Hi friends,
This is your friendly reminder to drink a glass of water. Like now.
Hope you enjoy today’s letter. Thank you for reading.
Year end is stressful but we can do hard things by doing the small things well.
Hydrate my friends.
Xiao-Yu
Letter No. 13
Jeffery,
I woke up feeling physically weak: my joints aching; my back unwilling to support the weight of my head; sinus infection excitedly joined the party. And it is Monday. I have one meeting today that I need to prepare for. To make matters worse, I’ve gotten a bad public review. I still don’t do well with it. You have explained to me the science behind it – ode to my amygdala. Without doubt, I don’t want to be me today.
The review reads to me like needing justification of merely existing as an artist. It is talking about how I should not have used science in my work without being a scientist, and how invalid and misleading my perspective is. There are some positives – the review mentioned how my work and me as an artist contribute to the unfortunate debasement of Art. Maybe I should have a male sounding name and always wear sunglasses and only speak in sign language. What do you think about the name Otto?
I am not feeling my best. I have had my fair share of bad reviews. That’s a part of the deal. I can’t help but look at my male colleagues with envy. I wonder what the reviews read like if the same work is associated with a male artist. I am a human and I want to create work that shows my specific experience, my perspective and what I am thinking. I am a part of our collective. I am a part of our history. Why is it so difficult to celebrate women working and creating, or simply the act of creating? Why upon first looking, we decide that the work must have feminism elements when we find out it is created by a woman? She must have some feminist agenda for creating art! Would it be possible that she just wants to be a human with the urge to connect, to speak, to touch and to create?
I understand where the female rage comes from – oppression, misunderstanding and misrepresentation. I know it intimately. The rage becomes fuel for some artists. I personally have not been able to channel it productively. I feel it. It eats me raw and I sit quietly and observe the whole ceremony.
Being human feels uninteresting without you. My conversations are growing dull. You’d better come up with some creative ways to help. I feel outnumbered here. Life goes on. The seasons change. Buildings two blocks down are getting demolished. I couldn’t quite see the point of it all today. I am going to take a shower and drink some water. Perhaps venture to make a hot toddy after my meeting.
All my love,
Hannah
P.S. Otto and Jeffery would be a cute couple. Wouldn’t you agree?
