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Caught My Eye: MMW + The Q
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Here is another double post due to the hectic nature of this weekend - I will get back on track with cross-posting, I will!
Caught My Eye: Muslimah Media Watch
Muslimah Media Watch gives a great perspective on voices that are not often allowed to speak in either Western or global media: Muslim women. They bring together broad opinions about representation with very focused stories on the impact of decisions by governing bodies on Muslim women (such as FIFA's treatment of the Iranian womens' soccer team). They represent voices from American patriots and Bangladeshi students alike. This blog gives a broad and informative look at Muslim women, and it is created both by and for them.
Here are three of my favorite posts:
Why Did Tom MacMaster Choose to be "A Gay Girl" Blogging from Damascus?
The Ghettoization of Begumpura Neighborhoods
The Sensational Story That Wasn't: Reports Of 'Stoning' Death Of Ukrainian Girl Turn Out To Be False
Want some more media to digest? Check out more of the Caught My Eye series.
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The Q + Responses
This week's question is a pretty simple one (well, I suppose it is for the American readers, perhaps not for others):
What are you doing/did you do for the 4th of July?
I don't quite know yet, but I believe I'll be hanging out at Gasworks Park and telling young people to vote along with my other Washington Bus Summer Fellows.
And here are your fabulous responses to the question: What does fashion do for you?
Video response from Joanne H.
I...am not fashionable. I spent 4 years in a Catholic schools, and I was fine wearing a uniform. Now, I care a bit how I look. I mean, I dress up for church- that's something I've always done. Normally though, I wear what is comfortable. Most of my shirts I got from somewhere. The shirts I did buy almost a year ago I thought had a cool design. And that...is sort of it for fashion for me. - Stephen S.
Hey! I'm not a super fashionable person, but I wanted to add to your thought-bank.
So for me, fashion is not so much an outward expression of who I am, but an expression of how I feel. And of course they feed off of each other but pretty much its how I feel is reflected in what I decide to wear. For example, if I'm feeling confident, I might wear a dress or something thats not a pair of jeans or sweats. If I'm feeling like crap, its sweats all the way. The reason I'd say I dress to match how I feel vs to express who I am, is becuz I still haven't quite figured out who I am. I could be super valley girl-esque one day and then modern New Yorker the next. Granted, I do fall under the label of a new age hippie vs a bimbo but I'm still in the search of me.
Idk what you wanted for your responses but I just wanted to contribute somehow. Haha. - Cammi M.
Check out more reader responses to The Q.
Caught My Eye: Muslimah Media Watch
Muslimah Media Watch gives a great perspective on voices that are not often allowed to speak in either Western or global media: Muslim women. They bring together broad opinions about representation with very focused stories on the impact of decisions by governing bodies on Muslim women (such as FIFA's treatment of the Iranian womens' soccer team). They represent voices from American patriots and Bangladeshi students alike. This blog gives a broad and informative look at Muslim women, and it is created both by and for them.
Here are three of my favorite posts:
Why Did Tom MacMaster Choose to be "A Gay Girl" Blogging from Damascus?
The Ghettoization of Begumpura Neighborhoods
The Sensational Story That Wasn't: Reports Of 'Stoning' Death Of Ukrainian Girl Turn Out To Be False
Want some more media to digest? Check out more of the Caught My Eye series.
---
The Q + Responses
This week's question is a pretty simple one (well, I suppose it is for the American readers, perhaps not for others):
What are you doing/did you do for the 4th of July?
I don't quite know yet, but I believe I'll be hanging out at Gasworks Park and telling young people to vote along with my other Washington Bus Summer Fellows.
And here are your fabulous responses to the question: What does fashion do for you?
Video response from Joanne H.
I...am not fashionable. I spent 4 years in a Catholic schools, and I was fine wearing a uniform. Now, I care a bit how I look. I mean, I dress up for church- that's something I've always done. Normally though, I wear what is comfortable. Most of my shirts I got from somewhere. The shirts I did buy almost a year ago I thought had a cool design. And that...is sort of it for fashion for me. - Stephen S.
