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fandomtrumpshate · 4 years

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Fan Labor roundup (now with links!)

Folks, we had a whopping eighty-nine people sign up to offer fan labor this year, for a total of ninety-four fan labor auctions, and the range of things on offer is nothing short of phenomenal. It’s truly an embarrassment of riches.

The one and only drawback of this incredible response is that potential bidders could easily get overwhelmed by the task of perusing all ninety-four of these offerings. That’s why this post exists! It’s designed to offer you a sampling of the amazing offers we have this year, and to help you find and connect to the fan labor auctions that appeal to you most.

What we’re giving here is an overview of the specific kinds of support and expertise that our fan laborers are offering. While almost half of our fan labor offers are open to any fandom at all, fifty of the offers are fandom-specific in some way. It’s also the case that some fan laborers have restricted the ratings level that they are willing to work at. You can find out these details by reading each offering post carefully, or you can preemptively limit which auctions you see by searching multiple tags at once (e.g. “fanwork: fan labor: culture picking” + “fandom: teen wolf” + “rating: explicit”) Our post on searching tags explains how to do this.

The majority of our fan laborers are offerings beta work (though some of them are also offering others things, too!) This includes everything from SPAG (spelling and grammar) through developmental editing, helping you work out the basics of your story structure. We have a number of professional editors of various stripes (find them here, here, here, here, and here, and we are pretty sure there were a couple more we couldn’t turn up, sorry!) We also have a lot of experienced and insightful people even though this isn’t their day job. We also have a fan laborer who specializes in helping non-native speakers of English with English-language fic, and someone with professional expertise in upgrading translated works “from ‘rough draft’ to ‘sounds like a native speaker,’“ both of which may be of special interest to non-native English speakers writing in English. Check out the beta reading tag to see them all!

Some of our auctions tagged “other” (rather than beta reading) are offers to help you build your story from the ground up. We have a developmental edit offer, an offer for brainstorming, for plot and structure beta, and for cheerleading. We also have a couple of podfic beta offers in the other category: a beta listener for podfics and an offer for podfic editing!

Many of our fan laborers are also offering culture-picking or expertise picking. The culture-pickers can help you capture the nuances of a particular geographical region or of some other kinds of subculture; the expertise pickers can provide with you an expert’s knowledge of some specific skill or craft, or an insider’s view of a particular profession, or simply the insight into a kind of lived experience you don’t have yourself but want some of your characters to have.

We have a wide range of culture pickers to advise on the culture and speech patterns of various places, mostly (but not exclusively!) on various parts of the Anglophone world.

We have several Brit-pickers (here, here, here, here, and here) including some who can offer specific insight into London (here, here) Oxford, or Durham. We’ve got some Yank-pickers (thanks to HugeAlienPie for this term!): find them here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.) We also have some experts in the culture and geography of New York City (here, here) and the American Northeast more generally. We have someone who can tell you about Los Angeles, and someone to advise on Illinois and the midwest more generally. We also have an offer for the rural US, one for the American South, and one for rural Alaska.

Outside the Anglophone world, we’ve got an India-picker, a France-picker, and a Czech-picker. We’ve also got community insider perspectives for you on both goth subculture and riot grrl subculture.

In terms of necessarily second-hand cultural experience, we have someone who can advise on ancient Greece and Rome, someone who can help with Victorian/Edwardian period language as well as French ancien regime. and a Star Wars slang-picker!

Our expertise and experience pickers cover an amazing array of topics. We’ve tried to organize it into sections as best we could... But honestly, some of this defies easy categorization.

If you’re looking for an expert in religion and/or mythology, we have people to help you with Hindu mythology, Norse mythology, American Catholicism, Ashkenazi Judaism, (two of these, one specifically for Good Omens,) an expert in oral history in general, and a someone with a PhD in religion.

If you’re writing about characters struggling with mental health, we have a lot of people who can help with that! People with experience of depression (here, here), anxiety (here, here, and here,) PTSD, and someone who can talk about bipolar. We have a couple people who can advise on being chronically ill (here and here.) We also have a professional counselor who can help with mental health topics.

If your characters work in a particular field or profession, or if your story involves professional expertise, our fan laborers have you covered! In particular, we have many people to help with educational settings: a couple of professors who can help you get the details right in your college or university AUs (here and here,) several current and former secondary school teachers (an English teacher, a middle school teacher (who can also help with science education), and a special education teacher. We also have someone who went through Bible School and can advise on that setting.

