We are the sky –
fractured,
beautiful and
reaching,
always reaching.
We are the sky…reaching.
The process part of process.
I’ve been thinking a lot about process. but haven’t actually been paying attention to the processes in my life.
After posting a digitally-altered image on .@Instagram, I usually –snap– realize I forgot (again) to include the original image.
[Unless it’s an grammatical or spelling error I notice,
I decide to LET whatever else I post — GO.]
But(!) I remembered this time!
Here’s a collection of in-process images from final product to the original I started with. In other words, it’s in reverse-chronological order. đ
Shot on a Canon DSL-R my sweet brother, Tony (AKA Anton), lent to me for this shoot in the basement of Temple Billiards in Seattle, WA.
The shoot was with a friend, the ferociously beautiful and playfully innocent Seattle burlesque dancer, Bridgette St. James. Catch her on Instagram .@bridgette_st_james or FB!
The final product was created using .@trigraphyapp .@enlightphotofox and stock digital alterations via .@Instagram
Creatively coping since 1993.
Creative coping for mind wellness
I’ve realized that I absolutely need to be creating if I want to maintain my sanity. I’m sure you know what I mean.
As a teen, I wrote to deal with my moods. I didn’t know I was dealing with depression and anxiety at the time but I had a natural inclination to spill ink on pages. Poems, journal entries, short stories, random lines of stories never fleshed out.
My ‘creative coping’ practice moved on to music –playing guitar, singing, covering songs, writing songs– then photography, digital art…
I think humans need to create to survive.
For some of us, survival means surviving mental illness. Not a fun or easy thing to do.
What do you do when depression haunts you? What helps you when anxiety rears its ugly head?
Senescence: A sci-fi about teen depression
One of my current projects, a sci-fi mental health story, Senescence, is a passion project that incorporates multi-media.
It started out as snapshots of the story. Now, I post longer story segments with original music.
Chapter 2: Shatl Sphere is up!
***
Synopsis: Senescence Space is a 16-year-old hum-bot (half-human, half-robot) and it’s 2117 in Seattle, WA (now called Shatl*Sphere).
Their human mom (Hugh ) and robot dad (Data) are splitting up, and Senescence is going to live in a new sphere with their mom and brother (Gravatar.)
They’re moving from Belle*Sphere, where most humans live, to a robot city called Shatl*Sphere.
Senescence is nervous about moving to a new city and leaving their partner-friend Styron, a human living with depression (The Dark Cloud).
Senescence and Styron decide to stay together but their feelings start to get muddled when Senescence meets a mysterious transgender robot named Stymphalian.
On the facade of my heart.
I packed up your things
and put them in boxes
except for the green truck
the one you said,
“This was my favorite toy.
Iâve had this forever,
but I donât know where it can from.â
I kept it
and put it in the wall;
in the #brickwall outside my room
and on the facade of my heart.
Buckle Up with Seattle’s Alt-Rock Band, Gypsy Temple, at The Funhouse Tonight!
I think you canât have a conversation about powerful artistry without including one about mental health. For me and Gypsy Temple, music is an outlet for our physical, spiritual, and most critically, mental health. — Cameron Lavi-Jones
Gypsy Temple
is the second
fantastical teen Seattle band
I’ll be hanging out with for my
Teen Music & Mind Wellness
project, &
they have a show TONIGHT!*
Wed., Feb. 7
6:30-10pm
Tix avail @ the door still! $12
@ The Funhouse
109 Eastlake Ave.
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Frontman, Cameron Lavi-Jones, reached out to me to participate in this project with an enthusiasm that inspired me.
I texted Cameron yesterday to ask if he could send me a quick line or two about mental health for this announcement.
Within minutes, he busted out a thoughtful, badass response that made my heart jiggle.
I’ll tease you with an excerpt.
You’re going to have to come back to read it all when I post our upcoming interview. đ
“Our songs are based on negative emotions and experiences, but through the process of songwriting, performing, producing, and playing the music, those negative emotions become the guide for positivity. Those negative emotions become something we are proud of and something that makes us unique as artists.”
BUCKLE UP!
I have no doubt that this show is going to be fun as heck!
Come say hi, if ya like.
I don’t bite.   usually.
Psssst! I’ll be streaming a bit of the show live on my Instagram @lady_archiva.
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*The forthcoming post of my interview with Cameron Lavi-Jones will include more details about the other bands. This show is part of the Love vs. Logic West Coast Tour with AMOR.
Glittered in flirty.
Over-hearing dates. First dates. are obvious. The fidgeting. The extra diaphragm push when (s)he laughs. The extra laughs between not-so-funny things (s)he says. Because it’s cute. To laugh. You’re more attractive with sparkle. With those ruddy-blushed cheeks. bundled up to your peepers. Glittered in flirty.
Written Wednesday, December 19th, 2012 @ Smith.
Edited Saturday, January 19th & Sunday, March 24th, 2013 @ Smith.
Photo taken Sunday, September 23rd, 2012. Georgetown.
This space.
What do I do with this space?
Where there was you, I suffocate.
Written Sunday, March 17th, 2013.
Photo taken early January, 2013.