Dear Diary...

While this post is about journaling, I should start out by saying that I'm not a big "journaler." I had a diary when I was young (late elementary/junior high age) and I would write a few sentences whenever something big happened...like if my crush looked at me that day or if I determined that my parents didn't love me because they wouldn't let me go to a friend's house.

As an adult, I have only journaled for two reasons: (1) I'm in a mood to write poems (I call it journaling because it's usually related to whatever is going on in my life at that moment), or (2) when I travel. So, I am writing this post because I will soon have a reason to journal - I am traveling to Pakistan with my husband to visit his parents and sister - and we leave in less than 1 month. YIKES!

Don't get my wrong, I have enough to worry about to prepare for our trip (work reports, packing, buying gifts, getting my visa, etc) but for some reason I am thinking a lot about the journaling! I honestly hadn't even thought about bringing a journal to Pakistan, until my husband suggested it a couple of days ago. After leaving one of my journals on a plane (that I spent 3 months working on during my first trip to Peru), I felt so frustrated with myself and sad about the information I lost that I didn't care to journal much during my second trip to Peru...I guess I just thought that I would lose it again, I don't know. Of course, this is not a good reason to give up journaling for the rest of my life.

I also had not considered journaling because, honestly, I don't really enjoy writing. :/ Yes, I realize the irony in this statement - as I'm writing a blogpost! Sometimes, I am such a perfectionist (or nervous? or unsure?) that it takes me half an hour to decide what my first sentence will be. And I know journaling should be "enjoyable," "just for me," "I should just get my thoughts out," yadda yadda yadda. I KNOW! urgh. I'm getting frustrated just thinking about writing!

But I also want it to look nice, so I have to spend time finding the perfect journal...it has to be the right size, open comfortably, have the right look that matches my feelings about this trip, and I need to decide if I want one with lines (because I can't write in a straight line) or one with blank pages (so I can draw pics).

When I travel, I like to write about the things that I see, foods that I try, cultural mores, experiences, etc. but I began thinking that maybe I won't have that much to journal about on this trip. After reading the warnings about traveling in Pakistan we realized we probably won't be leaving my in-laws' home, except for a quick trip to a market to buy gifts. So what would I write about each day? There can only be so much that goes on between 5 people visiting in a home for 2 weeks that would be interesting to write about.... BUT, I may be wrong. I just need to change my style. Instead of writing about my site-seeing adventures, I will write more about my feelings (because I know there will be a lot of those)! This made me think of one of my best books I have ever received: The Decorated Page. My parents gave this to me for Christmas many years ago and it contains great advice for starting a journal and decorating it. So, I will have to re-read this book before I leave and put together a few simple supplies - maybe some pastels, charcoal pencils, glue, etc.

I have met my in-laws once and my husband goes years without visiting them so it will be emotional I'm sure, but also fun to catch up. I also plan to cook with my mother-in-law and that could lead to some interesting adventures, between the language barrier and my lack of common sense (at times) when it comes to cooking. When I met my in-laws it was also interesting to see how my husband interacts with his parents, and how similar his mannerisms are to his family members. ...I'm anticipating my journal might look more like a comic book! I'll be sure to take some pics to share on here. :)

Any advice on choosing a journal? topics to write about? how to get passed my perfectionism and just write? etc?

Stencil + Spray Paint + T-shirt = FUN!

Last weekend I signed up for a Graffiti Art and T-shirt workshop at Elephant Room Gallery. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but I work with young people who like to draw bubble letters in their school notebooks or who talk about tagging. I thought that I could learn something to use with them, since I have done t-shirt projects with my 8th graders.

Well, first I got a private lesson with Hebru Brantley in some styles of graffiti writing. It was pretty fun, but I'm not very good at it. : / I guess I need to practice that a little more! The t-shirt part of the workshop was with Sam Kirk. We made stencils that we could lay on our t-shirt and then spray paint the design on. It was a lot of fun and so simple! I have been brainstorming more t-shirt ideas to try on my own or ways I could do this project at school with my students!

Here is my finished product!

Here are the steps to take, if you want to make your own t-shirt.

Why do you Donate?

Well, this blog is about conscious art, right? Well here is some conscious art:

Donate HERE.

My husband is an actor and writer. He used his artistic talents to co-write this piece with his sister, Kulsoom, and direct it. His friends volunteered their time and talents as well. In just 4 days, their hard work has almost raised their goal of $1000! We have been talking these last couple days about what motivates people to donate: the organization? the person asking? the time and work that went in to gathering donations (whether making a video or running a marathon), a personal connection, or maybe someone simply asking!?

