Postcards for Rewilding the Artist Field Guide by Gaia Redgrave, “In this hands-on field guide, artist Gaia Redgrave shares her Rewilding Journey as a neurodivergent, disabled person.”
A few years ago I wrote a post about neurodivergent boundaries. I had the idea to type it up into a zine and ended up completely re-writing it. I’m making this one available as a digital download. Feel free to print copies and give them away (just don’t charge for them.)
But to continue doing that I have to take care of myself.
Here are some of the things that brought me joy this week.
Making Mini Zines ✂️
Different types of making meet different needs.
Writing is analytical and helps me unravel my ideas. But it’s not the most regulating.
So instead of writing this week I’ve been making mini zines.
This one is using images from the mood board for my fantasy novel. A process that I paused for several months and am now orbiting back to. I’m really curious about how I can make my storytelling more interdisciplinary and how I can invert my writing from something I am doing for others to something I am doing for myself.
I’ll probably write more about this later, but here’s a timelapse of me making a zine.
Tap to watch me make a zine at midnight when everyone else in my house is sleeping.
Down the Rabbit Hole 🐇
I fell into a story over the weekend the way Alice fell into Wonderland. Once I started I just had to keep reading until I reached the end.
Non Player Character by autistic author Veo Corva (they/them) made me feel seen in a way I don’t think I ever have in a story before.
This book follows a diverse group of nerds becoming found family. If you’ve ever felt alone or “too much” or “not enough” I think you should read this.
+ 10 if you’re autistic, anxious, or otherwise neurodivergent.
+ 10 if you’re queer, gender queer or disabled.
+10 if you’ve ever been a fantasy gamer (tabletop or video game).
I can’t say much more without giving away plot points, but this is a beautifully written crowdfunded book.
I’m experimenting with an algorithm free way to share snippets of photos, videos, and links. I borrowed the idea from Katherine May to start a What’s App channel.
So far I’ve posted…
A peek at some test prints. (The final versions of these will be going out to my quarterly print subscribers this month.)
And I shared that I was enjoying Different, Not Less by autistic author Chloé Hayden. Which I’ve now finished. This book deserves a full review, but in short it was an informative and affirming view of autism & ADHD. 10/10 would recommend.
I’ve been doing my zine thing for about a year now without really finding the zine community. Recently I stumbled into a zine Discord (let me know if you want an invite) and suddenly found myself trading zines with other zinesters.
If you’ve wandered around my homepage you may have noticed I have a section for alchemy (trade & barter) that isn’t set it up yet. (Boo chronic migraines!) But it’s pretty simple.
If you’d like to trade (zine for zine, book for book, or some other creative swap) just let me know!
My zine collection (newest zine babies not photographed yet.)
I’m sure I’m forgetting something.
I’ll probably end up posting it to my What’s App tomorrow.
Thanks to everyone who reached out. I haven’t had the capacity to respond yet, but I appreciated each message and especially the two picture book preorders. 🥰
There seem to be a lot of cruel people in the world right now.
Instagram (at least the current iteration) is dangerous to my mental health. What used to be a light hearted photo sharing app has now turned into another algorithmic dumpster fire.
I tried everything.
I blocked accounts, “curated” my feed, and did my best to train the algorithm. Near the end I even downloaded a social media blocking app to limit my usage to midday.
I was already struggling.
Then the autism news hit.
Nope. I can’t be here. I’m out.
I naively imagined that the next generation of autistics could grow up with less stigma. To know who they are and unabashedly ask for support.
To see that progress purposefully eroded is gutting.
My nervous system simply cannot handle the horrors and catastrophizing on endless algorithmic remix.
And it’s not just autistics under attack. Every marginalized group is in real crisis right now. Science and education have been defunded.
There is a new fresh horror every day.
Read I’m Fine – a digitized zine about self regulation & advocacy
It’s easy to feel helpless when the world is on fire.
Contact your representatives. Tell them autism is not a disease to be cured.
Preorder How it Feels to Me (a picture book about sensory processing.) This is a crowdfunded project I am creating with autistic illustrator Gracie Klumpp.
We just got a new set of proofs and are feeling very excited about next steps. After changing book binders we are a bit over budget – so if you preorder now it will be a big help.
If you don’t need a book yourself you can also choose to donate your copy and we’ll be sure it gets to someone who needs it.
I made this zine for the NWA Maker Faire earlier this month. It’s a single sheet monochromatic zine that tells you how to get started if you’re brand new to zines.
August zine subscribers will be receiving a copy of How to Make a Zine along with September’s Hope zine. Thanks for your patience while I took compassionate leave last month.
Thanks to everyone who contributed their art and words to this issue.
Last month we had a death in the family and I took compassionate leave. I’ve been planning to do an annual collaborative zine so I opened up submissions to my newsletter subscribers.
Artists are credited below. The cover photograph and stamped letters are my own.
