01/15/2021
Here we are. It's 2021. We hope this finds you well as one can be right now.
2020 took us all on one of the wildest rides of a lifetime.
There has been fear, loss, insecurity and great change. Some of that change has been overwhelming and some of it has been welcomed. It's sort of always been my nature to embrace the good tidbits, to really savor them, in between the bouts of saturating anxiety and self doubt, of course, and that's really the reason I began this project in the first place, to show Iris in a piece of art, why we brought her into this place. 2020 made all of that razor sharp for me, for us. Forced to make hard choices, forced to really see people (sometimes while not seeing them at all), forced to see ourselves clearer. I have appreciated the time. The break in the runaround, we have LOVED that part. One of the commitments I made this year with that time was to sign up for an eight month virtual book making course entitled "Liberate! Make the Book You Most Want to Find in the World", instructed by one of my favorite artists, Sabrina Ward Harrison. As a young adult, her first art book, Spilling Open, really spoke to me and I loved the blend of art and writing. I feel like I have spent 25+ years working somewhat unknowingly, towards making my own book through dairies and travel journals, through impressions of my maternal and paternal grandparents lives and all the stories that came between the East and West, where each lived respectively.
The working title of my book is Our Adventures in Gratitude: Finding solace in the place we all come from.
For me personally it's an ode to the dust of the earth and to the love stories that happened in order for me to exist where and how I do right now.
The process of deep diving for this class into decades of art, photography and writing has changed me. The methods used have been so different than any other form of formal education I have ever had. Gentleness was taught. Spaciousness was taught. Finding the thread of the story was taught. Coming from the typical background where speed, production and quantity are presented as good and normal and best, this approach, where we were not only allowed, but encouraged, to let things breathe, to be kind to any trauma that shows itself, and in deep dives, it most definitely does. To understand the value of creating again just for itself, and that if it is shared, if it reaches just one other person and brightens their corner of the world, then it is a success.
I'll circle back now to this project specifically. Initially the book portion of it was a side note in a way, but now the book portion has become the driving force on how the whole story can be told more effectively on film (visually and audibly). I had felt stuck with the editing process. Vulnerable and unsure I could find a way to make it all work. In 2020 I have learned it's ok for a passion project to evolve, and though I have always known that, it's harder to swallow once you have other folks involved that have supported you.
I am here to thank you. Those who have shown interest in what we do, what we try to do. Those who have done the same and inspired us. We are thankful for the initial excitement and support and for letting this project stew and grow. The tangible results we have now are an outline of the video timeline, several completed instrumental songs, a book outline with multiple chapters, a handful of completed spreads for the book (see attached photo for examples in progress) and one hell of a beautiful "theme" song for it all, written by Mike.
I'll have more frequent updates from here on out as I gain even more confidence and momentum.
Be well people and keep up all the good you possibly can. We appreciate it all.
-Emily & family
