I hail from Western Canada and go by the pronouns she and her(s). I am part of a web of family, friends, school, coast, country, and feminist, anti-racist thinkers. My happy place usually contains chocolate, a camera, and my loved ones.
--
My blog started as a platform for sharing reviews for the 2014 hot chocolate festival and grew into a bit of a public, online journal. Now, I hope that it will continue to be a way for me to share my stories, but through a more refined lens that focuses in on a few key values of mine: Food, feminist thinking, and photography.
While I am neither a renowned scholar of the gender, race, sexuality, and social justice field nor a professional photographer, these are things that rejuvenate and invigorate me, and I hope to find energy and inspiration through engaging with these pieces in my blog. I also hope to find ways to connect all of my passions with one of my greater loves - people.
When I can combine any of the things I do - eating, thinking, photographing, exploring - I find great joy in sharing in those moments with others. In saying that, I offer a taste of why the blog has its name - creating moments through going through life's motions, two ideas I often find myself situated between.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Thinking about Caitlyn Jenner
There has been a lot of stir (already dying down now) about Caitlyn Jenner making her debut in her new body and with her new name, which she appears to feel are finally in line with her mind after all of these years.
I follow many intersectional and anti-racist feminist thinkers and groups online and read about others in books and news articles - most of them have felt compelled to comment in one way or another on Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair unveiling. As I am making an effort to critically think about and share my thoughts about these increasingly relevant and important and talked-about occurrences, I thought I would add my small voice to the online conversation.
My thoughts on Jenner's move are, in short, these: She has done what is fulfilling for her in a way that allows her millions of fans to be aware of this change in her appearance and name, and I think that those are good things.
When I consider the conversations that have occurred, I return to a recurring thought that I have after having studied gender, race, sexuality, and social justice, and in my own non-academic life: There is no 100%, sure-fire, make-everyone-happy way to do anything, particularly in circles of critical, feminist thinkers.
That's a good thing!
Usually.
Sometimes, it seems that the tendency to think this way leads to a nearly constant problematization of the whole world, and no event can escape our minds unscathed by considerations of all of the ways it could have a negative impact. This is where I have found myself frustrated by certain conversations about Caitlyn Jenner. An incredibly wealthy, famous, and Caucasian individual choosing to transition is not a representative experience of most trans* individuals. For that reason, the publicity received by Jenner and the widespread praise are difficult to embrace by anyone who has struggled with similar or related experiences.
Despite the unlikely circumstances of being able to transition in a very expensive and widely-praised manner, Jenner's experience is her own and is one unique experience in the world that happens to be very public as well. While I do not think that Jenner should be the standard of what trans* individual is expected to be, I think that the publicity of what a transition entails for one individual is important in normalizing the experience and concept of transitioning/transgressing overall. An individual who was born in the most privileged body there is - a White male's - chose to act on a life-long knowledge that the body they were born into was not the one that matched their mind and spirit, and left that incongruent body behind to pursue greater self-fulfillment.
Jenner's transition does not represent the extremely diverse range of transitions that many individuals go through, but it is an example of one person's multi-decade struggle with the feeling that their body is not the one that will lead to maximizing her sense of wholeness.
While we cannot assume that all experiences will be the same based on this one example - in the way someone looks when transitioning, what it means to transition, how easy it is for someone to transition in a practical and psychological sense - I think that it is important to embrace it. Embrace the conversations that have started, the acceptance of Caitlyn Jenner expressed by so many, and the figure that many other, younger trans* or queer individuals can look to and think, "She did what was right for her, maybe I can do what is right for me." Those things are worth embracing, I think. The only downfall could be that Caitlyn Jenner assumes her experience is representative of all experiences, or that she does not embrace the powerful position she is in to make change possible for so many others who do not share her resources in life.
My hope is that Caitlyn will take full advantage of her powerful new role as a figure in the trans* community, which has been thrust upon her by virtue of being in the spotlight, and make life better for many others who have struggled, are struggling, and will struggle.
I follow many intersectional and anti-racist feminist thinkers and groups online and read about others in books and news articles - most of them have felt compelled to comment in one way or another on Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair unveiling. As I am making an effort to critically think about and share my thoughts about these increasingly relevant and important and talked-about occurrences, I thought I would add my small voice to the online conversation.
My thoughts on Jenner's move are, in short, these: She has done what is fulfilling for her in a way that allows her millions of fans to be aware of this change in her appearance and name, and I think that those are good things.
When I consider the conversations that have occurred, I return to a recurring thought that I have after having studied gender, race, sexuality, and social justice, and in my own non-academic life: There is no 100%, sure-fire, make-everyone-happy way to do anything, particularly in circles of critical, feminist thinkers.
That's a good thing!
Usually.
Critically analyzing events and approaching them with
an intersectional frame of mind (intersectionality: the
study of intersections between forms or systems of oppression, domination or
discrimination) challenges us to not take information at face value, and to
consider the deeper meanings and implications of what we have seen, heard, or
done. It can be mentally tiring to think of the world this way on a regular
basis, but it is important to do so because it makes us more able to connect
with others because we do not merely assume that our experiences are the same
as someone else's. Further, we become more complex and empathetic to others by
allowing ourselves to open up to new ways of knowing, living, thinking, and
experiencing the world.