We have a couple people who can help you with legal-picking here and here, and if you specifically want to know about family law, we’ve got that too! We also have someone who can help with the bar exam (writing about it, not studying for it.) As for medicine and physical health, we have an expert in several aspects of medicine, and a nurse with experience in trauma and surgery.

As for other kinds of professional and work environment expertise, we have someone with experience of small tech companies, someone else who can advise about the publishing industry, and two people in the translation industry (here and here.) We also have someone who has worked as a personal assistant and two people who have worked in libraries (here and here.) We have two fan laborers who have worked in disaster response (here and here.) We have someone with a longtime involvement in theater who can also advise about other performing arts ) And if you’re looking for information about the paint industry, someone’s got you.

If you’re centering sex or relationships, we have many folks with experience in BDSM (here, here, here, here) including a trained dungeon monitor, and a couple of people willing to advise on polyamory/nonmonogamy (here and here.) We’ve also got someone with firsthand knowledge of sex work (including online sex work).

In terms of sensitivity reading for sexuality and gender identity, we have nonbinary folks willing to help you think about enby experience (here and here) and ace folks who can advise on asexuality (here, here, here, and here.) We have trans folks offering to advise about their experiences here, here, here, and here.

Other experienced-informed readings available are for fat experience, for addiction recovery, for tattoos and body modification, and for celiac disease. And, for your kidfic needs, we have someone offering to help you with parent/child relationships, and someone who can help you create a realistic toddler character.

Are you writing about animals? Our fan laborers include a professional veterinary technician and two people experienced in working with farm animals (here and here.) We also have someone who can advise on service dogs in your fic, and someone else to advise on raising kittens.

We’ve got lots of experts in craft and other recreational sorts of things. (This is a broad and messy category, we know. Work with us, here.) We’ve got people who can advise on American team sports and someone who can advise on circus performance. We have fan laborers who have offered to advise on martial arts, various kinds of dance, guns, and tarot. We have a cooking and baking expert, and someone who does gluten-free baking. We’ve got experts to advise you on calligraphy, knitting (or yarn crafts more generally), origami, and of course taxidermy.

Finally, if you’re thinking about world-building, we have a professional environmental sciences researcher who is excited to help you with sci-fi or fantasy worldbuilding.

And if you want someone to help you set up a Fanlore page or help run a fanworks challenge, we have that covered too!

We also have nine people offering translation work of some kind. We have one offer that is for English into French, and two English-German offers: one to translate between German and English in either direction, another English to German only. We have one offer for Spanish to English, someone who can translate lines of dialogue or indeed your whole fic from English to Czech, and another offer to translate from Russian to English. We also have a couple of people willing to work between French, Spanish and English in various configurations (here and here.)

#fth 2020 #fan labor roundup #fan labor

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spreadlovespeakhope · 3 years

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Let’s Talk: Mental Health

I have been meaning to write, but life has been hitting hard for me, and I am sure it has for all of us, given the state of today's world still. I want to talk about mental health, why it is so important to me, and the movement I am trying so hard to push.

I grew up struggling with mental health, self-harm, and suicidal ideations that led to my early 20s. I also work with many youths, and I've heard many stories from those youth that have made me realize that our system on how we handle mental health is broken. We always try to push therapy, the suicide hotline, reach out for support, take a walk, or exercise in the fresh air or even sometimes use mental institutions when things get rough for some. Something I've noticed about all of these things is that they are either flawed or non-obtainable to some. Let us start with therapy and how that sometimes is very unaffordable to many people, given some therapists charge hundreds of dollars, sometimes even 300 for a 45 to an hour session. I want to understand why people do that, and I get that we all must make a living and we all need money to survive, but I have done the math, and I cannot understand why someone would pick a profession to help others and then limit the people they help with a paywall. I did not have access to therapy. I had school counselors, but they did not help when I was younger, and trying to afford therapy seemed impossible. It is hard to choose between your bills and your mental health; sometimes, $100 or $300 goes to groceries or medical bills or maybe rent, depending on where you live. I have heard stories where even parents have had to choose their finances over their child's mental health because therapy was too expensive, and you could see how much that broke them because they want to help the ones they love or want to help themselves. I work with many youths, and I've heard countless times that they go through counties because they can't afford a private therapist and have to use their insurance. Many may often seek help through their county using their insurance, but you may have to fall into the county's regulations and specific standards they follow. If you don't fit those standards by some chance, you don't get the help you need, or you are turned away because you do not meet the criteria. Maybe that is a government issue, or perhaps our system is just broken.

