I'm currently working on a dissertation researching the connections between social justice, creativity, and women's circles using feminist research methods. I have a particular interest in all things that contribute to the dismantling of the patriarchy. For too long we have lived in a hierarchy that has generated oppression to so many marginalized peoples; especially women and children.
Of late, I am taken with the idea that even small acts of peace are a part of the resistance. If I can spread love, peace, and kindness through art images than I am helping the world become a better place. For example, I made the cards in the image above and sent them randomly to old and new friends. No surprise, they were delighted. Random acts of kindness are a part of the Gift Economy practiced by indigenous groups around the world. Simply, it means to give something of yourself or a to give a gift to somebody because they are in need. There is no need for payment and no need for reciprocity. I practiced this form of economy long before I knew it was a concept. I was often criticized or told I was too generous or told that I was 'doing too much.'
In my Women's Spirituality studies I came across an amazing author, Genevieve Vaughn, who writes about this Gift Economy as a women's economy. Imagine my delight when I learned that what I was doing was my right as a woman; I was and am helping to bring about a better way of life.
Right now, I'm reading a lovely book call Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer; a poet, botanist, and Native American. She also writes of the Gift Economy. "And, while expressing gratitude seems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition. Recognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desires. Gratitude cultivates an ethic of fullness, but the economy needs emptiness." She goes on to say, "Gratitude doesn't send you out shopping to find satisfaction; it comes as a gift rather than a commodity, subverting the foundation of the whole economy. That is good medicine for land and people alike."
Expressing gratitude and giving for the sake of giving is revolutionary.
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