This collection of links I’ve curated is deeply fascinating and dense. You should probably save them for a moment when you’re most lucid and cradling a cup of tea. I’m glad I started posting links to share on this blog, because up until now I didn’t really appreciate the incredible variety of discussions I observe and participate in!
Making a living as an artist
Marcus Westbury writes about how artists are representing and marketing themselves online, and it’s something I’ve noticed Hazel Dooney talking about as well. Often I feel self conscious and a little embarrassed about promoting myself so much but then I realise it’s what I must do as an artist these days! I can’t lounge around until I’m discovered, I’ve got to be proactive.
What it feels like to hate feeling famous
I adore Sia, and I think it’s so awful that people feel like they can intrude on her life in such a persistent and damaging way. While I get that it’s thrilling to meet someone whose work you’re really into, when’s the point where you leave that person alone to enjoy a quiet moment? They could be having a coffee catchup with a friend, or a special night with someone they really like! Lots of people claim that celebrities are to blame for being hounded to hell, but I think that’s a pile of crap most of the time. If you really admire someone’s talent, don’t pester them. (Can you tell I’m a RAGING introvert yet?)
Body Image is a Furphy
Last week was Body Image Fail week, and I’m not sure if a lot of international size activists caught the story, but it centred around blogger and spokesperson for body image in Australia, Mia Freedman, and language she used in a blog post that mocked and humiliated fat people (since edited, re-edited and then edited to death to remove most of the negative tone). Jackie rightly points out that in discussions about body image in Australia, and by the highest authority, healthy body image is denied to fat people. And that’s, pardon me, fucked up.
What If Black Women Were White Women?
This article is nearly a year old but it’s new to me, and hugely MASSIVELY powerful. Alienati0n challenges the power skew that favours white women, and flips the power balance so that black women are favoured and protected. This article blew my mind and unpacked a lot of the privilege that I as a white woman have, even after reading Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack a few times!
And Another Thing… The Black Dog
Much much love for Jordan, who discusses mental health issues (and being an artist!) on this post. I really think we all suffer for not talking about mental health more. This quote from panicattacks.com.au really speaks to me:
As children many people learnt from a very early age that they needed to become, ‘a good nice person’. To become the ‘good nice person’ they needed to stop the development of who they could be, and became who they thought they should be.
The end result of this is low self esteem, fear of being abandoned/rejected, that people won’t love or like us, and feelings of intense loneliness and helplessness. Being who we think we should be, creates enormous personal stress as we try to be perfect in every area of our life, including our inability to say ‘no’ even when we want and need to. Over time ‘something’ has to give and the development of an anxiety disorder begins.
As Fat As I Wanna Be
Tasha Fierce writes so many amazing posts, you should probably subscribe to her blog already. This was republished on Jezebel, but read the piece on her blog because the comments on Jez will make you want to facedesk enthusiastically. If people REALLY cared about a fat person’s health they would quit haranguing them about their weight.
Hey, you know with the Sia thing, I so wanted to tweet back to her and say I kinda know how you feel. She said she gets 15 people per day coming up to her, I get 5 and I'm just a blogger. I pretend to love it, and it is nice that people care enought to say hi, but it has freaked me out to the point where if its not absolutly essential for me to leave the house I choose not to. I don't only get people coming up and saying hi but emails/comments from people who have seen me out but haven't said hello. Do you know how freaky it is to come home from a movie and have an email from someone saying “I was sitting behind you”….Anyway I know I don't have it nearly as bad as Sia but I so understand how she feels.
I totally understand!!! When I go out these days I have a lot of really lovely people coming up and saying hello, and there haven't been any instances of intrusion, but because I'm quite introverted it's a bit taxing. The meaner people say that because I am a blogger and I put myself out there, I bring this on myself. I don't agree, obviously, because I don't write a blog so I can have lots of attention. In fact lately it's making me withdraw a lot, and it sounds like you feel similarly!
great reads. all of them are thought provoking and made me think about the different issues. thanks for sharing :)
Hi, I've been lurking here for a while and I really enjoy the links you post from a real cross-section of topics.
I was wondering if you'd heard the story that broke yesterday about the man who was fired from Golden Circle for being “too fat”. I know that just because you're an FA advocate doesn't mean that you'll take an interest to all stories on the subject, but I thought it would be interesting to hear your opinions on this particular case, and whether you think it will happen more often/already is happening. I'm sorry if this comes off rude, I just really admire the way you write and would love to hear your taken on the broader issues relating to employment.
Here is the link to the story:
http://www.news.com.au/business/business-smarts…
I have written a short post raising more questions than I can answer on my own blog, and if you'd like to take a look, I'd be honoured.
I'm glad you posted the quote from panicattacks.com.au. It is true that people need to openly talk about mental health issues more often.
One thing that does dissappoint me though is the non-emphasis on the biochemical cause of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Although “getting your stuff sorted out” is an essential part of helping to overcome these conditions, more need to be said about the biochemical side and the causes of the biochemical side of mental issues. When your biochemistry is skewed, its PHYSICALLY impossible to think rationally and to stop racing and negative thoughts. Fix your neurotransmitters, your brain naturally feels more calm. Unfortunately most doctors believe the only way to do this is through anti-depressants and anti-anxiety (which do not give you more neurotransmitters – they merely make your body utilise more efficiently the little neurotransmitters you currently have). Give your body what it needs (such as amino acids which neurotransmitters are made from) and your body will produce more neurotransmitters.
BTW by no means am I against anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs – in some cases they are life saving. :) Its just that more should be investigated by doctors instead of SOLELY using these drugs.
(obviously this is all said from personal experience)
As a student mental health nurse I can say that we're really trying to prove to people that being drugged up to the eyeballs is not what we're for. If they help on top of other holistic therapies then great. There is no magic wonder drug to “cure” all/any mental illnesses. Unfortunately the consultants and doctors seem to think that drugs = ALL. Whereas the nurses are the ones who are left on the in-patient wards providing actual therapitic approaches.
I may be one future psychiatric nurse, but we're really trying to fight the stigma and images of “happy pills” that people take.
Devon
fat-nurse.com