I chose psychology as my major because I want to make a difference and help others. I've been in the position of many of those still struggling today, and I understand the fear, loneliness, and constant feeling of being misunderstood. I also understand how difficult it is to afford therapy. Spread Love, Speak Hope is more than just a nonprofit it is something that means a lot to me and something I'm very passionate about pursuing. While the current goal is to raise money to fund therapy for others who cannot afford it through the sales of merchandise or donations, the ultimate dream is to change how we handle and deal with mental health. My goal as a therapist is to charge $60.00 per hour session with a sliding scale if needed because no one should ever have to wonder how they're going to afford therapy. I also would love to have a center someday where instead of mental institutions, we can use the center as an open and inviting place. If there are instances where someone needs to remain at the center for a few days, rather than being in a room, you are in a space full of love, hope, and understanding. A physical space where you can do art or play video games or sit around and talk to someone just because you need someone to listen. As a kid, I promise myself that I would do whatever I can to make a difference in others' lives, whether it be a stranger, family, friends, classmates, or coworkers. All I ever wanted to do was see people smile, see people happy and see people healthy. Spread Love, Speak Hope is my chance to do that; it's my chance to push the message of love and hope and the message that there is someone out there and there are people out there that are listening, that want to help and want to make therapy accessible and affordable. I spent a lot of time listening, asking questions, and understanding what others need, what I needed as a kid and as I grew up. The next thing I'm about to say might be more of a personal opinion or feeling, but I feel like our system is broken. We push all these things such as anti-bullying days, suicide prevention days, self-harm awareness days, and even have a suicide hotline that we continuously push. Sadly, I had my own negative experiences with the hotline and later found out that many others did as well. I've heard from others that if you call too much, eventually, they turn you away. If you text their line too much, they limit how long they're going to talk to you, or pass you along and give you some number or somewhere else to contact, or they ask a series of questions that are their standards that you have to follow for them to consider you sever enough to help to you. I understand that they're not really trained licensed psychologists, to my knowledge, but why are we pushing something so hard and yet turning down those who need it when that's the only lifeline when therapy is too expensive.

Change starts with us, and I can't tell other therapists what to charge or how to run their practice but you really got to ask yourself why you picked this profession? Was it to help people, or was it money because it's no secret that you can get a college education and charge people so much money to access the knowledge you gained through college. I know people currently in school working towards becoming a psychologist, and they chose the profession because of the money they can make through it. I feel like we've forgotten, or maybe some people have forgotten, the reason for this field or profession. I cannot justify charging someone $300 for an hour session. I can't justify making $600,000+ a year at the expense of someone else's mental health. I asked many people about my thoughts of charging $60.00 for therapy and was told they felt that it would be affordable for many. I guess this long post's point is that I believe that therapy should be for all and not for some, and that's what I hope to accomplish with this movement. The goal of Spread Love, Speak Hope is to be that outlet, to provide that affordable therapy, to provide that safe space, to give that hope, and to show that someone is fighting for you.

You are seen. You are heard. You are loved.

If anyone has read this far, know that I'm genuinely grateful that you took the time to listen and read something that truly is dear to my heart. I hope anyone reading this will consider sharing and spreading this word. Maybe you or someone else who comes along and reads this will consider writing for my blog and talking about mental health. If we start talking about it, people can no longer hide and pretend that the system isn't broken. I want to fight for all those who need it for every person who thinks no one is listening. I'm listening, and I'm going to do all I can to try and make a difference for all of us. If you would like to write from my blog, please check out my website which will be posted below.

If you can consider donating or purchasing one of our shirts, it would be so helpful. All the money goes to funding therapy for those who need it. We also have new designs that will come out in the future this year. Even if you can't donate or purchase something, a share could help us so much to reach others and build our network. If you're struggling to afford therapy, please reach out and contact me, and I will do my best to help in any way I can. Thank you again so much for supporting this movement. I can't begin to tell you what it means to me.

Warm regards,

Spread Love, Speak Hope.

Website: https://www.spreadlovespeakhope.com/

Want to write for us?: https://www.spreadlovespeakhope.com/blog

Email: [email protected]

#Spread Love Speak Hope #non-profit movement #non-profit #non-profit organization #mental health #love #hope #healing #help #therapy #psychology #change

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famous-aces · 5 years

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Sun Ra

Who: Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount)

What: Musician and Composer

Where: American (active largely in US)

When: May 22, 1914 - May 30, 1993

(Image Description: a black and white photo of Sun Ra from 1979. He is standing in front of a brick wall that has words spray painted on it, partially blocked by his body. Legible is the word "Sunshine" in huge letters, the "I" dotted with a character or starburst. It is written in such big letters the last few have to be reduced to keep them from running over onto the door. Also legible are the letters "L, A" but the rest of that word is behind Ra. Ra himself is a stern looking, dark-skinned black man, shown here from the chest up. He has a longish face, a smallish mouth and eyes, a broad nose, and a cleft chin. He has a very serious expression. He is wearing a wool cap, dark on top with a paler ring at the hem. On top of the hat is a huge 3D sun, about the size of his face. Poking out of the sun are a bunch of shiny wires ending on either small stars or pingpong ball sized planets. On his body Ra wears a cape and below that a robe. The robe is made of two distinct materials, mostly something wrinkled or rough, but in the center over his chest is smooth black fabric with white polka dots on which a sun and the planet Saturn have been painted. End ID.)