Hey! I'm not a super fashionable person, but I wanted to add to your thought-bank.
So for me, fashion is not so much an outward expression of who I am, but an expression of how I feel. And of course they feed off of each other but pretty much its how I feel is reflected in what I decide to wear. For example, if I'm feeling confident, I might wear a dress or something thats not a pair of jeans or sweats. If I'm feeling like crap, its sweats all the way. The reason I'd say I dress to match how I feel vs to express who I am, is becuz I still haven't quite figured out who I am. I could be super valley girl-esque one day and then modern New Yorker the next. Granted, I do fall under the label of a new age hippie vs a bimbo but I'm still in the search of me.
Idk what you wanted for your responses but I just wanted to contribute somehow. Haha. - Cammi M.
Check out more reader responses to The Q.
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
So, I completely forgot to cross-post my piece from yesterday, so I will be doing a two-for-one today! Below is the video I recorded for today, and after that is the previous post from the day before. While they're not totally unrelated, they are from different days. Enjoy!
How to Value Your Work (video)
What are some pairs that don't go well together? Creativity and exams. Productivity and busy work. Deadlines and relaxation.
Yet these same pairs come together all too often in the life of anyone who has a job or attends school and still wants to channel creative pursuits. Putting these pairs together is like assembling furniture with directions in another language: stressful and in need of some clever planning to maneuver through. During the academic year, I am a part-time employee and a full-time student, so I know this feeling all too well: I am constantly asking myself "when will I be able to create again?"
I haven't figured out a foolproof strategy yet, nor do I get to all of the creative projects I would like to had I not decided to be a full-time/part-time anything, but I would like to impart some of the ways that I balance these two halves of my life. Take a moment to assemble some ideas with me about personal vs. school/work productivity.
1. Build up habits. Do you brush your teeth every day? If you do, ask yourself how you learned to do that. It might be difficult to think back on it because stuff like that we do so naturally. And that is exactly what you want to do with your personal creative pursuits. Make it a habit to work a little bit on something or to think about something or to have a specific time where you don't work on your school/work stuff at all, regardless of what else you do. It's not about the amount of work that you do in time, it's just the successful mini-reward of working on something habitually, day by day, and going through the process.
2. Schedule, schedule, schedule. I am not a scheduler myself, I am a to-do lister. But I have gravitated towards a loose general schedule that keeps me on track, even if it's not an hour by hour plan. I think flexibility with your schedule is very important, which seems counterintuitive, but you need to have the thing before you can be flexible with it. Otherwise you're just adrift in whatever makes you feel the most productive at that moment - TV, school work, or anything else that keeps you away from your creative work.
3. Take a vacation from your priorities. I flip this one on its head all the time. I prioritize art and writing over my schoolwork sometimes because I think of it as a positive way to procrastinate. And while that may be true, I still have to finish those midterm papers! So whatever your priorities are, take a moment away from them. Move away from your creative writing to work on something for your job. Move away from your school work to draw a picture. And after a little taste, you can get back to your regularly scheduled activities.
4. Suffuse your school/work with the same love you give your creative pursuits. I adapted this lesson from some wisdom my yoga teacher imparted upon our class: a miserable life is a life that has no purpose, and your purpose is always to create love. But, as she said, if you can't love something right away, try to 'like' it first. Sometimes I don't feel like love is a strong enough emotion for my work; sometimes I feel like I'm bridging on hate because of the stress it creates for me. And that goes for either type of work. You just have to learn to bring in the 'like' or the 'love' even when it's hard - pick one thing that you get out of it that you enjoy and focus on it to get through.
5. Fill up some thought time. There's always thought time, regardless of what work you're doing. I have a lot of thought time in the middle of the night while I'm falling asleep. And when I'm in the zine library reading other peoples' words. I take notes. I let my thoughts go wild and crazy and then compile them on the page. And then I bring them home in my creative work. Magic!
How do you balance school/work with your personal creative or productive needs? Let me know in the comments!
