When your long-time friend/ collaborator texts you to call then doesn’t answer their phone, sometimes you just need to take a moment and animate your response…

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When your long-time friend/ collaborator texts you to call then doesn’t answer their phone, sometimes you just need to take a moment and animate your response…
I took advantage of yesterday’s moody weather to shoot photos in downtown Tacoma.
Here’s a selection.
I’ll post more later. Stay warm.
Suzanne
It’s official: I’ll be moderating a panel for Tacoma’s Jet City Comic Show!
Panelists Alease Frieson, Anna Nepomuceno, Naarah McDonald, and Stephanie Anne Johnson are on board to discuss the topic “Making Space: Accessibility and Diversity in Geek Culture.” We’ll talk about the importance of making space for diverse content creators, new narratives, and a wider range of characters, as well as how to create accessible and welcoming environments.
Mark your calendars:
11 a.m., Saturday, October 26, 2019
Greater Tacoma Convention Center, Room 405
Tickets are available at http://www.jetcitycomicshow.com/ and at the door.
See you there!
Suzanne
I took a break from working on projects this morning. I was really motivated, but I forced myself to take a break for health reasons. Then the doubt seeped in. I caught myself questioning myself, and I knew the self-criticism was without merit. But I lost a little steam.
I dawdled on Facebook, when a post sparked a need to look through some old belongings I hadn’t touched in years. In the process, I found my copy of On the Road by Kerouac, which I had thought was lost. Inside the book, there was this postcard from my writing mentor, Ray Kelleher. He wrote it in 1996 explaining he would be gone and when he would be back, and ended the card, “Write Anyway! Be-bop lives.”
He died several years back. I didn’t learn until well after the fact. Sometimes signs from him pop up. Like this.
I’m back at the computer. I’m sharing because there’s probably others who need a kick from the other side to get back to working on what you love, too.
Be-bop lives,
Suzanne
On Saturday I trekked around town with my favorite local dance studio and took pictures. Due to concerns about copyright infringement/ intellectual property theft based on recent experiences, I am being more cautious about sharing photos. So on Sunday I began working on some new watermarks for my images. From doodles to digital versions, here’s some of what I came up with. {Considering a lot of my work is typically serious in nature, I have a few more designs in the works as well.}
Cheers!
Suzanne
I just learned I’ll be a Geek Girl Con panelist again this year! More details to come. Get your tickets {and your costumes} lined up soon! 🎨❤️🖋
When you need a graphic for a 3-second joke in a film, and you spend 3+ hours on the image…
How is your Sunday going?
Suzanne
In response to support from others to this idea, I am initiating an incubator to provide the kind of institutional support that women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ independent researchers and artists currently lack in our community. Join me in getting this off the ground.
Background:
Writers, artists, researchers, and historians from underrepresented populations are losing out on opportunities in terms of access, money, and more. Much of this is due to not being welcomed and/ or feeling comfortable participating in the established institutions that officials first look to for experts. When individuals from underrepresented populations do show up, we find events led by white men, who primarily talk about other white men (dead or alive). When women are discussed, all too often we find it’s in the context of being wives of either the presenter or the subject, victims, or visual aids (women greeting returning soldiers on docks). Queer and people of color are often entirely erased from our city’s historical narratives. Women, queer, and non-white narratives are often presented as one-off or special events, and not interwoven into the larger historical context. Research has shown that in order to be considered for professional opportunities, women are often expected to have much higher levels of education than men for similar roles. Despite various agencies’ calls for equality in funding, we face sexual harassment, gender discrimination, ageism, and more before we can even get to the point to apply for funding. Without the support of established networks, we don’t have the same reach for resources that come with membership in these older institutions. When women are left with the added duty of childcare, we don’t have the resources to attend networking events, particularly those in the evening, which further separates us from those in decision making roles.
Goals:
In order to begin to address some of the long-standing problems, the incubator will be designed to:
(*The above list is a starting point and is open to revision.)
If you want to help with this project (volunteer, host organization, sponsor, etc.), please email suzanneskaar@gmail.com with the subject line “Incubator.”
Our initial meeting with be Saturday, June 22, at 11 a.m. Location to be determined based on number of attendees. A Facebook event will also be created for RSVP purposes.
Feel free to share.
Cheers,
Suzanne
Never underestimate the power of a favorite hat and boots, even when it’s approaching summer. My kid’s fashion is on point.
I think I’ve spent enough time on the computer today. Time to go play outside. If you’re reading this, I hope you take the time today to go do the same.
Cheers,
Suzanne