He said he was born on Saturn. He wore bright robes and elaborate hats. He was a creature of Ancient Egypt and the unknown future. He never wanted to sleep and never drank. He said his biography was a mystery. He was very fond of mysteries.

Sun Ra was also a jazz pianist, composer, and the leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra, a free-jazz big-band. He is also one of the fathers of Afrofuturism, but given the themes he embraced, the outfit, and the Saturn thing you may have guessed that.

Ra became well known for his musical innovation and uniqueness of instrumentation as well as the drama that characterized his music and persona both on and off the stage. He was active in the jazz scene for roughly forty years from the late 1940s to the early 1990s and he always seemed to be at least a decade ahead in his trends.

Ra was always creating pieces that defied the common and brought together his many complexities of style. In the 1950s, when he first became a band leader, he began incorporating electric piano (his instrument of choice), tympani, and flute, instruments then unheard of in jazz bands. He later would be among the first, if not the first, to introduce the synthesizer. In the 1960s he began incorporating improvisation into his compositions and became well known for his strange solos. And in the 1980s he integrated earlier works into his performances.

His flair for the dramatic was at its highest on stage where combining Ancient Egyptian and sci-fi themes in sets, dance, and costumes. His performances were huge and eclectic and energetic. As much a spectacle for the eyes as the ears.

His best loved albums include SuperSonic Jazz (1957), Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy (1963), The Magic City (1966), Atlantis (1969), Astro Black (1972), Space is the Place (1973), Lanquidity (1978), Disco 3000 (1978), Sleeping Beauty (1979), Nuclear War (1982), and The Sun Ra Arkestra Meets Salah Ragab in Egypt (1983). There are best of albums like Sun Ra: Singles 1952-1991 (2016) and In the Orbit of Ra (2014). I don't know anything about jazz (free or otherwise) but I did like listening to his stuff, it is very cool and weird.

His personality was as exciting and strange as his music. He had an "equation" rather than a philosophy. Whatever he called it, his thinking was a very New Age, UFO Religion mindset although he was getting into these themes in the 1950s, well before those were popular. His personal equation combined many different sources with his own thoughts to find the path that, one biographer states, "leads beyond the stars." He drew heavily on Ancient Egyptian mythology and mysticism, channeling, black nationalism, Rosicrucianism, Kabbalah, Zen Buddhism, with a very heavy lean into Gnosticism. He frowned on most organized religions but was a highly spiritual being. He was very much pro-civil rights but became disillusioned with the movement. Perhaps the most important things to him were outer space and music. He was always looking both to the distant past and far future.

His theories and equations were his own and explanations never gave a full picture. He took the role of eccentric teacher and apparently played the part well. He had many followers, especially among musicians. Overall, it seems, he embraced the strange and unknown and wore his identity with pride. He was queer and contentedly so.

He would not have been out of place today. Maybe he was from Saturn, but he could have easily been from the future.

(Image Description: the album art for Atlantis. It is all in yellows and purples. It says "An Intergalactic Space Travel in Sound" on the top of the cover. Below that and on the left it says "Sun Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra". To the right it says "Atlantis". Below that is shows an amorphous blob of eyeballs and flame. End ID)

Probable Orientation: Aroace

He is another one that aphobes say cannot be ace because they like him too much. They like and respect him so he cannot be sexually abnormal. They can accept him as queer, but aroace is too far. There are many who now accept him to be asexual, but many others who hold fast to their aphobia. Those people constantly claim that he was a sexual entity of some kind despite Ra's own profession to being "nonsexual.".

His queerness was noted before his persona was formed. In 1943 after having a nervous breakdown his doctor accused him of being "psychopathic" and "sexually perverted" because of his being queer. The same doctor also professed Ra (then Blount) was "a well-educated colored intellectual," evidence that his "psychopathy" and "perversion" were rooted in queerness, not something actually wrong with his mental health.

