Personal as Political.

The fact that Bird mentions an essay in which this originated from women seeking psychotherapy for problems that were caused by environmental and cultural factors is so intriguing to me and in tune with my educational philosophy. The classic debate of nature vs. nurture comes in to play when we look at environmental factors that affect our mental health. Then, to make these matters a societal/political debate when protesting them and expressing the impacts they have, it is empowering and cathartic for the artist, as well as impactful on society. It's shocking to remember how newly accepted female artists are in the art community, and that larger collective groups of women had to work to change that.

I think I would encourage myself and my students to personally reflect on the causes of their situations or emotions on a larger scale. What/who/cultural norms/expectations make us feel the way they do? How do our personal problems relate to the problems of others? How do we talk about A person or A situation instead of MY person or MY situation? How do we draw inspiration from our own current worlds and relate them to the worlds of other people?

Basically, I think any medium or any art project could speak to this in a variety of ways. Unless there is one specific situation that is completely unique to you as an individual...but really all events and emotions have probably been experienced by others as well. People have had political issues, loss, grief, repression, censorship, and so on; in various ways.

I think it would be important to focus on what is current in our world today as influences in order to make the personal problems political.

For example, I would like to continue working with documenting schools and their various levels of security. In my satirical way, I show how there is a sense of paranoia, while some of the steps people take for security are just an act of comfort, more of a simulation of safety, than actually being safe. In some cases I feel it coule be the opposite of safety, if certain teachers were approved to carry concealed weapons. These are very current political issues that will affect my career and the environment for my future children.

I could also see myself dealing with a feminism theme as well in a sense of feeling culturally pressured to revert to a stereotypical woman of the 1950's. I would like to make work showing a compare contrast self-portraits of myself as a 1950's teacher, woman, girlfriend, etc., and show how there are more similarities in emotions than differences in the changing environment. I still feel like a 1950's 22 year old middle class white female training to be a teacher, get engaged, follow my husband around, and make turkey for Thanksgiving, even when I'm wearing skinny jeans and holding an iPad.

I also felt this very similar feminist charge in the recent election with the decisions of women's health care being made by old men. I think some very strong collages, drawings, prints, or photographs could be made to speak to this work, where once again, women do not have a say on their own matters that are extremely important in physical and mental health.

The idea of psychotherapy in itself could also be interesting, as I think our country needs to work on removing the stigma associated with going to therapy, and work on creating more awareness programs about mental health and prevention. Why did something have to be "wrong with" the women in the 1970's who were trying to get help with coping with their lives and environments?