Thanksgiving 2015 Newsletter

I haven't written on this blog all year and I miss it. To start out, I will be publishing a weekly roundup each Friday of things I read, watched, listened to that I'd like to share. This week I am publishing early because of Thanksgiving. If you are in America, I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving. If you are not, I hope you have a great week.

READ: Manjula Martin's 3 cents Newsletter
Manjula Martin is a writer that sends out a monthly newsletter about two things related to money and one thing related to love. This months newsletter touched on the economics of being a professional artist.

READ: How Much It Costs to Make a Zine when You pay Contributors & Use Nice-ish Materials by Sonya Ellen Mann
I am really interested in the financial realities of being a professional artist. It's super helpful when people share the real numbers behind their projects. This article really highlights how difficult it is to just break even with a project like this.

READ: Where's My Cut: On Unpaid Emotional Labor by Jess Zimmerman
The article really made me think about how much I take on emotionally and how it affects me. It's not something that is talked about very often but has a huge effect on people. There are bunch of other articles like this one that discuss unpaid emotional labor as being sexist because it disproportionately affects women. It can lead to a huge inequality in romantic relationships. All very interesting food for thought.


LISTENED: Women of the Hour Podcast
Filmmaker Lena Dunham started a podcast with Buzzfeed that is an extension of her book tour. The podcast touches on things that affect everyone, especially women from body issues to love to friendship. The first episode about friendship was a beautiful tapestry of nuance. A large chunk of the episode consists of Lena and her friend Ashley Ford reading emails they wrote back and forth. My description may sound boring but it is anything but. They are so open and vulnerable and honest with each other. I finished the episode feeling like I had a deeper understanding of them as people but also of myself.

Photo courtesy of stitcher.com

WATCHED: The No Smile Challenge by Linda Barsi
Linda's grad school professor challenged her students, especially the female students to stop smiling for every emotion. It's okay to feel upset and look upset. It's okay to feel angry and look angry. It's okay to express your full range of emotions through your face. It really made me think about how often I hide or downplay what I'm actually feeling so as not to bother anyone.

 

WATCHED: Gender Q&A by Vic Lewis

November 20 was Trans Remembrance Day, a day to honor those whose lives were lost due to anti-trans violence. Youtuber, Vic Lewis answers questions about his gender and sexuality. I've been trying to be a more informed citizen about what it means to be transgender and issues that transgender people face that I am not aware of as a cisgendered person.