Over the years he had close confidants among his Arkestra musicians and other musical professionals. These were some of the people he was closest to in the world and all of these relationships were platonic, seemingly none I would classify as queerplatonic. All of these confidants noted there was never any romantic or sexual partners they knew of in his life but some have asserted either he was too busy, he just never talked about it/told them (unlikely because he was willing to discuss just about anything which will be highlighted in the quotes), or this was part of his self-denial (he never did drugs or drank and liked to Go Without). Some people in his life assumed Ra as gay (and allo). He was more interested in music than relationships and role as teacher rather than as sexual/romantic partner.

But most of his time was spent with music. His music involved a lot of talk of love but it was always a larger concept than romantic love. Brotherhood, universal acceptance, things like that.

But this should not be debate. Again, he basically said he was asexual in that he literally said he was "nonsexual.".

(Image Description: a color photo of Sun Ra in his costume from Space is the Place. He stands tall with his head tipped up, again serious faced. He has his arms crossed over his chest like a mummy. He is wearing red robes with yellow sleeves that go to the floor. He wears bracelets, rings, and gold shoulder pads. On his head he wears a huge tall headdress. It looks very similar to a pharaoh's crown. Part looks like the lower part of an Egyptian headdress, like the thing the Sphinx wears, and it is striped shiny gold and black. Sitting high on his forehead is a gold and jeweled crown piece and on top of that going probably two feet or so above his head is a gold pronged structure with a gold orb in the middle of the prongs. End ID)

“I don’t believe that something like that [asexuality] exists. Everybody has his or her sexual orientation, be it secret or open ... I don’t think I ever talked about his sex life, but I am pretty sure that he knew Fernando [Vargas, a sound engineer] and I were a gay couple. It made no difference for him, so he was not like a religious fundamentalist who would object to work with people like us, you know. He was just the kind of a guy, if Fernando was drinking wine, he wouldn’t have wine. I heard that none of the guys was ever using drugs. At least they didn’t do it in the studio, but we did have them sleeping overnight. He seemed to be with a pretty clean group.”

-Warren Allen Smith, studio owner and friend of Sun Ra's. (Despite not believing in it Smith basically points out that Ra could have been asexual. He never talked about his sex life, spent the night in a platonic group, Smith also mentioned in the same interview that Vargas and Ra would spend long nights alone just talking about music, that seemed to be what Ra wanted to do. To talk and philosophize. It seems his sexlessness was not about being straight edge.)

"[Vargas was] a good gossip [who would] tell stories about the pope’s testicles."

-Warren Allen Smith (he also describes Vargas as being "outgoing" and "unreservedly gay". The point here is that these men were close friends of Ra's. And Ra was perfectly into this kind of discussion. Indeed he told Vargas and Smith about his own testicles, one of which was undescended. He was not afraid to be completely open about himself and his body. He did not shy away from sex or sexuality, he just wasn't interested in it. It would be out of character for him to avoid talk about his sex life or bring around a romantic partner.)

"Sun Ra abolished sleep from his 'so-called life,' just as he had come to do without the distractions of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, women [sex]."

-John Szwed (Ra biographer in his book Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra)

"I have heard from Damon Choice and others that Sun Ra used to turn to his Arkestra and declare: Leaders will ask you to give up your lives for them, I ask only if you’ll give up your Death for me? Nothing that is essentially incorporated into human being – not sex, not Death, not religion, or money – nothing that we are or have been is beyond evaporation as our ontology catches up with our time."

-Thomas Stanley (biographer in his book The Execution of Sun Ra) (In other words Ra saw sex as inessential to human nature)

"A gimmick."

-Sun Ra on sexual intercourse

“I have never been able to think of sex as a part of my life though I have tried to but just wasn’t interested.”

-Sun Ra (Nuff said)

(Image Description: a photo of Sun Ra at his keyboard. He is wearing a beaded headdress and shiny rainbow robes. He has his eyes shut, he looks calm, and he has his keyboard at a strange angle as he plays. End ID)

#queer #lgbtq #asexual #ace #aromantic #aro #history #20th century #american #usa #musicians #north america #bio #Sun Ra

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cactigratitudelove · 5 years

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Monthly Challenges & Their Benefits.

This month, in the doodler’s instagram world is Inktober! What’s Inktober, you ask?!

“Every October, artists all over the world take on the Inktober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month.” -Jake Parker

Yep that’s pretty much it- just you, paper and ink for 31 days of October.

These types of challenges are created to help improve skills, challenge creativity, and connect with others on a social media platform or a creative community. These challenges can be super beneficial.