You may also enjoy reading 3 Ways I Beat Writer's Block to a Pulp.
How to Value Your Work (video)
What are some pairs that don't go well together? Creativity and exams. Productivity and busy work. Deadlines and relaxation.
Yet these same pairs come together all too often in the life of anyone who has a job or attends school and still wants to channel creative pursuits. Putting these pairs together is like assembling furniture with directions in another language: stressful and in need of some clever planning to maneuver through. During the academic year, I am a part-time employee and a full-time student, so I know this feeling all too well: I am constantly asking myself "when will I be able to create again?"
I haven't figured out a foolproof strategy yet, nor do I get to all of the creative projects I would like to had I not decided to be a full-time/part-time anything, but I would like to impart some of the ways that I balance these two halves of my life. Take a moment to assemble some ideas with me about personal vs. school/work productivity.
1. Build up habits. Do you brush your teeth every day? If you do, ask yourself how you learned to do that. It might be difficult to think back on it because stuff like that we do so naturally. And that is exactly what you want to do with your personal creative pursuits. Make it a habit to work a little bit on something or to think about something or to have a specific time where you don't work on your school/work stuff at all, regardless of what else you do. It's not about the amount of work that you do in time, it's just the successful mini-reward of working on something habitually, day by day, and going through the process.
2. Schedule, schedule, schedule. I am not a scheduler myself, I am a to-do lister. But I have gravitated towards a loose general schedule that keeps me on track, even if it's not an hour by hour plan. I think flexibility with your schedule is very important, which seems counterintuitive, but you need to have the thing before you can be flexible with it. Otherwise you're just adrift in whatever makes you feel the most productive at that moment - TV, school work, or anything else that keeps you away from your creative work.
3. Take a vacation from your priorities. I flip this one on its head all the time. I prioritize art and writing over my schoolwork sometimes because I think of it as a positive way to procrastinate. And while that may be true, I still have to finish those midterm papers! So whatever your priorities are, take a moment away from them. Move away from your creative writing to work on something for your job. Move away from your school work to draw a picture. And after a little taste, you can get back to your regularly scheduled activities.
4. Suffuse your school/work with the same love you give your creative pursuits. I adapted this lesson from some wisdom my yoga teacher imparted upon our class: a miserable life is a life that has no purpose, and your purpose is always to create love. But, as she said, if you can't love something right away, try to 'like' it first. Sometimes I don't feel like love is a strong enough emotion for my work; sometimes I feel like I'm bridging on hate because of the stress it creates for me. And that goes for either type of work. You just have to learn to bring in the 'like' or the 'love' even when it's hard - pick one thing that you get out of it that you enjoy and focus on it to get through.
5. Fill up some thought time. There's always thought time, regardless of what work you're doing. I have a lot of thought time in the middle of the night while I'm falling asleep. And when I'm in the zine library reading other peoples' words. I take notes. I let my thoughts go wild and crazy and then compile them on the page. And then I bring them home in my creative work. Magic!
How do you balance school/work with your personal creative or productive needs? Let me know in the comments!
You may also enjoy reading 3 Ways I Beat Writer's Block to a Pulp.
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
If you head to the post itself, you can see a funny picture of me in a VoteBot costume.
I am a young voter - there, I've admitted it. I'm on par with the unicorn in my rarity and have only been voting for nary 2 years now. However, I have worked on campaigns before. In my high school days, I registered people to vote when I was not yet allowed to touch a ballot. I cheered on President Obama's election without being able to send in my vote. And, I must admit, I became a little bit worn out.
I distanced myself from politics when I moved to NYC - there were so many more interesting things to do with my first year at college than canvassing for change, right? I also found myself in a new place, so I had no clue what the important issues were for that area. Instead, I took national and global politics as my weathervanes to gauge the state of politics and left local work behind.
