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audio journals

 

This is a wild little experiment that I am terrified by but also strangely drawn to.
 

Journaling and drawing have been integral parts of my Watson project -- necessary in processing my feelings and experiences and helping me draw connections between everything I am learning. They are also part of my practice of checking in with my body and managing pain. When I injured my dominant arm, my mom suggested recording audio journals instead, which was so different! Listening back, I am struck by the almost unbearable feeling of intimacy in hearing a voice -- hearing it wake up. And pause. And breathe. And change its mind.

 

I feel curious and strange about sharing them, but the curiosity is winning over. So here are my first four, and after that I'll see how I feel about posting others. Each is under 10 minutes and together the four have a bit of an arc. Currently, they are totally unedited. I swear a bit (as usual) and talk a lot about improvisation (as usual). 

Audio Journals
June 9th - 11th 2015

Of the four, I am most nervous about sharing this one because it is the most unresolved and messy. I was just waking up as I recorded it, and had been to the clinic the day before to get an x-ray for what I was sure was a fracture, and nothing showed up. Which, though not unusual for my bone condition, is alarming and frustrating. I chose to share because this is a facet of disability stories that doesnt fit neatly into major disability narratives because it centers ambiguity, and people generally don't know how to respond. I don't know how to respond. Which makes it tense with possibility!

Reflecting on what it takes to consider something 'art,' what is worth sharing, what is adaptability, and always, lots more. 

Thoughts on injury, adaptability, art, improvisation, and how all these themes interact in my Watson project. Also more reflections on 'oversharing' and artistic experimentation.

The best thing about living in constant injury/recovery is the constant opportunities to feel GREAT AGAIN WOOOOoaOOooAh!

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