I have made many zines before and I like this process for how versatile it is. Perusing zine libraries is fascinating as it reveals the breadth and depth of this art form. I enjoyed making a single page for a collaborative zine, that was something that I have not done before. I love that this zine will serve as a reminder of this unique time, and serve as a way to connect us in the moment, when so many of us are experiencing isolation. I enjoyed trying to think of ways in which exhaustion could be interpreted as a positive experience, or as a precipitator to healthy rest. I came up with exhaustion as an opportunity for someone else to provide acts of care and love. My piece of writing is based off of an experience I had some years ago when I was living with my best friend, Sarah. At the time I was working multiple jobs and came home after a long day feeling overwhelmed and despondent. She spent time brushing and braiding my hair and making me laugh. It is an important memory, and a reminder to allow others to care for me.
I chose to apply this process to children, as it is accessible and adaptable. I wanted to think of zines as a base for narrative therapy with children who are diagnosed with impulse control or conduct disorders, or children who experience poor anger or frustration tolerance. Narrative therapy operates under the assumption that language is a tool, and one of power, that normalize certain truths that then shape our lives, relationships, and the stories we tell about ourselves (Hoshino & Cameron, 2008). Narrative therapy, especially when combined with art therapy, allows clients to reauthor their own stories and move past their dominance. For children, creating a zine provides a medium for reauthoring their own stories, stories that their diagnoses may reinforce. For example, a diagnosis of Conduct Disorder may confirm a child’s understanding that they are “bad” or “angry”. It is then a goal in therapy to reshape that understanding by changing the story. One way to do this is through externalization--when the problem becomes a separate entity it is external to the person or the relationship (Hoshino & Cameron, 2008). One way to do this with children is to assign the problem to a character--anger may become a wild monster that the child can work to defeat or befriend. If a child has an opportunity to create their own story through zine making, with themselves and their problems in starring roles, they can work towards this externalization. Zines are also small. These tiny books containing these new stories can be taken to school, kept in a pocket or a backpack, and pulled out during times of stress or conflict, or when the child is in need of redirection. If these zines are made with a trusted therapist, or with a family member as a coauthor, they also may serve as transitional objects that serve as reminders of a comforting and safe relationship.
References
Hoshino, J., & Cameron, D. (2008). Narrative therapy within a multicultural framework. In C. Kerr & J. Hosino (Eds.), Family therapy: Foundations of theory and practice (pp. 193-219). Routledge.