Monsters are Real Quote Art

Content warning: Anxiety, panic disorder

     Today's post is not a typical craft post.  Sure, there is a craft, and if you just want to print this quote art I designed and use it for your personal use, it's at the end of the post.  However, I wanted to use this space to tell you a little about how this art came to be.
     The beauty of Stephen King's "Monsters are real..." quote is that it resonates with many of us, even if our struggles are different.  We all have our own monsters and ghosts that we are grappling with.  When I see this quote, my mind goes to the main monster living inside of me: anxiety.

My Anxiety Journey

     Before we get into my inspiration, I want to give you a brief overview of my anxiety journey.  Feel free to skip this section if you already know what it's like to live with anxiety and don't want to be reminded of how much it sucks.
     I have exhibited symptoms of anxiety from a young age, but it took me until I was in my mid-20s to piece together what was going on with me.  Up to that point, I thought I was just cautious and a bit of a worrier.  I didn't realize that there was something atypical about the way I reacted to the world.
     Everything changed during the summer of 2014, when I had to get my wisdom teeth removed.  During the weeks leading up to the surgery, I had to attend a couple of consultations with my oral surgeon.  Something about these appointments triggered in me not only anxiety, but also panic.  To quote from my old anxiety blog I started that I never did anything with, "I would sit there in the waiting room sweating buckets, my heart hammering away a mile a minute as my stomach churned like a washing machine, wanting to flee to the safety of the car and feeling trapped and helpless because I couldn't."
     In retrospect, I had probably had many panic attacks before this series of events.  Since I did not know panic disorder was a thing, I thought what was happening to me was a physical ailment.  I have dealt with bouts of gastrointestinal unrest since childhood, and these instances often seemed to correlate with events happening in my life.  For example, during my first two years of college, I would feel sick for the first week of the semester, missing some, if not all, of the classes that week.  I was afraid each time a new semester approached that I would get sick and - lo and behold - I would then get sick.
     So the issues had existed long before my wisdom tooth extraction, but what happened after my surgery was that any time Brian and I would go somewhere, I would feel anxious, and that anxiety would quickly escalate to panic.  We would get three quarters of the way to our destination and then it would become too much and I would be on the verge of tears, begging Brian to turn back.  This was when I finally realized that I wasn't getting sick all the time; I was having panic attacks.
     I've been in treatment twice for my anxiety and hopefully will be back in treatment again here soon.  I was hoping that once I finished my Ph.D., I'd finally be able to relax and get things under control, but then the world turned upside down and here I am, as anxious as ever.  I was rereading my old anxiety blog as I was writing this post, and even though these entries were from four years ago, so many of the issues I was experiencing then I'm still struggling with.  Anxiety sucks.

The Meaning Behind My Quote Art

     Anyway, that's enough about my anxiety.  Now let's talk about what this quote art represents to me.  I wanted to find some way to visually represent my anxiety.  Since it is a part of me, I thought I could achieve this by having two Ambers in the image, one to represent me and one to represent my anxiety.  The Amber that's curled up behind the tree crying?  That's me in the throes of a panic attack.  The Amber with the red cape is the physical manifestation of my anxiety.  To me, anxiety is red.  It is screeching red, alarm sirens blaring ad infinitum red.  That's why anxiety is wearing a red cloak and red lipstick.  Anxiety can bring with it feelings of helplessness and despair, which I envision as pitch black, the hopeless color of a starless night.  This is why the rest of anxiety's outfit is black.  I'm sure there's a lot more symbolism you can read into this image, but if there is anything else there, it probably wasn't something I consciously invoked.

Printable Monsters Are Real Quote Art

Materials:

*Printed 8.5"x11" "Monsters Are Real" Quote Art
*8.5"x11" photo frame.

Directions:

*Print out a copy of this quote art, ideally on matte photo paper.

*Place the image in the photo frame.

DIY Face Mask Ear Savers

     Many health care providers and other essential personnel are having to wear masks that go over their ears for extended periods of time right now.  Ear savers (also called face mask adapters) can help relieve the strain and wearing on their ears.  These require only a few materials and are relatively quick to make.  If you have the resources to do so, you may want to check and see if your local first responders, other medical professionals, or anyone in your community who has to wear masks frequently is looking for donations.  Make sure to check with whomever you're hoping to donate these to first, though, as some groups may have specific needs that these will not fill.

Mary the pirate octopus serving as quality control.

Materials:

*Sturdy ribbon
*Sewing needle
*Thread
*Large buttons

Directions:

*Cut off a length of ribbon that is about 5" long.

*Fold the raw edges over by about 1/4" and hem.

*Sew buttons onto the ends of the ribbon.  I sewed through each hole three times on the four holed buttons and four times through each two holed button.  If you have a mask handy, you can use a person or a plush toy with a reasonably large head to make sure that the ear saver will hold up to strain.

Stenciled T-shirt

cw: domestic violence.  For more information about domestic violence or how to receive help, check out this post I wrote a few years ago.

