i find myself troubled at layers of “mal-adaptations” cropping up all over recently - and by that i mean the use of concepts and ideas somehow divorced from their actual meaning or application.
at a time where access to psychological terms and biiiiiiiiiiiiiig concepts is expanding thanks to the good ol’ internet… we see these ideas being hacked up to fit in the teenie-bite-sized package of an instagram post, a click-bait headline, a tiktok video… the result, no matter how well-intended, is the proliferation of language that becomes increasingly removed from the concept it was originally attached to.
at the micro, i see people latch onto a concept and begin to weave it into their every day - but the way it becomes adapted, acted upon, is flawed and somehow muddled, unhelpful, and damaging, rather than growth-promoting. it becomes something to obscure bad behaviour or other maladaptive coping mechanisms, to allow them to persist under the guise of a good thing.
at the macro, the same thing happens when “feminism” becomes co-opted to justify the mass murder of a people. when “pink washing” is used to try and manipulate you into caring less about it. when the fight for self-determination and agency are transmuted, turned into ugly individualism and attempts to “succeed” or be “well” outside of community and interconnectedness. it is confusing, obscuring of the real issues at hand, sometimes (often) intentionally so.
at the end of the day, i think so many of us are just avoiding accountability. that’s what it really boils down to, doesn’t it? the big corps, the governments, that family member you just can’t get through to, maybe even yourself to some degree…. they want to keep doing what they’re doing without accountability or consequences for their actions.
i’ve been exploring guilt specifically in relation to these ideas. i’ve been enjoying a reframe of guilt as a feeling, rather than a state. at least when we’re talking about an individual navigating complex social situations, i like the idea that guilt =/= to blame. guilt can simply be what we feel when our actions haven’t aligned with our values, and that’s not the worst thing - it means we HAVE values, morals, standards to which we want to hold ourselves. it means we care. it is uncomfy, largely because we conflate it with a one-or-the-other, to-blame-or-not-to-blame view of a social encounter. no one wants to be the “bad guy”, and yet, it is so often the refusal to face that discomfort and take accountability that pushes us over the edge into actual “blamedom”. it is, perhaps, this refusal to face the discomfort of guilt, that has some of us steadfastly support and maintain or affiliations with nations, organizations, political groups, no matter how troublesome or horrible they prove themselves to be.
there really isn’t much of a conclusion to this - except to say that the phrase “actions speak louder than words” might be more relevant than ever - both when looking at our own actions and intentions, and when considering those of others’.
unrelated to the above, i have opened up my print shop for a little presale run!
after a handful of requests for prints - i whipped up some mock ups and listings of recent favourite works for you to explore and, possibly, to adorn your spaces with! if there’s anything of mine you’d like but aren’t seeing there - just give me a shout and we can make something happen.
i’ve also got a couple of tote bag designs up, with characters from my All My Strangers series - their little blurb/message/story is printed on the back!
thank you to those of you who have already made some print purchases, or otherwise supported my work recently whether that be monetarily, or through some kind words and just taking the time to absorb what i’ve put out into the world - you all make my heart sing! you can also get 25% off if you buy 3 or more things in the shop, offer valid until tomorrow (no code necessary!)
browse the full collection of prints, here
more updates, upcoming happenings, and thoughts soon!
hugs, katia