I am happy this summer to return to my local roots in Washington. I have had the great fortune to be chosen as a Summer Fellow at the Washington Bus, a youth-oriented movement that wants to bring young voters out of their unicorn status and get their voices heard when the ballots drop. They have reconnected me to the local Washington landscape in a way that has surprised me: they have forced (if the word 'force' can be taken as a gentle shove) me to go to events like Seattle Pride and have taught me all about local politics. Today's post is about my first week and experiences with the Washington Bus, and what it feels like to get back into the political game.
Are you a youth voter? Let me know what you think about politics in the comments! And if you're not a youth, what are your views on youth voters/the youth population in general? Let me know!
First, a word on local politics. Local politics may seem like the most boring part of the whole system - who wants to focus on city council elections when Obama is up for re-election, right? - but that is often the part that the Washington Bus focuses on. And, in fact, I think that is probably the healthiest option. While presidential elections roll around only every four years (and often affect very broad sweeping national decisions), city and local politics are generally every year and affect very specific and pertinent issues. But, of course, the excitement isn't there. The thrill of getting someone as important as the U.S. President elected cannot be matched by any local race - or so you'd think.
The Washington Bus has really brought some energy back into local politics for me. In their eyes, and now in my own, the view is that local politics is the most easily controllable type and it can be changed with just a few more voices speaking up from their neck of the woods. For youth voters, this can be where they effect the most change with just their single vote. As a young woman of color myself (a group that has, unfortunately, a very low voter turn-out), I really like feeling the sense of agency I get from working on local races and being cognizant of changes that may happen in my neighborhood. The Bus has taught me that I don't have to just descend into frustration when faced with the structures of power set up in our country.
And how, you might ask, do they do this? The answer is one part obvious and two parts unexpected.
The first, and probably most obvious, part is that they get us out there canvassing. They have us put on bright happy faces and descend upon mass gatherings like Pride to encourage people that voting is awesome. And that involvement in itself is empowering - you're making change with pieces of paper and your winning personality.
The other two parts are relentless positivity and education on how to meet people where they are. These are two of the "code word" Bus terms; at first, I didn't know what they were talking about, but even after this first week, I feel that they are drilled into my head. Of them, the first definitely depends on your personality, but can be honed over time. Relentless positivity manifests itself in understanding the structures of power are malleable and can be affected with a little participation. The second, education, is about finding ways to get people to enact that little bit of participation - for instance, using social media and VoteBots at major events rather than cold-calling random voters and hoping they are nice to you.
No one probably wants to be harassed, but young voters often escape even the base harassment unless they are somehow coded into the system (e.g. they have a home phone, a permanent address, etc.). In some ways, our job is to remind people who are never even asked to participate that they have a voice. And that's an amazing job. And I am so lucky that I get to do it with amazing people.
So, you can take away from this post two things. First: vote. Second: encourage and empower youth to do the same. Lamenting that youth are not participating in government and then not giving them the tools to participate are never going to get anyone anywhere. We'd rather shed our unicorn horns and become part of the mainstream voting population.
Check out some more of my thoughts on political participation and several rallies/demonstrations I've been to.
I am a young voter - there, I've admitted it. I'm on par with the unicorn in my rarity and have only been voting for nary 2 years now. However, I have worked on campaigns before. In my high school days, I registered people to vote when I was not yet allowed to touch a ballot. I cheered on President Obama's election without being able to send in my vote. And, I must admit, I became a little bit worn out.
I distanced myself from politics when I moved to NYC - there were so many more interesting things to do with my first year at college than canvassing for change, right? I also found myself in a new place, so I had no clue what the important issues were for that area. Instead, I took national and global politics as my weathervanes to gauge the state of politics and left local work behind.
I am happy this summer to return to my local roots in Washington. I have had the great fortune to be chosen as a Summer Fellow at the Washington Bus, a youth-oriented movement that wants to bring young voters out of their unicorn status and get their voices heard when the ballots drop. They have reconnected me to the local Washington landscape in a way that has surprised me: they have forced (if the word 'force' can be taken as a gentle shove) me to go to events like Seattle Pride and have taught me all about local politics. Today's post is about my first week and experiences with the Washington Bus, and what it feels like to get back into the political game.