Looking back on some of the personal creative challenges I have completed, including group ones like inktober, have helped me grow and learn more about myself as an artist. These challenges have helped me practice a skill I've wanted to improve on, explore levels of discipline, push my limits of creativity, and network with fellow creatives I may not have been able to meet other wise.

Some challenges that came up beyond artistic growth was learning about shame. “I am not completing these drawings in a timely manor, therefore I am a horrible person that won't ever be good with time management.” or “I suck at being creative each day, therefore I am not a good artist.”

I would also compare myself with others which I learned over time was something I needed to address within myself. It’s hard not fall into this habit, but when I recognized it, processed why and then gradually set up new healthy habits, I became much happier, stopped comparing, and started to create for myself. My work improved tremendously just by adjusting this way of thinking.

Come to find out, I am not horrible person or bad artist but that I can and able to learn how to manage my time better with preparing myself for the month, accepting that I may not be on top of it every day but that just showing up was key to learning more about myself and my skill. I also learned that I am an Artist. Whether I am good or bad is neither here nor there. I enjoy creating along with the some of the challenges that come with it, therefore I am an artist.

So I thought maybe I would share some thoughts on why I enjoy monthly challenges like Inktober and will create my own challenges throughout the year:

Practice

Practice does not make perfect. Practice creates a space for improvement. It’s the cliche, “It’s the journey not the destination.”

Gawwwwwd I know, I apologize for cliches, but they exist for a reason! I notice that after a month of practicing something I need improvement on, my skills grow. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot, but growth to me is so important in this field.

Accountability

Doing a challenge specifically with a group of people or posting online helps keep one accountable. Outside of my art life, I have an accountability partner for things like ‘keeping active.’

Meaning each week I usually send her a text saying “I’m gonna go for a jog today... Could you check in later to make sure I followed through? Not feeling it today but I know my body and mind need it! Thanks lady!” She will usually reply “You got this lady! I ran today too. Get it!” OR “You got this! You just inspired me to run today today, I’ll check in tonight.”

Mind you if we skip out on an activity, we are still filled with praise for each other because sometimes things happen or the body and/or brain just really isn't in it. That IS okay too. But more likely than not, it helps motivate and keep you and others going. Instagram has been a safe space for me to create and share my work with others while keeping me accountable to my field and profession.

Think Outside the Box

Holy smokes! This one is HARD. Being creative is hard. Being creative within a time frame is even harder! Its a challenge for a reason and helpful in getting me to either think out side the box. (OR for this year’s 2019 Inktober get me to think inside the box! *wink wink* -My challenge this year is to draw botanicals inside a 3″x3″ box with some restrictions-Its been fun but challenging)

Sometimes the way I address this is to create thumbnail sketches of every cliche thing I can think of within the topic I am about to attempt to illustrate. Then after I get them out of my head, I am able to start thinking about what's outside the cliche box. Sometimes being on a time crunch can affect this but simple brainstorming with words can help so much.

Time-Management

Well... I mean let’s be real. Many creatives struggle with this. I know that I am STILL struggling with this but I am so much better now than I was five to ten years ago! I have actually taken a class by Lisa Congdon from Creative Live that talks about Workflow, Time blocks and setting boundaries for yourself to help take on projects with clients. I highly recommend this! I also use an INK&VOLT planner that has space to write down monthly challenges, goals along with yearly goals and accomplishments. It’s by far my favorite planner I’ve EVER had.

I also set time blocks for monthly challenges and Inktober. Setting a time block anywhere from 15min-60min for just uninterrupted (meaning airplane mode on all digital items) time. This helps me concentrate and make growth a priority even on days I might feel a little overwhelmed.

Fun!

Believe it or not challenges can be fun! Picking themes and topics you love and enjoy helps keep your interest going. Sometimes half way through it can become a bit rough. I like to change up my environment by drawing in a cafe, park, train, or while waiting for my New York bagel n’ lox. This helps with the creative juices and doesn't cause a repetitiveness that can happen.

I also like to listen to podcasts, music and audiobooks while creating these. Comedy podcasts, like Conan Needs a Friend, can help distract in a good way.

Mental Health

I have recently noticed when setting a time frame, putting on music and turning my phone into airplane mode while I just simply focus on this one task has helped me process new emotions I might be feeling from my personal life.

We are all going through something or know people who are going through something. Finding time to process feels is difficult but important. This is a great way to take care of your mental health and in a way meditate while working on your craft.

Social

Lastly, if you're doing inktober you’re probably doing it on the gram! Insta is a great way to meet other creatives and people who may love what you're up to! I have made friends from all over the world just by simply posting and following hashtags with creative agendas. Artists and creatives more times than not will rather want to engage online because, well, lets be honest... studio time. We are always in our studio, which is a great thing too!) Taking breaks to interact with people even if its online is good for the soul.

