I appreciate much about zines. Their anti-oppressive roots. How they are used to challenge dominant culture and reclaim power through self-publishing. How they can spread a message through distribution. I enjoyed the nature of the directive: each member of the group would create an image in response to a common theme, “exhaustion”. Then they would all be put together into a booklet. There was something empowering about feeling like I was part of something and contributing a piece to a whole. I could express myself in an individual way and a collective way. I look forward to seeing the final product. I love seeing the diverse angles taken and the various interpretations of the same prompt. I expect that some will be moving, some will be chilling, some will be playful and humorous, many relatable, and some outside of my experience. This process provides an affective, perceptual experience as we are surprised by, moved, and feel in response to our own images and the image of others.
My personal contribution was about exploring rest in the face of exhaustion. “Rest-istance” was a play on words, exploring rest as resistance in the face of destructive systems, especially for marginalized people. It also explored rest as a basic human need, a requirement for resistance. In Talwar’s Art Therapy for Social Justice, Tillet talks about self-care as community care (2019). It could also talk about rest as a privilege during the pandemic. Lack of access to rest is a weapon of unjust, white supremacist, capitalist society built to exploit and exhaust the poor, and the land and earth, of resources for the benefit of those in power. I enjoy the multiplicity of meanings that can be embedded in an image or symbol.
Adolescents are at a stage in their development where they are trying to figure out their identity, their beliefs, what they like, what they stand for, and who their people are. Zines provide a way to express those emotions, thoughts, stances, and styles. This directive in particular allows teens to have a sense of community and feel like they are part of a group. I wonder if this would be especially useful for adolescents with eating disorders because of the nature of eating disorders. Eating disorders often involve disconnect from one’s body and disconnect in relationships. Tasks that emphasize self-in-group can tend to both personal and relational fractures. Additionally, like most disorders, eating disorders have a particular political component. The behavior is often enforced by cultural norms, cultural standards of beauty, and gendered expectations. The political, revolutionary aspect of zines may allow adolescents to wrestle with cultural, political roots of their disorder.
Reference:
Talwar, S. (2019). Art therapy for social justice: Radical intersections