Hi Brit. Thank you for sharing parts of your journey. That quote from Mary Oliver resonates with me, as I had a social media break recently that I decided for now to not return from. I admire you in how mindful you have been in your art and the processes around how you have been open to it into your life while slowly easing into what that means in the world and how to interact with others around it. The tenderness you have for yourself and the layers of trauma are much like that of Mary Oliver’s reference to letting the soft animal of the body love what it loves. Much love to you Brit.
Kudos to your self-protection and your opening up, Brit. Both so essential. I love your wisdom here, "It has felt right to be patient and act on how I feel, not on how I wish I felt."
I've been so appreciating your art as is, and now it simply gains an extra layer of richness, knowing a bit more about the one who creates it.
I too am an Oregonian who grew up in a conservative Christian context and eventually discovered that I'm queer. I too survived more trauma that I realized and got sick as a result of it and have spent a whole lot more of my life lying down that I ever wanted to. I too live outside the gender boxes. I have yet to find words that feel right to describe my gender. Or sexuality. (And I'm a writer, so it's not for lack of trying. :))
I think a life well lived is a "coming out" journey, and we all get to come out in various ways at various times, again and again. I love a good coming out story and I'm cherishing yours. Especially the part about how you built up safety by staying hidden first.
Hi Brit! It’s great to “meet” you! I don’t remember exactly how I came upon your page, but I’m so glad I did. I connect strongly to so many of your pieces despite our different backgrounds; I am thrilled to see new layers in your work now, knowing a little bit about you. Thank you for sharing.
our childhoods were so similar. i am from a very strict, Catholic, homeschooling background. i don't know how to introduce myself either. my name doesn't incite dysphoria but my body/reflection does. and my gender, too, feels too complicated to explain. i started an anonymous insta too....i am so glad social media gave us a path to travel out and through our upbringings. i could never hate insta the way some people do.
it is nice to meet you
to put a face to the name and –
i've never seen you
but
you look exactly how i always imagined you to be.
thank you for giving so generously of the gift of yourself. thank you for who you are. i am glad you are here.
Hey Brit! Thank you for your trust, and I'm so glad for you and your expanding feelings of safety and self-trust. Your words and images always resonate with me, and now knowing a bit more about you, I feel even less alone...I too was homeschooled, in a small, deeply christian community, and had (am still having) a complex exploration of queerness in sexuality and gender later in life. So much of what you said feels familiar to me. So thanks again! You bring something wonderful to the world.
Thank you for your honest inspiring work and for sharing bits of yourself with the world. I am grateful that my journey intersects with yours and that you are able to express what I feel through your work.
Thank you for your art and for sharing so much of yourself, journey and continuing evolution to being home. I’m very different but adore your work and it has special significance knowing your story fully. We are all just seeing our own version of home 🧡
Hello from a former homeschooled kid! I love that both can be true, that we have things in common, and that it's completely fine that you are different than I'd imagined / assumed! Thank you for sharing bits with us! I just was teaching on boundaries today, and we discussed basing them first on our personal values, and then reframing them as river banks (which are more flow, soft, and such) but still do the same work to create space and alignment for how we should be treated, what we say yes (and no) to, etc.
I cannot tell you how deeply this speaks to me as a once religiously homeschooled, now openly (but always) queer, disabled woman. My life drastically changed about a year ago when I had to start using a wheelchair full time. Thank you for the work you do both on and off of the internet in touching peoples lives. Your work resonates with me on a level I’ve yet to comprehend but I am beyond thankful for its existence and the happenstance that I came across your page, and now newsletter.
Thank you for sharing parts of yourself with us, as it only deepens the connection I feel to your work. Your vulnerability speaks so loudly. Thank you, again.
I’m glad to see your face again, Brit! I’m proud of where you’ve come since we met. If you don’t remember, you made a profound impact on my life as another Queer Japanese American trying to navigate this world. Not only did your wisdom speak to me as a Queer elder, but so does your art. Please keep doing what you’re doing. Your paintings bring clarity to my emotions and bring me so much joy. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Happiness and biodegradable metaphorical floating balloons to you! I'm glad you're feeling safer in the world. A lot of what you paint and write, I see in my own struggles, my back and forth, my push pull questions. I also grew up in a religious environment and have been untangling, investigating its clutches inside me, the way that it closed me, closed off parts of myself from myself, from everyone else. You wrote something about paying attention to how you feel, not how you think you should feel or how you wish you would feel. I live a similar articulation, learning to be human. Also tangled for me: privacy, safety, threat, visibility, power, choice, connection. Thanks for showing your journey, your face, your joy, your terror. Thanks for navigating this odd weird world of screen-mediated communication and presence with words, hope, self-listening, reaching, patience, reporting, colour, shape, texture. I feel lucky to see the dance you've shared. It's like a buoy, a beacon, and also like exploding stars. Gorgeous. Gratitude. Belonging. Home. Take good care. Thank you.
Hello, Brit. Thank you for sharing with us pieces that feel right to share. It is a gift to receive. And it is lovely to “meet” you. In particular, this is the gift I’m carrying with me today: “it helps to have the understanding that healing is a type of adapting, and that it is a creative task, something we can help each other with.” Thank you!
Hi Brit. Thank you for sharing parts of your journey. That quote from Mary Oliver resonates with me, as I had a social media break recently that I decided for now to not return from. I admire you in how mindful you have been in your art and the processes around how you have been open to it into your life while slowly easing into what that means in the world and how to interact with others around it. The tenderness you have for yourself and the layers of trauma are much like that of Mary Oliver’s reference to letting the soft animal of the body love what it loves. Much love to you Brit.
