’s consumption? ⁣ ⁣ you are you and that is cool. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with stars and sparkles on a light blue paper]
there are times where I feel like I’ve spoken “too much” and sucked all of the air out of the room ⁣ ⁣ usually it’s with new people or friends of a friend of a friend⁣ ⁣ the silence feels suffocating so I over perform, filling each space with words and feelings⁣ ⁣ and then there’s a feeling of regret, that I’ve done too much, revealed too much or perhaps too little⁣ ⁣ speaking a lot doesn’t always mean saying a lot⁣ ⁣ I could go on for days and then stop and say “wow, how did I get here?” ⁣ ⁣ all I can say now is at least I showed up as myself, in whatever mass capacity I could⁣ ⁣ can anyone else relate? ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with stars and sparkles on a red background with yellow and orange circles and semicircles]
more smiley faces plz ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of a smiley face in black pen on pink paper]
“we’re all born naked and the rest is drag” - RuPaul ⁣ ⁣ The other day, someone asked me what drag was and why people enjoyed it. It’s interesting that people see drag as a small subset of the world, when we all partake in drag in some capacity. ⁣ ⁣ In describing what drag as a form is, I talked about how drag can be a parody of gender and performance — a mode of self expression and subversion, an opportunity to challenge norms and the status quo. ⁣ ⁣ While RuPaul (@rupaulofficial) is not the creator of drag, @rupaulsdragrace has largely popularized the art form as something consumable via tv and media, and made drag somewhat less foreign to most people. I think this quote encapsulates the notion that we are all performing some form of drag each day, whether consciously or subconsciously, via the norms or via challenging them, and how we represent ourselves has a large say in how people see us and relate to us. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the quote in black bubble letters with starburst and stars on a red background with painted yellow and orange circles and semicircles]
you can’t be everything to everyone ⁣ ⁣ that’s ok⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with starburst, sparkles, and circles on a earthy light green background with bark pink and light pink circles and semicircles]
is it me or am I just having a good year? ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Artists: Jonas Brothers ⁣⁣ Song: Cool ⁣⁣ Album: Happiness Begins ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Do a lot of people feel like happiness can seem overrated? Maybe it’s because it’s so fleeting. Maybe it’s because we still remember what was and what is and what issues still remain. It’s hard to not paint things as good or bad and let them exist as they are — a part of our multifaceted lives. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I often feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of concerning news. My default is to be on high alert. Activating fight or flight responses in my brain makes me feel like I’m out of control (I guess because we do lack control over most things). ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I’ve been trying to be more active in finding the good and letting myself exist in that world, because what is a movement without joy?⁣ My life has changed a lot in the past couple years and I think by letting myself live in the moment instead of looking at what could be or would be, I save myself a lot of internal debate and inner turmoil. ⁣⁣ ⁣ Note to self: you have to celebrate the good times as they come. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ [illustration of the song lyrics in black bubble letter with sparkles, stars, and circles / on yellow paper with a large pink circle, medium red circle, and orange semi circle]
mid year reminder (repost from December heh)⁣ ⁣ KEEP TRYING⁣ KEEP LEARNING⁣ KEEP ADJUSTING ⁣ KEEP EVOLVING⁣ KEEP GROWING⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the keep statements in black bubble letters with red stars and sparkles on hot pink paper]⁣