Are you a youth voter? Let me know what you think about politics in the comments! And if you're not a youth, what are your views on youth voters/the youth population in general? Let me know!
First, a word on local politics. Local politics may seem like the most boring part of the whole system - who wants to focus on city council elections when Obama is up for re-election, right? - but that is often the part that the Washington Bus focuses on. And, in fact, I think that is probably the healthiest option. While presidential elections roll around only every four years (and often affect very broad sweeping national decisions), city and local politics are generally every year and affect very specific and pertinent issues. But, of course, the excitement isn't there. The thrill of getting someone as important as the U.S. President elected cannot be matched by any local race - or so you'd think.
The Washington Bus has really brought some energy back into local politics for me. In their eyes, and now in my own, the view is that local politics is the most easily controllable type and it can be changed with just a few more voices speaking up from their neck of the woods. For youth voters, this can be where they effect the most change with just their single vote. As a young woman of color myself (a group that has, unfortunately, a very low voter turn-out), I really like feeling the sense of agency I get from working on local races and being cognizant of changes that may happen in my neighborhood. The Bus has taught me that I don't have to just descend into frustration when faced with the structures of power set up in our country.
And how, you might ask, do they do this? The answer is one part obvious and two parts unexpected.
The first, and probably most obvious, part is that they get us out there canvassing. They have us put on bright happy faces and descend upon mass gatherings like Pride to encourage people that voting is awesome. And that involvement in itself is empowering - you're making change with pieces of paper and your winning personality.
The other two parts are relentless positivity and education on how to meet people where they are. These are two of the "code word" Bus terms; at first, I didn't know what they were talking about, but even after this first week, I feel that they are drilled into my head. Of them, the first definitely depends on your personality, but can be honed over time. Relentless positivity manifests itself in understanding the structures of power are malleable and can be affected with a little participation. The second, education, is about finding ways to get people to enact that little bit of participation - for instance, using social media and VoteBots at major events rather than cold-calling random voters and hoping they are nice to you.
No one probably wants to be harassed, but young voters often escape even the base harassment unless they are somehow coded into the system (e.g. they have a home phone, a permanent address, etc.). In some ways, our job is to remind people who are never even asked to participate that they have a voice. And that's an amazing job. And I am so lucky that I get to do it with amazing people.
So, you can take away from this post two things. First: vote. Second: encourage and empower youth to do the same. Lamenting that youth are not participating in government and then not giving them the tools to participate are never going to get anyone anywhere. We'd rather shed our unicorn horns and become part of the mainstream voting population.
Check out some more of my thoughts on political participation and several rallies/demonstrations I've been to.
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
This week, I have been talking a lot about feminism and fashion and the way that personal meets political through your self-expression. Now it's your turn to speak:
What does fashion do for you? What messages do you share with the world (consciously or unconsciously) when you put on clothes/makeup/accessories? Does your personal interact with the political through those choices?
As with last week's question, your answers will be posted here at the end of the week!
And, without further ado, here are your answers to last week's question: What/who made you think about your identity?
Choosing to go to college (believe it or not). It was super weird having to think about what I wanted out of my life when I was 17 and knowledgeable about very little. - Jamie F.
Looking back, I think the thing that caused me to think about my identity the most is criticism. When I was younger, I paid attention to criticism from my parents to learn how to self-regulate. As I grew older, a lot of the criticism was from myself. Little bits and pieces of comments from other people and my elaborations in my head of what they meant and what I should do about them. These days I draw less upon what others say. My method now is to take my idealistic view of who I want to be, and how I should act, and apply it to the way that I am currently. I will always strive to be better, so who I want to be will never match up with who I am, therefore the feeling I've always gotten when I've thought about my identity is negative. When I take action to become better, I feel positive about my identity. Often I am reliant upon friends and family to provide positive commentary on my identity and my abilities because of this. - Heather H.
