acrylic and ink on wood

i loved this image the moment i saw it. i stumbled across it while reading live through this, an anthology from seven stories press about women, creativity, and self-destruction. the image is cristy c. road’s new year’s day, and it is acrylic and ink on wood.

i love that this woman is putting herself back together, holding her heart in her hands. i showed it to a friend and visual artist who said it looked like the woman was removing her own heart. we had very different interpretations, but i stick by mine.

what do you see?

what if all it took to put oneself back together was some needle and thread?

5 Thoughts In Response to John Mayer's Playboy Interview

Cause a picture of Staceyann Chin is always better than a picture of John Mayer

1. So, when John Mayer says his penis is a "white supremacist", does he realize he isn't  just saying that he doesn't find black women attractive? Does he realize that the idea of a "white supremacist penis" evokes rape for a lot of women? Not to mention, slavery? White supremacy is not a simple matter of preference. If your penis is a white supremacist, you've got a big problem. Does your penis wear little pointed white hats too? If your penis is a white supremacist, you need a new one. 

2. Why does John Mayer  keep saying he was trying to be "witty" and "edgy"? Doesn't he know that being a white man with lots of power who brags of his sexual exploits, makes light of racism, and demeans women doesn't make him edgy? Things that are edgy should play with our expectations or challenge the power structure. John Mayer isn't shaking up any expectations or power structure - he is conforming to the violent status quo so many of us are trying to break down (for our own survival). Furthermore, you can't dismiss your racist, sexist comments as "slips of the tongue" or failed attempts at being clever. Take them for what they are --- insight into the internalized racism and sexism you're carrying and need to work on if you want to be a better person. 

3. It's clear John Mayer doesn't love women. Having sex with women doesn't mean you love them. "Daughters" officially counts for nothing. A theoretical or professed love for women doesn't matter. Spare us the ballad and just treat women better/don't have a white supremacist penis. 

4. Sexual napalm - WHAT!? 

5. Never call yourself a blues singer. Again. 

Enough about John Mayer. All this talk calls for some Staceyann Chin. Check out "Common Truths or Why I Love My Vagina." The poem includes some mature language, but it is beautiful and one of my favorites. On the link (which is an HTML version of a publication that printed the poem), go down to page 8 to read. 

Three cheers for the women of color who wake up every day and mess up the power structure. That's edgy, to say the least.