Tess Snaden
“I am so excited to share with you what I’ve made from all the interactions and stories during this course. This is the pocket zine/book I’ve made with all the participants' stories and body maps, along with coping mechanisms and key quotes from our conversations. I produced four of these booklets to give back to the participants. Each cover is individualized. For Heather I’ve chosen the symbol of a clown. For Noelle her little blue car because that’s where she would go to fully feel what was coming up in her body, it was her safe space. For Cathryn I chose to make a hummingbird because of a story she told me about a hummingbird who lived in her backyard throughout the pandemic, she called it her pandemic pal. And finally for Daina a black house with neon polk-a-dots because that’s how she wanted to paint her house.”
“Throughout the term and COVID-19 I have had some very low lows where I do question how I will continue but just the idea that this thought is not unique eases my anxiety. We are all humans, we all worry, we all struggle, we all experience emotions that we wish we wouldn't but the strongest commonality is that we are not alone nor do we have to be. It was soooo far out of my comfort zone to deliver these invitations and set up meetings but from that push I have gained four strong connections in my neighbourhood.
All these stories of transformation and resilience couldn’t have come at a better time. Throughout this process I came back to the question of “what am I scared of ?”. I’ve come to realize that my fears of the what if ’s prevent me from relating to others. This is a pattern that I will work to stop. Life is too hard and too short to not relate to others that cross my path. I am here and I am a witness.”
