Oval: I've been meditating on the 4 movements of the soul lately. Finding safe spaces to be an imperfect being and connect with grace is paramount. Thank you Amy Maricle for providing one of those places and for helping my spirit and soul stretch and reach and grow.
Apex 1, 2, and 3. into the looking glass. blink. reflect. refract. project. not the same person I thought I was or was told I need to be.
Connection, identity, and confidence while separate came to mind during today's meditation. I see a theme of tension and release, and distance for clarity in my Stick drawings, something I definitely need. Thank you Amy Maricle for the inspiration and guidance!
Be Your Own Beloved Selfie Challenge
I've wrestled with body image, body acceptance, and body love issues for as long as I can remember. Over the years I've done some radical mental, emotional, and spiritual work that has helped my love and celebrate my internal workings. I'm tired of hating the external vessel that houses all the things I'm proud of today. So, through creating art that celebrates lumpy and luscious goddesses to intimate and compassionate daily selfie challenges, I embarked on a project of radical self body acceptance that I hoped would result in an all encompassing self love. Thank you Vivienne McMaster for facilitating such a bold, tender, and beautiful journey! #BELOVEDBEGINNINGS #BEYOUROWNBELOVED #thankyoujessbaker#militantbaker
Be Your Own Beloved Selfie Challenge
Day 1 of 10: Be Your Own Beloved facilitated by Vivienne McMaster. . . first step into this journey . . . hand over our hearts and whisper a little love to the person we are today. #Youareenough#Ivegotya #I'lltakecareofyou
Day 2 of 10: connecting to the world around us in a sensory way and see what captures our interest and invites us to take a self-portrait with it today. #howiriseandshine
Day 3 of 10 with Vivienne McMaster: going for a photo walk in the same neighborhood, noticing the world we normally see around us, but with new eyes!
Day 4 of 10 with #BeYourOwnBeloved: seeing ourselves with kindness through our cameras, letting ourselves gently travel into the land of self-portraits, finding our reflections. . . a reflection treasure hunt of sorts!
Day 5 of 10: the spark that we are . . exploring the light in our photos and letting ourselves shine in our photos. . . hunting for light! #inlightofrain#prettyhazy
Day 6 of 10: The Way You Move. Not an easy task but a fun one. I stole away to secluded parts of campus to act a fool. Does anyone make "pretty" faces while jumping?? I have to remember, this isn't about being pretty, this about loving myself, funky human faces and all. From Vivienne McMaster: "Now, this isn't necessarily just about twirling or jumping for the camera (though that sure is fun). Rather it is a tool to invite us to take a moment to feel at home in our bodies before the photo is taken."
Day 7 of 10 with Vivienne McMaster: "'Playfulness is an antidote to Fear' and I think its an antidote to frustration too, and to our inner critic! Then I break out of the cycle of frustration. How you ask? Of course by getting playful!"
Day 8 of 10: an invitation to push past any inner critics . . . a self-portrait and share something you are grateful for about YOURSELF. . . So today I'm grateful that after 2 excruciating days of a pinched nerve, my body has bounced back enough for me to hop on a train to beautiful New Rochelle in my getting-shit-done overalls and a bid pocket full of markers and a wrist full of hematite to get shit done. I'm also grateful for my hard-to-forget physical appearance. Marker drop.
Day 9 of 10: delving into the idea of self-care. . . at home in my body? grounding myself . . relaxing or giving myslef comfort when things are tough? My rituals of self-care. . . #everymorningsippingsoakingandscribbling
#doubleexposureLOVE another creative self love and surrounding love exploration with Vivienne McMaster!