Liminal States // J.Avolio

🌸 **May 23, 2026** 🕙 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 📍 Hamilton Farmers' Market York Blvd. Event Space, 35 York Blvd, Hamilton, ON 💙 FREE to attend! J. Avolio / Liminal States will be hosting a zine workshop about boredom and anti-perfectionism. We will also be tabling with our zines and other goodies! *** Hot Off the Press: Book + Print Fair is a celebration of home-grown creativity in Hamilton and beyond, bringing together 25+ small and DIY presses, zinesters, printmakers, photographers, designers, authors, and more, providing visitors the opportunity to learn more about independent and handmade publishing and printing practices and to discover a varied selection of local, affordable art, books, and other unique publications. 📋 Drop-in workshops from @snarkytuna and @liminal.states happening at 11 am and 1 pm ✂️ Self-guided zine-making station open all day long 🔄 Trading table- bring your own zines, books, and trinkets to swap!

Creativity isn't something you force; it's something you tune into. The etherways are open: portal notes for channelling your creative practice as resistance, care, and flow. Visit the link in our bio or find us at substack.com/[at]etherways *** [ID] A vertical graphic with a dark, grainy texture that fades from charcoal grey at the top to deep black at the bottom, giving it an atmospheric feel. Centred near the top is the word "INTRODUCING" in small lime green uppercase letters inside a thin rectangular border. Below that, in large, bold lime green lettering, is the word "etherways." Typography is playful and fluid. Beneath it, in smaller, spaced-out lime-green text, reads "portal notes for channelling creativity." A small downward arrow sits in the lower center, followed by two website links in the same bright green: liminalstates.ca/notes and substack.com/[at]etherways.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: @liminal.states “Liminal States Distro specializes in zines, prints, and other goodies for freelancers, creatives, and visionaries. Liminality focuses on transitions, and our work explores how to bridge the gaps. Our work hinges on hope and the tenets of a softer future, focusing on being gentle on ourselves, unlearning harmful narratives, and building strong communities.” 👁️**Calling all weirdos and weird art enthusiasts!**👁️ Odder Seeds is hosting our first Odder Art Bazaar, celebrating a selection of artists from Hamilton and across Ontario creating work that is DIY, radical, unusual, abstract, surreal, quirky, or otherwise strange! In a time of sanitized art made for mass-consumption, nothing is a better balm to the soul than something odd made with love and passion. ⭐️SAVE THE DATE! •Sunday, November 23 •12-5 P.M. •Ringside Hamilton (behind Architect Hair Design) •FREE to attend 🌀FEATURING: •15+ artists and writers •”The Trading Post”: a table for zine, art, and trinket trades- leave something, take something! •the return of Artists Trading Cards (a big hit this summer!) •a new take on an old Surrealist game •bar service at Ringside Follow and stay tuned for more artist features! We hope to see you there! 👁️ #hamontevents #hamontart #hamont #hamiltonontario #longliveweirdart #odderartbazaar #hamontartists #hamontmarket #weirdgifts

Thank you for your donation @liminal.states ❤️ For all the small biz owners: get a stunning business card design + 100 printed cards from the wildly talented Liminal States. ___ Every $10 raffle ticket supports families and orgs in Gaza and enters you for a chance to win amazing local prizes like this one. How to Enter: $10 = 1 raffle ticket Link in bio to donate (e-transfer [email protected]) Winners announced at our Palestinian Newcomer's Vendor Market on November 16th

Celebrating the one year anniversary of A Manifesto for the Tired Freelancer! I may be biased, but this text feels particularly relevant in our current social and political climate. Despite the oppressive systems we exist under, how do we find moments of relief and make space for joy, ease, and pleasure? How do we better access rest and reconnect to ourselves and our creativity? Despite it all, how do we build more sustainability into our lives and work and continue to hold onto hope for better futures? If you would like your own copy, head over to www.liminalstates.ca/manifesto. We offer sliding scale pricing of $15-25, and local pickup or can ship anywhere in the world. If you have any questions, shoot me a DM. As always, thank you to my editor @stinkerbbella and @monday.press

Hiiii, it’s Takeover Tuesday! My name is @j.avolio — working under the pseudonym @liminal.states . I’ve created some memes about rest and creativity and their importance in dismantling capitalism and other oppressive systems. I’ve dedicated a lot of my life's work to undoing, learning, and creating—channelling that energy into how I can challenge status quo beliefs that serve external oppressive ideals instead of our own (and the community’s) needs and desires. As a freelancer and business owner, I’ve found the spaciousness of self-employment allows me to adopt better self-care and rest rituals. I’ll be doing an Ask Me Anything over on Margeaux’s stories! Feel free to ask me about: - Incorporating rest and self-care into your routine - Challenging hustle culture, i.e. productivity, perfectionism and urgency - Dismantling capitalism at work and crafting your own ecosystem - Setting better boundaries - Nurturing your inner creative being - Redefining success If these questions spark your interest, check out my book “A Manifesto for the Tired Freelancer.” Learn more about it at: liminalstates.ca/manifesto. Image descriptions pinned in the comments.

