Jen Vann

YouTube video by ANTI- Records Solomon Burke - "None Of Us Are Free"

"...None of us are free, if one of us are chained.
None of us are free..."

Pastel background with "May your next six months be happier than your last six months" typed as one word per line.

Image of man watching the night sky with words below: "There's so much power in believing that everything will work out even when you don’t know how or when. You just believe that it will."

Square with decorative lines at each corner and words in the center that read: "People need to be encouraged. People need to be reminded of how wonderful they are. People need to be believed in- told they are brave and smart and capable or accomplishing all the dreams they dream and more. Remind each other of this. - Stacey Jean Spear"

You are worthy of respect, support, & safety, regardless of what you have or have't accomplished, either today or in your life.

Stubbornly refuse to buy into cultural metrics of personal "worth" that only exist to hijack your self-esteem & keep you rat racing harder.

We have a harder time connecting to ourselves-- remembering who we are, what we can do, & what we're all about-- when we're chronically stressed or in pain.

Sustainable recovery is very often about learning to listen for, hear, & honor our authenticity through the chaos & hurt.

Image of lady and cat with the words "I hope you find comfort that is soft as a blanket. I hope you find peace that's like a long, cool sigh. I hope you find grace that holds you gently in your hardest moments. Sending beams of love to all the brave hopers."

Image of lady looking out of a window with text: "What fresh hell awaits? I mean good morning sunshines."

Please be kind to people who had to walk away from family. Many of their stories won’t be told because of how complex & painful they are. Estrangement is a necessary path for many who are broken hearted. Less demands for understanding. More respect for what they’re healing from.

Having to rely for survival on someone we don't understand, don't trust, & who intermittently or regularly frightens us is a complex traumatic stressor that many survivors experienced in childhood-- & we unconsciously, unintentionally replicated in our adult relationships.

Black background with multi colored circle around white letters reading "only caring about your own rights is exactly how you lose them."

Beaker as Elizabeth Holmes on the cover of Forbes magazine.

beaker on magazine covers: thread

A square canvas. Only the top corner is filled with Harings distinctive figures, rendered in Lavender, the rest is blank.

Keith Haring died of AIDS aged 31 on 16 Feb 1990.
One of his last works, Unfinished Painting, was deliberately incomplete, reflecting the devastating, unquantifiable loss to the arts due to AIDS.
#LGBTplusHistoryMonth

The Doctors Who in the style of Richard Scarry.

The Busy World of Doctor Who

When choosing to heal, it’s common to feel you don’t belong. Our culture is performance driven. That leaves little room for honesty & vulnerability, yet both are ideal for healing. Don’t silence the parts of you needing clarity. Silence the voices that shame your need to be heard.

Black background with white text: "What radicalized you? Nothing. Not wanting people to starve and suffer is not radical, it's normal. Stop saying it's radical to be base level empathetic, and start asking what made people into sadists. Call out sick behavior, because I'm tired of people thinking kindness shouldn't be the default."

Illustration of a forest path and animals with words that read "You deserve it all: safety, comfort, kindness, empathy, community. You are worthy to put your bare feet and hands on this earth and know it is where you come from and where you belong. You deserve a life that feels like home."

Disability is not a personal or moral failing. Everyone is one accident, infection or stroke of bad luck from becoming disabled.

When someone asks for help, give it freely and without strings. Don’t judge them or tell them to “try harder”.

One day it’ll be your turn.

"My future will not be held hostage by my past. My bullies & abusers will not define how I talk to or relate to myself. I will not sabotage, harm, or kill myself as penance for sins I did not commit."

Tattoo it on your goddamn soul.

Flowery background with the words "sending you love because wow what a shit show."

Hi.

There are so many things that we seriously want to do, but we just can't at any given time, and no amount of begging, bitching or guilt-tripping is going to change that.
Sometimes all we can do is just exist. Breathe. Maybe hope to be a little more "human" the next day...