For me, I would say my best friend from middle school. She was a free spirited child, and the one who was always first to experience life through music, arts, and drugs. I believe the middle school is where a very critical part of self-growth occurs, and especially for me, she made me think of my identity for good. She is still someone who I stay in touch with, and will always be the one whose footsteps I admired. - Danielle K.
Becoming friends with trans-identified people was the first time I ever consciously thought about the fact that I represented strongly with the gendered body I was born with, and realized that being a cis-gendered female was indeed an identity, not a characteristic. - Genna W.
My friend Alberto. He's a rapper as well and I thought he was gay for a very long time. then I realized that he was just really comfortable with his swag and could affect people. that made me realize tat just bein yourself got you the most self respect. - Paris D.
Thanks a ton to everyone who responded to this question! You're all awesome.
What does fashion do for you? What messages do you share with the world (consciously or unconsciously) when you put on clothes/makeup/accessories? Does your personal interact with the political through those choices?
As with last week's question, your answers will be posted here at the end of the week!
And, without further ado, here are your answers to last week's question: What/who made you think about your identity?
Choosing to go to college (believe it or not). It was super weird having to think about what I wanted out of my life when I was 17 and knowledgeable about very little. - Jamie F.
Looking back, I think the thing that caused me to think about my identity the most is criticism. When I was younger, I paid attention to criticism from my parents to learn how to self-regulate. As I grew older, a lot of the criticism was from myself. Little bits and pieces of comments from other people and my elaborations in my head of what they meant and what I should do about them. These days I draw less upon what others say. My method now is to take my idealistic view of who I want to be, and how I should act, and apply it to the way that I am currently. I will always strive to be better, so who I want to be will never match up with who I am, therefore the feeling I've always gotten when I've thought about my identity is negative. When I take action to become better, I feel positive about my identity. Often I am reliant upon friends and family to provide positive commentary on my identity and my abilities because of this. - Heather H.
For me, I would say my best friend from middle school. She was a free spirited child, and the one who was always first to experience life through music, arts, and drugs. I believe the middle school is where a very critical part of self-growth occurs, and especially for me, she made me think of my identity for good. She is still someone who I stay in touch with, and will always be the one whose footsteps I admired. - Danielle K.
Becoming friends with trans-identified people was the first time I ever consciously thought about the fact that I represented strongly with the gendered body I was born with, and realized that being a cis-gendered female was indeed an identity, not a characteristic. - Genna W.
My friend Alberto. He's a rapper as well and I thought he was gay for a very long time. then I realized that he was just really comfortable with his swag and could affect people. that made me realize tat just bein yourself got you the most self respect. - Paris D.
Thanks a ton to everyone who responded to this question! You're all awesome.
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
The Uniform Project is truly where fashion meets activism. It is an interesting project in that it took the deceptively simple challenge of wearing one black dress every day for a year and made it a metaphor that people could invest in - bringing kids the money they needed to go to school.
I am particularly impressed with the way Sheena Matheiken explained the idea at TED Dubai. It was inspiring to hear her speak about the impact and the uses of everyday challenges like these. She brings together a confluence of factors (look-at-me blogging, personal style, and sustainable fashion practices) in order to create her own brand of personal is political activism.
Though The Uniform Project is now over two years old, I am still awed by the way that this simple idea took hold and helped a lot of underprivileged children find their way to school. Watch the video and check through the archives for some more greatness.
Want more media for consumption? Check out the rest of the Caught My Eye series.
Read some of my posts on feminism and inspiration.
I am particularly impressed with the way Sheena Matheiken explained the idea at TED Dubai. It was inspiring to hear her speak about the impact and the uses of everyday challenges like these. She brings together a confluence of factors (look-at-me blogging, personal style, and sustainable fashion practices) in order to create her own brand of personal is political activism.
Though The Uniform Project is now over two years old, I am still awed by the way that this simple idea took hold and helped a lot of underprivileged children find their way to school. Watch the video and check through the archives for some more greatness.
Want more media for consumption? Check out the rest of the Caught My Eye series.
Read some of my posts on feminism and inspiration.
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
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