Power Prints (Empathy), 2022
Monotype, Pochoir
19.5 x 27.5
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Empathy is a hard one, become apathetic and you don’t care enough, but have too much compassion and it can overtake yourself. How do we find the balance to empathize with others?
It is magic when it goes around, that feeling of connection and understanding. Putting yourself in someone’s shoes even though you aren’t exactly there. To hear someone’s story and understand that is the most basic of human connection.
Slowing down requires empathy, to take time and listen. Sometimes realizing that a difficult moment isn’t about you at all it’s about the inner life of that person. How do we remember that? Through empathy.
Power Prints (Energy), 2022
Monotype, Pochoir
19.5 x 27.5in
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Energy is one thing you can’t get back just like time. I always think that you should spend it wisely. It’s hard to know in the moment how to judge what is worth your energy or not. I’ve struggled with that. Also struggled with pushing too much, and over extending my energy.
A trick I remember from a designer I admired he said to see how you feel after an exchange with someone. Do you feel uplifted, excited? Or do you feel heavy, drained?
There’s always energy needed to accomplish a goal but equally as important there’s rest. How can the energy you are putting out help to accomplish your dreams? How can you take one step forward to start, how do all those small steps make up something big? Your energy is valuable, use it!
Power Prints (Experimentation), 2022
Monotype, Pochoir
19.5 x 27.5in
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Everything is an experiment. Have you heard that one before? Try it out, why not? What do you have to loose? Sometimes we are our own worst enemies limiting what we choose to do or try.
No one really knows exactly what they are doing but once you try you might surprise yourself. When I'm making an artwork or starting something it all feels experimental. That act multiplied many times makes a lifetime of work.
I remember someone asked me how I was able to know where to put the chine collé pieces in my prints. It's all an experiment till you land on something. So why not try?
Power Prints (Multiplicities), 2022
Monotype, Pochoir
19.5 x 27.5in
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Do you ever feel like you contain multiplicities? At once you can hold the title daughter, mother, sister, wife, artist, designer, friend, coworker or maybe happy, sad, frustrated, curious, brave, confused, silly.
We can be many things at once, we can hold many titles, many emotions and understandings.
Self is malleable, self is subtly changing, self is growing. There are seasons to yourself and your life. Tuning into empathy and compassion for others gives you that power. How? You walk around and notice more, help, smile and put yourself in those shoes. Multiplicities are how you see those differences.
Today in the newsletter: I take a deep dive back into my archive to list all 30 zines and books I’ve made over the years - link in bio and thank you for subscribing 📚
Power Prints (Community), 2022
Monotype, Pochoir
19.5 x 27.5in
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What makes us human is that connection to our community and the people around us. There are bonds that are lifelong and people that come into our life for just a season.
As we change and move through life so do our communities. I think you can only realize later on where you were with a group of people, and what they gave you at that moment.
To invest in our future children is to show them that these bonds are important and keep us safe, healthy and together. Community is how you do that.
Power Prints (Honesty), 2022
Monotype, Pochoir
19.5 x 27.5in
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One of the posters from this series is around Honesty. I realized that I had to be honest about the work and where it came from. We are so lucky to have our son, but it was a long journey to get here. I want to teach Cy to be honest.
Power comes from telling the truth even if it's painful and hard. We see a lot of 'truth bending' these days, but it doesn't always feel good. What does feel good is to talk about things and be upfront.
This is a triptych from my ‘Power Print’ series and where I was able to combine all the prints and concepts into one work.
Made with a technique called Pochoir which means stencil, the letters were laser cut while the ink was put on a sheet of plastic to make a mono print.
Hardest part about printing was the letters were all backwards!
More about these prints 🔜
Spitting into the Wind (2009) was once of the first images I made where I knew there was a power that images held. I photographed this with a friend on my roof in chinatown and we did so many takes to get the water coming out of my mouth and my eyes connecting to the camera. I made a poster that was sold at Printed Matter for a few years.
This image lived beyond me people used to send me pictures of the poster in craiglist sublets, on the street, in peoples studios or apartments. It was really incredible to see the image infiltrate culture.