Keep in mind these challenges weren’t created to get “Likes” or “Followers” These are for personal growth and to interact with other creatives. So if you notice thoughts are focused on “likes” versus growth take a moment to regroup and transfer that energy into visiting artist work you like and engaging with them. Practice gratitude for your self and others in this process.

What’s important is that you’re showing up and working on self-growth. If you’re wanting some traction from other artists and creatives use popular/themed hashtags to help bring people to your work and engage. Maybe you’d like help on something you find others are great at, head to a hashtag and do a little digging. Most artist today will be happy to help.

Feel free to reach out and let me know how your challenge is going on my insta: Adela Antoinette

Good luck and happy Inking!

Inktober info:

https://inktober.com

https://www.instagram.com/inktobertucson/

https://www.facebook.com/inktobertucson/

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newyorktheater · 4 years

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Bobby Steggert LMSW

Bobby Steggert, actor headshot

Ragtime, 2009 in his Tony-nominated performance as Mother’s Younger Brother

Ivan Hernandez and Bobby Steggert in Yank, 2010.

Big Love, 2015

Bobby Steggert, Frederick Weller, Grayson Taylor and Tyne Daly in Mothers and Sons, 2014

Two years ago, Bobby Steggert, a Tony-nominated actor with extensive credits on and Off Broadway (Ragtime, Big Fish, Yank! etc) , surprised the theater community by announcing that he had switched careers. In an article on Medium, he explained that he was in the middle of getting a degree in social work from Columbia University. “My master’s degree will be a piece of paper, but my life as an artist will make me a great social worker, this I know.” Since July of 2019, Bobby Steggert LMSW has been serving as a psychotherapist in private practice and a staff therapist at the Institute for Human Identity Therapy Center,. Three-fourths of his clients, he tells me, are “actors, singers, dancers, directors, writers, or designers,” and (his staff biography says) he comes to the therapy relationship with “warmth, humor, and a solution-focused approach.” He seemed the right person to ask about the specific mental health needs of theater artists during this stressful period, and he readily agreed to speak with me.

Have you had any new thoughts about your switching careers since you wrote that piece in Medium in 2018?

Time and retrospection have been even more clarifying. I think that what I struggled with most of all near the end of my performance life was a lack of meaningful purpose when not employed. This is obviously part and parcel of any freelance career, but a lot of that sense of purposelessness was within me, and in my inability or unwillingness to find sustainable and grounding purpose in other parts of my life. As a result, I focus quite a bit on finding purpose with clients, and how they can foster these essential elements of a satisfying life, even within the extreme limitations of a time like today.

Based on your own experience as a therapist, and that of your therapeutic colleagues, has there been a general uptick of mental health issues over the past few months?

Most definitely. I think that we are in a time of great anxiety as a culture and so of course that trickles down to individual experiences. There are a lot of people who are experiencing heightened anxiety and depression, and, as a result of that, dealing with an increase in substance abuse and also relationship issues and, of course, issues with unemployment and loss of income.

My colleagues and I have gotten quite a few inquiries from people who want to enter therapy. I am at capacity so I try to find other therapists for people who call me in order to get them treatment as soon as possible.

People are struggling pervasively because we have been challenged with unbelievable limitations. When you don’t have community and you don’t have a sense of purpose and you don’t have a source of income, those are definite recipes for mental health struggles.

I understand that every person is individual, but are there issues specific to (common in) theater artists during this time of pandemic and unemployment, or ways in which theater artists feel these stresses in a different way?

The most devastating thing about this crisis for theater makers is that there is really nowhere to turn for alternative employment in live performance. Theater artists are singularly gifted in creating work that is shared and felt in one communal, physical space, and in this moment, it’s practically an impossibility. We are all making major sacrifices right now, but theater artists have their hands tied in a way that is unique, and any adjustment to other work is felt as a true loss to one’s core sense of contribution.

What advice or words of comfort have you been giving to artists — or could you give to artists now?

The irony is that so many artists buy the line that they have “no real world skills” and yet they are the most creative, adaptive, and flexible people around. They are made for shifting and unexpected circumstances. They understand the vicissitudes of a highly inconsistent industry, which uniquely prepares them for a highly inconsistent time. I try to remind my clients that their fantastic relationship and communication skills alone make them highly qualified for any temporary adjustments to employment or living situations that are required of them right now. I also like to remind my clients that they are excellent at making meaning – that’s what artists do – and one major thing we have control over now is to make conscious, growth-oriented meaning out of our experiences, even when they’re terrible. And while many can’t make meaning through work right now, they can make it through their relationships, parts of their identities outside of the profession, their bodies through health and self-care, and their creative voices, whether broadcast to the world or quietly to themselves.

