https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtHCtOMP2Sg
“How are you doing today?” This is a question I’m sure we’ve all heard and used in our lifetime. We commonly hear it from friends, family, and sometimes even strangers. But the meaning behind this question has lost its weight as it’s become normality to use it as a greeting or conversation starter. When asked “How are you doing?” we most often answer with simple responses, such as “I’m okay,” or “I’m good, how are you?” Society has become so accustomed to using “How are you?” as a tool, we’ve completely lost meaning to the question as a whole. Do you take a minute, or even a second to process such a simple question? Society has taught us to live our lives at such a fast pace, we can forget to take a second and to sit with our emotions. We are all humans and we all have feelings. To not process your emotions is the same as to not live.
I did my intervention on the importance of being connected to your emotions. Without a doubt, emotions are a core piece of what makes us all humans. But societal norms have taught us to shy away from our emotions. We have to “stop crying like a baby,” and “toughen up” if we want to survive in the world. According to a study done by the University of Minnesota on the relationship between human health and emotions, “Repressed emotions (especially fearful or negative ones) can zap mental energy, negatively affect the body, and lead to health problems.” Ignoring our emotions can negatively affect our health. It can reduce our energy, negatively affect our mental health, and hurt our self-esteem. As much as making money and our education is a priority in growth, understanding our emotions is also a key part. To put these words into action is harder than it seems.
I’ve struggled with emotional awareness for a better part of my life. I still struggle with it today, but I’ve become better at being aware of my emotions. I work for a non-profit organization called HuntersWorld, where we peer mentor teenagers to become well-equipped to deal with their emotions. What I learned about emotions, is that it’s fucking hard to face our emotions. “We need to learn to fight on the terrain of our enemy. But there are also times when we can shift the terrain to one more advantageous to ourselves.” (Duncombe & Lambert, pg. 95) It’s important to recognize our emotions, not as an enemy, but as a friend. The hardest part about being aware of our emotions is the vulnerability that brings to the table. To be aware does not mean we only see what is in the light, but also the darkness that surrounds it. Sometimes we need to sit with our negative emotions like sadness, loneliness, and anxiety. This is no easy task, but to be able to tussle in the ring with our “not-so-friendly” emotions can open up a whole new world we’ve never seen. We come to understand those negative emotions, why we have those emotions, and eventually how we can cope with those feelings. Being aware of our emotions is the same thing as being aware of who we are as an individual. This is why I think it’s so important to teach this lesson to everyone, and I wanted to do that through my performance art.
Yoko Ono’s “The Cut Piece” performance art was a big inspiration for my intervention. In her performance, Yoko Ono sat idly with a pair of scissors for the audience to use on her clothes. It was up to the audience to decide how much to cut off, and what part of her clothes they wanted to cut off. No matter what the audience did, Yoko Ono would sit idly without changing her stance as a way to stand for women's empowerment. Much like Yoko Ono’s performance, I used my body as the main act of the performance. I would stand idly, with a white shirt and some colored markers for the audience to use. The audience would be given free will to write any emotion they were feeling at the moment, with whichever color marker they thought best represented their emotion. “If you want your students to remember the lesson, and to integrate it into their lives, they need to puzzle through it, process it, and make it their own,” (Duncombe & Lambert, pg. 90). Unlike Yoko Ono’s performance, where she wants her audience to TAKE from her, mine required the audience to GIVE a part of themselves to me. To express your emotions can be very personal and vulnerable, to write it on someone requires more willpower! What I wanted the audience to do was to actually sit for a second and be within their emotions. If they were able to do that and take the willpower to write it down for the world to see, it was already a step up. Hopefully, they were able to look within and see a part of themselves and feel good about it. Luckily I had a great audience to help me with this intervention. It almost felt like cheating, but I went to my job to do this performance art! The participants at HuntersWorld were given instructions, as I stood idly for them to do their magic. Since they were already well equipped with expressing their emotions, it was almost too easy as they rushed to write on my shirt. The standing idly part was somewhat of a failure as I ended up talking to some of the new participants. It was difficult for me to not talk back because I had already felt intensely awkward standing like a statue, I didn’t want to ignore them.
Archelle, et al. “How Do Thoughts and Emotions Affect Health?” Taking Charge of Your Wellbeing. https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-do-thoughts-and-emotions-affect-health#:~:text=Emotions%20that%20are%20freely%20experienced,and%20lead%20to%20health%20problems..
Duncombe and Lambert. “Art of Activism” pg. 90-95.
Bonus:
Self Reflection Piece
Peer into the mirror.
See your eyes.
See your mouth.
See your eyebrows.
See your pimples.
Scream at your reflection,
What echoes back?
Community Piece
Walk your neighborhood.
What do you see?
Who plays in the basketball park?
Who stands at the corner deli?
Who works the ice cream cart?
What part do you play in your neighborhood?
Richness in Brokeness Piece
How much do you have in your bank account?
Disregard that number.
Are mear numbers the identity we see ourselves?
Imagine your birthplace,
your favorite food,
your favorite movie,
your favorite hobby.
If culture is hailed so highly as money,
What riches do you own?
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