Drained by the hustle? Let's take action to build sustainable systems that benefit our work and life. “A Manifesto for the Tired Freelancer” is a revolutionary offering to break free from burnout culture and unsustainable work habits. We call on freelancers, entrepreneurs, and creatives to prioritize rest, well-being, and community over the constant competition and grind. Together, we can dismantle the systems that keep us exhausted and co-create a softer future. [A @monday.press publication, written by @liminal.states ] To pre-order your copy, visit liminalstates.ca/manifesto, or visit the link in bio. Sliding scale of $15-$25. Local pickup + shipping across North America available. Join us at our book launch event on Thursday, September 26 @ Monday Press Studios / 7 pm-late. FREE entry with donations accepted to support a local art space.

“A Manifesto for the Tired Freelancer” is based on the tenets of softness, guided by the hope that we can shape the future of work and our lives through small, daily rituals and collective action. Join us on Thursday, September 26 @ Monday Press Studios for our launch party at 288 James St. N, Hamilton ON. FREE entry with donations accepted to support a local art space. Pre-order your copy now at liminalstates.ca/manifesto or via the link in bio.

SOFTER FUTURES By Liminal States & Monday Press "A revolutionary offering to dismantle unsustainable systems and co-create a softer future." Thursday September 26, 7pm-late Monday Press Studios, 288 James St. N FREE entry with donations accepted to support a local art space. A book launch and celebration of “A Manifesto for the Tired Freelancer” by Liminal States This event will feature readings, softer-future collages, collaborative art, spellwork, beverages, and good times. An idea that started out as a collection of notes that resulted in a deeper exploration of the oppressive systems that keep us down. These ideas have exploded into a declaration of information, therapy, praxis, art, spellwork, and time travelling to utopian futures. If we imagine a softer future, what actions can we take to get there? This text is an offering to creatives, community members, freelancers, and multi-hyphenates to collectively validate our fatigue. We must learn to co-create sustainable ecosystems that connect us to ourselves and our community, leading us toward liberation. See you there <3 *** Pre-order your copy now at liminalstates.ca/manifesto or via the link in bio to secure for pickup @ Monday Press on September 26th! Books will also be available on the day of the launch. Sliding scale of $15-$25 for a copy!

We combined the custom logo, font system, colours and patterns into the Safer Spaces Project Internal Culture Guide. This Guide is a free 16-page document intended as a starting point to consider creating a culture of care within your organization, team, and/or project. You can find it on their website *** [ID: A front cover magazine mockup of the Internal Culture Guide with a black and white photo on the left hand side and a blue patterned panel on the right. The text on the blue panel is in white and includes the logo plus the title “Internal Culture Guide.” The magazine lays on top of a concrete background.]

Our main goal for the visuals was for the brand to be accessible and have broad appeal to both their target audience and the people working within this organization. This is the Main logo for the Safer Spaces Project mocked up on a tote bag. For more info on this project, visit   *** [ID: A lean body with a highlighter yellow shirt and cream pants holds a tote bag on their shoulder. The cream tote has the Safer Spaces Project logo in the bottom left corner in blue, with a highlighter yellow swath in behind. The figure is standing in front of a concrete background.]

We loved working with Safer Spaces Project to build out brand visuals, illustrations, a website, and other ooey gooey add-ons. Something truly special about their mission is a dedication to creating a culture of care within arts organizations in Hamilton.  Our collaborative focus was on channelling the four pillars of Self Awareness, Social Awareness, Safer Spaces, and Braver Spaces and we developed these illustrations to convey this! For more info on this project, visit   *** [ID: Four gritty line illustrations stacked 2x2 in white on a textured blue background. Self Awareness shows a heart with a smiling face looking into a mirror. Social Awareness is a hand giving the “peace sign” with two smiling faces on the pointer and index finger. Safer Spaces has two hands mirroring eachother with interlocking thumbs. Braver Spaces shows a hand holding a speech bubble.]