Sometimes, it seems that the tendency to think this way leads to a nearly constant problematization of the whole world, and no event can escape our minds unscathed by considerations of all of the ways it could have a negative impact. This is where I have found myself frustrated by certain conversations about Caitlyn Jenner. An incredibly wealthy, famous, and Caucasian individual choosing to transition is not a representative experience of most trans* individuals. For that reason, the publicity received by Jenner and the widespread praise are difficult to embrace by anyone who has struggled with similar or related experiences.
Jenner's transition does not represent the extremely diverse range of transitions that many individuals go through, but it is an example of one person's multi-decade struggle with the feeling that their body is not the one that will lead to maximizing her sense of wholeness.
While we cannot assume that all experiences will be the same based on this one example - in the way someone looks when transitioning, what it means to transition, how easy it is for someone to transition in a practical and psychological sense - I think that it is important to embrace it. Embrace the conversations that have started, the acceptance of Caitlyn Jenner expressed by so many, and the figure that many other, younger trans* or queer individuals can look to and think, "She did what was right for her, maybe I can do what is right for me." Those things are worth embracing, I think. The only downfall could be that Caitlyn Jenner assumes her experience is representative of all experiences, or that she does not embrace the powerful position she is in to make change possible for so many others who do not share her resources in life.
My hope is that Caitlyn will take full advantage of her powerful new role as a figure in the trans* community, which has been thrust upon her by virtue of being in the spotlight, and make life better for many others who have struggled, are struggling, and will struggle.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Being Cognizant: Budgeting
The first post in a series about the ways I work towards being cognizant through decisions that make me more mentally engaged with various facets of my day-to-day life.
Cognizance (noun): Awareness, realization, notice, knowledge, perception.
----
In recent months, I have taken on the task of budgeting all of my expenses along with my income on a monthly basis. A budget (noun) is "an estimate, often itemized, of expected income and expense for a given period in the future." So, to budget (verb) is to plan for certain amounts of money to be earned and spent, and then keep track of what is actually earned and spent (at least that's how I have defined my budgeting experience).
I started my budgeting adventure with an... idealistic... mindset of how much money I thought I would be spending on things such as groceries, school supplies, gas for my car, dining out, etc. However, as some guides on how to get started with a budget might tell you, your expenses might not be so simple to predict. As a student who lives away from home but receives financial support from parents, my budgets are not often too scary to approach because I am secure in knowing that if my job fell through or I had to drop a lot of money on one big item and it set me back for a month, I would not be without help. However, budgeting helps me set realistic goals that align with my desires to save money, live comfortably and independently (to some extent), and to be aware of my spending and do some reflection on how I use my money.
For others that do not have the financial support of parents or other folks, budgeting can be really useful for setting goals to alleviate the stresses of being financially "strapped" (i.e., not having a lot of extra funds once basics are paid off). Creating a budget can help you visualize what money you have coming in, what you need to spend money on, and what you want to spend money on (on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis). Being able to visualize where your money goes can lead to greater monthly savings, more effective allocation of funds (such as phone bills and groceries), and opportunities to treat yo' self!
If you haven't done so already, take some time to research how to set up a simple budget, and start collecting your receipts! Alternatively, you may want to try tracking your spending by writing down your expenses, keeping an ongoing record on your phone, or using a mobile app - such as Mint - that can break down your expenses as they come out of your bank account.
Cognizance (noun): Awareness, realization, notice, knowledge, perception.
----
In recent months, I have taken on the task of budgeting all of my expenses along with my income on a monthly basis. A budget (noun) is "an estimate, often itemized, of expected income and expense for a given period in the future." So, to budget (verb) is to plan for certain amounts of money to be earned and spent, and then keep track of what is actually earned and spent (at least that's how I have defined my budgeting experience).
I started my budgeting adventure with an... idealistic... mindset of how much money I thought I would be spending on things such as groceries, school supplies, gas for my car, dining out, etc. However, as some guides on how to get started with a budget might tell you, your expenses might not be so simple to predict. As a student who lives away from home but receives financial support from parents, my budgets are not often too scary to approach because I am secure in knowing that if my job fell through or I had to drop a lot of money on one big item and it set me back for a month, I would not be without help. However, budgeting helps me set realistic goals that align with my desires to save money, live comfortably and independently (to some extent), and to be aware of my spending and do some reflection on how I use my money.
For others that do not have the financial support of parents or other folks, budgeting can be really useful for setting goals to alleviate the stresses of being financially "strapped" (i.e., not having a lot of extra funds once basics are paid off). Creating a budget can help you visualize what money you have coming in, what you need to spend money on, and what you want to spend money on (on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis). Being able to visualize where your money goes can lead to greater monthly savings, more effective allocation of funds (such as phone bills and groceries), and opportunities to treat yo' self!
 |
| An example of treating oneself upon realizing that one's budget is CLEAR FOR EXTRA SPENDING! |
If you haven't done so already, take some time to research how to set up a simple budget, and start collecting your receipts! Alternatively, you may want to try tracking your spending by writing down your expenses, keeping an ongoing record on your phone, or using a mobile app - such as Mint - that can break down your expenses as they come out of your bank account.
Take control of your life in this capitalist world - make a budget!
(Or let me know if you have another idea.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)