So, I ask you, what prompts/inspires/motivates you to donate to your causes?

p.s. If you are motivated right now to providing safe drinking water, or maybe a minor surgery kit, or 675 vaccinations, it is just a click away: Donate at FirstGiving

5 Reasons to LOVE Street Art

1. It's often uncommissioned = most interesting/unconventional

2. It's often politically or socially conscious

3. It beautifies public spaces and makes them more interesting

4. You don't have to pay to enjoy it (and many street artists actually have the art school training)

5. It's more available to the public than art in a gallery or museum (anyone can enjoy)

6. p.s. WHY NOT?

Sometimes street art is left alone by the city, or actually protected, as is the famous "Crack is Wack" mural, which I visited in NYC a few months ago. Other times, it is covered up.

Here are some great blogs and sites if you want to see some street art, stencils, stickers, etc. I really love the "Eco" street art!

- Trendland

- Unurth Street Art

- Wooster Collective

- Brooklyn Street Art

Turning Hate into LOVE

In my last blog post, I was hoping and praying that people were marking 9/11 with love, instead of harboring hate and anger in their hearts. Holding onto hate is not only unhealthy and dangerous (for the individual and society), but it's also not very useful (usually). Perseverating on that hate/anger just makes one even more angry, stressed, raises blood pressure, etc, not to mention, possibly leading to violence.

However, take a look at these two women, who co-founded Beyond the 11th, after losing their husbands on 9/11 while 7 and 8 months pregnant - they surely had cause to be angry. Yet, they have turned their losses into love and global citizenship, reaching out to Afghani women who have also been widowed by war. Instead of viewing the situation as "us versus them," they saw the interrelatedness of their lives to these women in Afghanistan. These are the kind of actions that will "fight" the "war on terror" and make the world a more peaceful place.

Read or listen to their story here: Beyond the 11th

p.s. They also have a documentary, Beyond Belief, that is available on Netflix!

What I Think About on 9/11

Like most people I'm hearing from today, I also remember the events of my day on September 11, 2001. It was a sad, terrible, and scary day and I needed something to make me feel safe and assure me that everything would be alright. I remember putting up the American flag with my dad at his office. On the roof of the complex we saw a green praying mantis and I quickly took it as a good omen. Then, I began to see everyone coming together, people helping each other, caring about each other. It gave me some hope that overshadowed the fear.

However, 9/11 also sparked a lot of hate that was wrongly targeted at regular people and U.S. citizens. I didn't see this at the time in my small, white farming town. However, only 30 minutes away, my husband (whom I hadn't met yet) was becoming the target of hate crimes because of his religion and the color of his skin. Psychologically, I understand that people feel the need to blame something/someone in situations like this - you try to put information and people into boxes to categorize and understand the situation. But fear, ignorance, and hate, as we have seen throughout history, can trigger people to do terrible things.

Today, I feel like that same fear and hate have been exacerbated after years of war, children left motherless or fatherless, inaccurate media coverage, more security in airports, The Patriot Act, and political and community "leaders" that promote hate and segregation, etc. NPR has been reporting on the increased Islamaphobia and hate crimes towards Muslims and I have seen this as well - on NYC streets towards my husband, vandalism to our car, at my work, comments at the end of news articles I read... There is less tolerance, it seems, when what we really need is a cultural center that would bring people together, to learn about each other and care about each other.

Today, when I woke up and realized what day it was and that my husband was currently on the bus and train to work, I cried. Many people are marking this day with sadness and remembrances, but many are also marking it with hate. Today I am marking with love and I hope that people realize that these tragedies and events affect everyone, whether it's directly or indirectly. This morning I cried, praying that everyone who sees my husband today - on the bus, the train, the streets of Chicago - will be marking the day with love and acceptance, so that my jaanu comes home safely.

Homeless Art Museum

I can't believe I forgot to share this! It was one of the most interesting experiences I had in New York and one of the best "exhibits" I have seen in awhile (and I did go to the MOMA while I was in NYC). I was touring the Skyline with a friend in NYC and when we came down from the elevated park we found this man sitting at a table, claiming to be the Museum Director of the Homeless Museum of Art (a homeless museum).

He claimed that the stuffed coyote next to him as the Director of Public Relations and was his listener and she was telling him things. He asked about my friend and I, and when he found out that we were social workers he asked if we were just analyzing him and if our radar was going off, saying "cuckoo!" I have to admit though, we did discuss after we walked away whether (1) he did have some kind of disorder; or (2) if he was doing some kind of social experiment; or (3) he was just an eccentric artist. He was clearly an artist and gave us free entrance tickets into the museum (as shown in the picture) and told us that the ticket was good everywhere we went that day and was good until midnight - we would be in the museum for the entire day. LOVE it! Needless to say, I looked him up when I got home and the artist (Filip Noterdaeme), and ideas are fascinating! Check it out: Homeless Museum of Art.