Give Yourself Some Grace
During a recent rant with my therapist, I was telling her—in a rather manic way—all the things that were frustrating me about recovery from narcissistic abuse.
I explained that I felt my sense of self motivation was abysmal (in comparison to my past self) and self discipline was lacking. I told her I was still having trouble expressing myself, realizing any sense of accomplishment, confidence, and I explained this whole notion I have of moving from victim to survivor to warrior. It just seemed to me that it was all an incredible amount of work and I wasn’t progressing fast enough, strong enough, smart enough; and why the hell was all this recovery stuff taking so god damn long anyway?
She looked at me with a wide eyed, knowing smile, “Give yourself some grace,” she said.
It stopped me short. What a beautiful turn of words. I wrote it down. And then I began to consider what was meant by “grace”.
Read More»The stories we tell
- At November 20, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Narcissistic Abuse Recovery, Writing
2
Finding your new personal narrative.
Human beings have told stories for 40,000 years. Whether by written or spoken word, or pictures painted on cave walls, these are the tales of our experiences, our culture, and history. Story telling has been core to the human experience since forever. But what makes a story true and what deems a story worth being told? And more importantly, what about the stories we tell ourselves … about ourselves?
I’ve written stories for many years now. Whether I’m interviewing an artist, a Yemeni activist and journalist, or ten Swedish superwomen, I’ve always endeavored to capture the authenticity and truth of my subject. The narratives that I’ve told myself—about myself—over the last two years, however, have been usually quite harsh and often untrue. I think this is the case for many of us as we reflect on past mistakes or engage in self-degradating emotions. There is no fact checking for our inner critic. But it is these negative self critiques which we most often use to define who we are.
Read More»Teaching myself to read, again
- At October 21, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Narcissistic Abuse Recovery, Wellness, Writing
- 4
Nearly everyone has had the experience of reading a paragraph or a page in a book, getting to the bottom of it, and then realizing they have no idea what they just read. In 2017, this was happening to me on a regular basis. In fact, it was happening all the time. As a writer, not being able to focus or comprehend reading material was obviously problematic.
This had never been an issue for me in the past. Prior to my experiences in Sweden, I had laser focus. But after my return to the US, I found I could read news articles and the simple short posts people would write on social media, but I couldn’t focus on longform or fiction. My abilities to research and to stay on task were also significantly reduced.
Why the change?
Read More»Artist Katie Swatland
Artist Katie Swatland has an amazing story. It was my pleasure to help her tell it.
My most recent piece for Venü Magazine:
Katie Swatland’s Alchemy Visions, Curiosity Without Bounds:
In the winter of 2016, artist Katie Swatland covered all her clocks to eliminate the illusion of time, hung a “do not disturb” sign upon her studio door, and stepped into a journey of self imposed artistic isolation for 29 months. She re-emerged on June 11, 2018 finally feeling the need to share the fruits of her labor – the Alchemy Visions collection – nearly complete with the exception of three final works.
She is an intriguing individual, as is evidenced not only by her art but the way in which she sees, reflects, and interacts with the world. While many artists proclaim their work to be multi-disciplinary – it’s quite trendy these days to do so – Swatland is the real deal. Because of an intense curiosity about the world and its cultures, her art is informed with layers of meaning – expressions based on ancient philosophies, the natural sciences, history, folklore, and mythology.
Having trained for sixteen years in the art of oil painting, Swatland also received a degree in mechanical engineering and has a passion for theoretical physics. It is this background in scientific learning, I believe, which allows her to intellectually explore and ask methodical questions of nature and the unknown.
The start of Alchemy Visions began, as most journeys do, with a first step …
Read More»Failure to protect
- At October 05, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Current Events, Experiences
- 2
Once when I was in Gothenburg, I was abandoned on the street at one o’clock in the morning by my fiancé. The buses and trams stopped running that late at night and so while he jumped into a cab to get home, he left me behind. On purpose.
He was angry at me. I don’t know why, I rarely knew why. Maybe he had gotten embarrassed that evening or a comment was made by someone that he didn’t like, and as usual the anger and punishment was dealt to me.
I didn’t have the money to take a cab home myself. So when he phoned me from his ride, I asked him if he would he pay the fare for me when I got home. He told me to walk. He wasn’t going to pay two fares.
Read More»Artist Opportunities – Venü’s Artist Profiles
- At September 18, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Art, Current Events
- 0
Dear Artists and Galleries,
Venü Magazine is providing an outstanding opportunity for artists this season.
Introducing Artist Profiles!
We have been asked by many of the creatives we meet at gallery openings, or the art fairs we attend nationwide, if we could offer artist profiles inside the pages of Venü. To meet these needs, we are happy to now provide the chance for artists to display their artist profile or statement, contact information, and photos of their work in a full page or two-page spread.
Artists, your work will be beautifully laid out for the readers of Venü many of who include art enthusiasts, collectors, and major galleries. Not only will your profile and work appear in our beautiful satin covered print edition, but online as well – our digital magazine is always available and can be used as a new powerful marketing tool standing as one of your Press Pages for outreach.
Read More»Summer Issue of Venü Magazine
I’m so excited about this issue of Venü Magazine. Knowing how difficult it is to be in the publishing industry these days, I have to take my hat off to Tracey Thomas and her staff. The amount of work that goes into creating a magazine is certainly a labor of love. Venü issues are not only available online but the beautiful print editions, with their satin sleek covers, are wonderful to hold and read. Many people tell us that they keep past issues as collectables. Additional thanks also goes to Nichole D’Auria for always making my stories (and all the stories in Venü) look so gorgeous with her layouts. And thanks to the editors who make our stories so much more readable and grammatically correct.
For this summer issue of Venü Magazine, my article on the work of artist Betsy Silverman graces the cover. This is the second time I’ve interviewed Silverman and like the first interview, I’m still inspired and impressed with her eye for architectural perfection and attention to detail. Silverman creates highly detailed and vibrant scenes of Boston using only carefully curated and cut pieces of paper. All from recycled magazines. Not a single brush stoke of paint nor a hand drawn line exists in her work.
Read More»Artscope Magazine and the NYC Dance Project
- At July 06, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Art, Editorial, Features, Photography, Writing
- 0
It’s an honor for a writer to know that a story they have crafted will grace the cover of a magazine. Personally, it tells me that my writing has obtained a certain standard – I take that recognition quite seriously and am always grateful for it. For the artists I write about, it is always good news when they learn that their hard work is representative of a publication’s monthly (or bi-monthly) issue.
This summer’s issue of Artscope Magazine (July/August) shows the stunning photographic work of Deborah Ory and Ken Browar’s NYC Dance Project. It was wonderful to work with Ory and Browar, as well as gallery owner Susan Lanoue, for the story.
I include the article for you here.
Photos courtesy of NYC Dance Project.
The Breath of a Dancer
With a single click, a moment in time can be captured forever. It’s extraordinary, really, when you think about it. Occasions, places, and historical events are captured by the internal mechanisms of a camera, by the skill and passion of the photographer, providing us with that which our own eyes may not see. The click of a shutter can capture something so slight as the breath of a dancer.
Read More»
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