What about theatergoers rather than theater makers? Are you aware of ways in which the lack of live in-person theater has had a tangible, diagnosable effect?

I am not sure if I could call it diagnosable but I do think that humans benefit greatly from gathering in groups and physical spaces and in experiencing collective energy together. I think that is why theater is so special. That’s a huge reason why people, for example, attend church. Without that live shared energy, I think that is why people are suffering from loneliness even when staying connected to fiends and family through the Internet.

So what can people do about this?

I think it depends on people’s risk level and how far they are willing to go to be in contact with other humans, but I have suggested to my clients to find as many opportunities as possible to meet friends in the park or to be around other people in outdoor settings as a way to feel more physically connected to other humans.

It’s interesting that you talked earlier about finding purpose, because that of course is the main characteristic of your Tony-nominated role as Mother’s Younger Brother in “Ragtime.” Is that just a coincidence?

In retrospect, I think that as an actor the roles you play can teach you about yourself, and I do attribute that experience to be the seed of an investigation for myself as to how I could find more sustainable purpose than I was able to find as an actor who too often has to wait around for invitations to participate n what they do. Another role really taught me something — Will in “Mothers and Sons.” He was a young man who was so integrated into himself as a gay person. That character taught me that I needed to do more work to embrace the fullness of my own sexual identity.

So you’re saying that your roles helped shaped you as a person?

Very much so. When you inhabit them you take on their energy and you take on their psychology and if you are open to it , that character can teach you new things about yourself.

I admired your performances, and was struck by how much vulnerability you allowed your characters. Feel free to disagree with my premise, but, if you agree, was that vulnerability deliberate, a reflection of your own nature, or just a result of the roles for which you were cast? And is that quality a help or a hindrance or irrelevant to your new career?

I do agree with the premise. The purpose I did find as an actor was to expose the complexities of the human condition in a way that was raw and that was vulnerable. I think that is because I am naturally a more emotional and more vulnerable person. I think that quality inspires others to be more vulnerable, and so I find it very helpful as a therapist. I’m asking others to become more vulnerable and through that vulnerability to understand themselves and to experience life more deeply.

But do people seeking therapy want vulnerability, or rather somebody who seems confident and authoritative?

I think that the most important quality in a therapist is that the person feel safe with them. That sense of safety can help them to open up and to be braver in their own introspection. [My vulnerability] changes shape because as a therapist there are certainly boundaries, but at the same time I try to exist in a therapeutic relationship with total openness and with a certain kind of vulnerability that I hope can inspire others to be the same.

Where can people go for help?

I have two layers of an answers to that question. Specifically for theater people who are looking for mental health help, I think that the Institute for Human Identity is a great option because they have a lot of availability for therapists who are in the arts or who understand what it is to be in the arts. Another resource is the Actors Fund, which has a wonderful list of therapists who are also in some way connected to the arts. Those are the two places I would send theater people if they are looking to talk to someone.

On another layer, I think the best way to deal with stress especially under these circumstances is to find a physical practice, because being connected a one’s body is sometimes the best option. So I am finding that people are turning to yoga or exercise or mindful meditation.

But what if the theater person doesn’t have any money? As you said, most are unemployed now.

That is really rough. The Actors Fund also provides grants to people who are unemployed. There are also much more affordable options, such as a therapeutic apps called TalkSpace.

Is there anything about theater that you’ve used to help your clients – or yourself – cope with the stresses of the current situation?

I find it oddly comforting to think about Shakespeare’s time, in which London theaters closed several times due to the plague. He mentions the plague in several of his plays, including The Tempest and King Lear. And during the two year period between 1592-1594 when he couldn’t write plays, he turned to poetry. He adapted just like we all must.

If possible for us to telescope out of this very moment, and while acknowledging all of the suffering and hardship we are enduring, we can be reminded that human history is full of enormous disruptions to life as usual, and yet we keep moving forward, because we have to. Live theater will never leave us – and we will inevitably return to the day when we gather again to take in stories in ways that no other storytelling can replicate.

Centers for Disease Control: Coping with Stress

Bobby Steggart, Actor Turned Therapist Q & A: Theater Artists Are Suffering Two years ago, Bobby Steggert, a Tony-nominated actor with extensive credits on and Off Broadway (Ragtime, Big Fish, Yank!

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