day 52 of the 61-day Daisy Yellow Index Card a Day challenge
Okay. So I cheated. Just a little bit. Painting on an index card with gouache may not work too well. So I painted on a 4×6 piece of watercolor paper and then rubber cemented the watercolor paper onto the index card. I painted an abstract design just sort of randomly because my goal was randomness. Then I used chalk to draw in the people, who are meant to be invisible.
I live in a society that tends to treat people as disposable. If you struggle in school, if you struggle in life, or if you don’t conform, you might get help and support. Maybe, if you’re lucky. Or you might end up alone, rejected, or even treated like a pariah. And tossed into some societal bin, such as homelessness or prison. Disposable in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. Despite the many declarations of individual rights, the push to conform to expectations, such as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance repeatedly, just because everyone else is, or placing your hand over your heart when the national anthem is played, is very real. The expectation is that we will be so grateful for our freedom that we won’t exercise it by asking questions, such as “why recite the Pledge of Allegiance” as if it were some sort of mantra?” And there are others that I could ask, but they’re probably more controversial. Self censorship is also a thing, as I have just shown by not asking the more controversial questions. Maybe in another blog post. This one is about the mixed media work above.
What if all of the people rendered invisible by a society that is becoming increasingly intolerant of nonconformity got together? What if they were to support one another? The society that I live in (you can probably guess which one because it’s the only one that has declared itself to be the GREATEST NATION ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH, despite the fact that there is no greatest nation contest and, even if there were, this particular society would not win) is both individualistic and it’s conformist (simultaneously). But what it isn’t is a society that puts the group first, that says that we are only as strong as our weakest member and that, to support those who can’t win on their own, makes all of us better. So what if the social rejects were to challenge their own invisibility? What if they were to band together and support and encourage one another?
Would society see them? Or would they still be invisible?
Alice, it sounds like you’re feeling like an Outsider right now, and I’m sorry for that. I say this with affection, b/c I adore you: I see things very differently than you do. I see what is right rather than what is wrong; I work on the rest. Try visiting one Presbyterian Church or one Episcopal Church, and you will get a very different impression. While not everyone is getting the connection they want at exactly this minute, many fine people are working on it. And I love your piece above. <3
Thank you so much for your comments and your perspective. When I discovered, a few months ago, that i had fallen off the political spectrum, I became discouraged and frustrated. Hence, I feel like an Outsider. I do actually attend an Episcopal church in my home town, where I can explore my faith.
I don’t talk about my faith a lot, but I find it comes in handy when I feel like you do. Being with a community of like-minded people always lifts my spirits – whether it is my synagogue or my local indie bookstore. I hope you find that sense of belonging as well. – XO Elisa
Thank you so much for your support, Elisa.