Hi Brit,
I’m Holly- I’m a queer woman working in hospice care in Scotland.
I have a triptych of your art in my office to remind me about the limitations of words and making space for healing.
Nice to meet you!
Hol
Kudos to your self-protection and your opening up, Brit. Both so essential. I love your wisdom here, "It has felt right to be patient and act on how I feel, not on how I wish I felt."
I've been so appreciating your art as is, and now it simply gains an extra layer of richness, knowing a bit more about the one who creates it.
I too am an Oregonian who grew up in a conservative Christian context and eventually discovered that I'm queer. I too survived more trauma that I realized and got sick as a result of it and have spent a whole lot more of my life lying down that I ever wanted to. I too live outside the gender boxes. I have yet to find words that feel right to describe my gender. Or sexuality. (And I'm a writer, so it's not for lack of trying. :))
I think a life well lived is a "coming out" journey, and we all get to come out in various ways at various times, again and again. I love a good coming out story and I'm cherishing yours. Especially the part about how you built up safety by staying hidden first.
Blessings to you and thank you for your art.
Hi Brit! It’s great to “meet” you! I don’t remember exactly how I came upon your page, but I’m so glad I did. I connect strongly to so many of your pieces despite our different backgrounds; I am thrilled to see new layers in your work now, knowing a little bit about you. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing yourself and your art. You are inspiring.
our childhoods were so similar. i am from a very strict, Catholic, homeschooling background. i don't know how to introduce myself either. my name doesn't incite dysphoria but my body/reflection does. and my gender, too, feels too complicated to explain. i started an anonymous insta too....i am so glad social media gave us a path to travel out and through our upbringings. i could never hate insta the way some people do.
it is nice to meet you
to put a face to the name and –
i've never seen you
but
you look exactly how i always imagined you to be.
thank you for giving so generously of the gift of yourself. thank you for who you are. i am glad you are here.
Hey Brit! Thank you for your trust, and I'm so glad for you and your expanding feelings of safety and self-trust. Your words and images always resonate with me, and now knowing a bit more about you, I feel even less alone...I too was homeschooled, in a small, deeply christian community, and had (am still having) a complex exploration of queerness in sexuality and gender later in life. So much of what you said feels familiar to me. So thanks again! You bring something wonderful to the world.
Thank you for your honest inspiring work and for sharing bits of yourself with the world. I am grateful that my journey intersects with yours and that you are able to express what I feel through your work.
Thank you for your art and for sharing so much of yourself, journey and continuing evolution to being home. I’m very different but adore your work and it has special significance knowing your story fully. We are all just seeing our own version of home 🧡
Hello from a former homeschooled kid! I love that both can be true, that we have things in common, and that it's completely fine that you are different than I'd imagined / assumed! Thank you for sharing bits with us! I just was teaching on boundaries today, and we discussed basing them first on our personal values, and then reframing them as river banks (which are more flow, soft, and such) but still do the same work to create space and alignment for how we should be treated, what we say yes (and no) to, etc.
Appreciating you!
Becoming who you are is such a fascinating process.
Thank you for trusting enough to share yourself.
“ so I waited and continued on, trusting that my body would eventually come along. And finally, just recently, it’s given me a yes.”
Oh goodness, this snippet! My heart!
The wonder of that trust and patience,I’m in AWE.
Thank you for sharing all that you share (including these kind of lighthouse ‘oh that’s even ever possible?!’ moments).
Huge love to you and your yes. Rowan xx
Brit,
I cannot tell you how deeply this speaks to me as a once religiously homeschooled, now openly (but always) queer, disabled woman. My life drastically changed about a year ago when I had to start using a wheelchair full time. Thank you for the work you do both on and off of the internet in touching peoples lives. Your work resonates with me on a level I’ve yet to comprehend but I am beyond thankful for its existence and the happenstance that I came across your page, and now newsletter.
Thank you for sharing parts of yourself with us, as it only deepens the connection I feel to your work. Your vulnerability speaks so loudly. Thank you, again.
I’m glad to see your face again, Brit! I’m proud of where you’ve come since we met. If you don’t remember, you made a profound impact on my life as another Queer Japanese American trying to navigate this world. Not only did your wisdom speak to me as a Queer elder, but so does your art. Please keep doing what you’re doing. Your paintings bring clarity to my emotions and bring me so much joy. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Happiness and biodegradable metaphorical floating balloons to you! I'm glad you're feeling safer in the world. A lot of what you paint and write, I see in my own struggles, my back and forth, my push pull questions. I also grew up in a religious environment and have been untangling, investigating its clutches inside me, the way that it closed me, closed off parts of myself from myself, from everyone else. You wrote something about paying attention to how you feel, not how you think you should feel or how you wish you would feel. I live a similar articulation, learning to be human. Also tangled for me: privacy, safety, threat, visibility, power, choice, connection. Thanks for showing your journey, your face, your joy, your terror. Thanks for navigating this odd weird world of screen-mediated communication and presence with words, hope, self-listening, reaching, patience, reporting, colour, shape, texture. I feel lucky to see the dance you've shared. It's like a buoy, a beacon, and also like exploding stars. Gorgeous. Gratitude. Belonging. Home. Take good care. Thank you.
Hello, Brit. Thank you for sharing with us pieces that feel right to share. It is a gift to receive. And it is lovely to “meet” you. In particular, this is the gift I’m carrying with me today: “it helps to have the understanding that healing is a type of adapting, and that it is a creative task, something we can help each other with.” Thank you!