The spitting, disgusting as it may have been, was the unintentional byproduct of clear communication (i.e. good diction). The singer literally drenched the audience in their communicative intent. Disregarding the social expectation that one keep their saliva inside their mouth, thank you very much, the singer threw themself into the narrative—or non-narrative, as the case may be—of their performance.
Read moreMy 2020 Booklist
Should you decide to purchase any of these books, I highly recommend ordering from somewhere on Refinery29’s list of Black-owned bookstores (I’ve linked all the books below to Semicolon, a Black woman-owned bookstore & gallery space in Chicago that I can recommend from personal shopping experience). I have found that the $5-$8 premium I pay to order from one of these local shops (instead of from Amazon) is well worth the experience of supporting a local, Black entrepreneur.
Read moreSpaces and Transitions
What I have found to be the alternative to transition practices is a feeling of residual, nagging unease, like I left something undone. My mind continues to spin with to-do items, sometimes hours after I’ve turned off my work computer, preventing me from complete presence and rejuvenation during my non-work hours. I think of it as bad time hygiene: allowing the next part of my day to be muddied by the previous.
Read moreDesk Job Lessons
Artists often get very wrapped up in our whats. We are our art; we and our creations are one and the same. But what happens when a catastrophe comes along and rips away our ability to share our creations with others, at least in the way we were accustomed to sharing them? Over-identifying with the “what” leads to inflexibility, and if it all falls apart, it leads to despair.
Rather, we can realize that what we create is simply a function of our reason for creating. If I can’t build the empathy bridge on a stage, maybe I can do it at a computer.
The Illusion of Certainty
Experts will study the longterm physical and mental effects of the pandemic for years to come. And each one of us will walk away from this year with our own unique combination of perceptions, experiences, callouses, hurts, and lessons. I’ve been collecting mine along the way, and today, I’m focusing on one truth that has emerged from the pandemic: the deep uncertainty that has been made abundantly apparent over the last nine months is the very thing that inspires necessary change, fuels creativity, and fosters compassion.
Read moreThe 50th Pandemigram
Today, I recorded and sent the 49th Pandemigram. To date, people who have requested Pandemigrams have donated a total of $5,741 to 32 different organizations. (It is completely optional for requesters to report their donation amount and/or recipient to me, so these numbers only take into account those who have opted to inform me of their donation. And this isn’t counting those who have chosen to contribute through an act of kindness instead of a monetary donation—these are, of course, immeasurable.)
My plan is to keep this project going as long as the COVID-19 shutdowns and stay-at-home orders are in place. So my question is…
Who will receive the 50th Pandemigram?
Read moreCookies, Concerts, and Misled Coffee Dates
If you’re like me—e.g. a performing artist, currently out-of-work due to COVID-19, stuck at home with an abundance of free time, and wrestling with a hyperactive imagination—then you are probably feeling an unbearable amount of frustration and pressure to innovate in the face of the pandemic.
Read moreSocial Distancing Daily Routine
We’re about one week into the COVID-19 social distancing regimen, and as the days have moseyed by, I’ve compiled a mental list of daily “best practices” that have helped me stay sane so far.
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