     In addition to being Halloween season, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  Each day, more than 20,000 calls are made to domestic violence organizations across the country.  In Maine, about half of all homicides in a given year are acts of domestic violence.  Millions of Americans are experiencing or have experienced physical, psychological, or sexual abuse at the hands of intimate partners or family members.  Many of these people are suffering in silence.  There are myriad reasons why, but lack of education around what relationship violence is, inadequate support systems, and a cultural refusal to believe survivors are all contributors.
     This month I challenge you to do something to take a stand against domestic violence.  Participate in an awareness event, donate to your local domestic violence organization, check in on your friends and loved ones.  If we all made a small effort, the sum of those small efforts could create a big change.  That change could save lives.

Flowers laid down at the 5th annual UMaine March Against Domestic Violence in memory of school teacher Amy Bagley Lake and her children Monica and Cody, who were killed by the children's father in 2011.

     Now to your regularly scheduled craft.  I used my Silhouette CAMEO to cut out the letters for this shirt, but letter stickers could work just as well.

Materials:

*T-shirt
*Letter stickers
*Spray on fabric paint

Directions:

*Cover your well ventilated work station with newspaper, scrap paper, or some other covering.

*Lay your clean, dry T-shirt down on your work surface.

*Stick the letter stickers to the shirt, forming the message you want to send.

*Paint the area around the letter stickers following the directions on the can.

*Let dry for a few minutes and then carefully peel the letter stickers off.

*Let dry the rest of the way.

*If your stickers are sufficiently sticky, the fabric paint should not get under the letters.  However, if it does, you can touch up these areas with fabric paint that is the same color as your T-shirt and a small brush, such as a nail art brush.

50 Reasons

     This post was inspired by a project that my local UMaine chapter of Active Minds put together.  During the fall semester, members of Active Minds asked students to write down positive things that tomorrow could bring on squares of paper.  They collected 1,100 squares, one for each student in the U.S. who dies by suicide each year, and assembled the squares into a quilt.  According to Sarah, President of the UMaine chapter of Active Minds, the goal of creating the quilt was to, "inspire hope, positivity, and optimism for the endless possibilities of tomorrow.  It's finished project symbolizes at least 1,100 reasons to stick around for another day."  The quilt, which was displayed at Fogler Library, provided a powerful visual reminder of what good the future could bring.  Some of my personal favorite suggestions were Halloween, cats, and playing Pokemon GO, but there were all sorts of ideas from foods to activities to goals that people could look forward to.

The quilt on display at Fogler Library

     Filling out some squares was cathartic for me and I thought it might be nice to adapt a smaller scale version of this project for my craft blog.  All of us have our rough days and it can be nice to have a visual reminder of the things we have to look forward to.  I came up with a list of 50 things I like and goals I have, but you could come up with any number of reasons that works for you.  I originally wanted to arrange the squares in a quilt, but I didn't have enough space on my wall, so I arranged them around existing artwork.  You could arrange them in any pattern you'd like.

Materials:
*Sticky notes
*Marker or pen

Directions:

*Write things that you like or goals that you have on sticky notes.  You can do this yourself or with a group of friends.

*Arrange the sticky notes in whatever pattern you would like to.

Atom Model Pins

     In anticipation of UMaine Marches for Science, our local sister march to the national March for Science, I decided to make some pins for our organizing crew.  These are relatively quick to make if you have access to a die cutting machine such as the Silhouette CAMEO, but if not you may want to try drawing or printing an atom model and gluing rhinestones to it to save time.

Materials:
*Black cardstock
*Silver glitter cardstock
*Rhinestones
*All purpose adhesive
*Pins

Directions:
*Cut out four equally sized oval shaped rings for electron orbits from the silver glitter cardstock.
*Cut out a circle slightly larger than the length of the rings from the black cardstock.
*Arrange the rings in the shape of the atom model and glue down.
*Glue a big rhinestone in the center to represent the nucleus and little rhinestones along the rings to represent electrons.  Let dry.
*Once dry, glue a pin to the back.  Set aside to dry.

Domestic Violence Awareness Ribbons

Trigger warning: discussion of domestic violence and sexual assault.  If you are experiencing domestic violence and need help, check out this hotline service or skip to the paragraph below the bullet points in this post for more details on how you can receive help.

     Before I get to this week's craft, I want to take a moment to talk about something serious.  October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  This is important because domestic violence is an issue that affects all of us in one way or another, either through our own personal experiences or the experiences of loved ones.  It can take many forms, including physical, emotional, sexual, economic and psychological abuse (source).  More than 1 in 3 women and more than 1 in 4 men in the US will experience physical violence, rape, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime (source).  About 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience severe physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner in their lifetime (source).  Nearly 1 in 5 women (and 1 in 71 men) will be raped in their lifetime, and of these women, more than half have been assaulted by an intimate partner (40.8% have been assaulted by an acquaintance) (source).  Here in Maine, about half of all homicides are domestic violence related  (source).
     With statistics like these, the odds are that even if you have not personally experienced domestic violence, someone close to you has.  Sadly, there are a lot of misconceptions about what domestic violence is and there is a stigma associated with experiencing it.  Many people who are experiencing emotional, psychological, or economic abuse don't realize that what they are experiencing constitutes abuse because their partner isn't hitting them (if you suspect that you or someone you care about might be experiencing domestic violence, this chart is a good starting place.  If you're still not sure or are wondering what your next step should be, try calling their hotline or talking to someone at your local anti-domestic violence organization).  Many survivors feel pressured into remaining silent about their experiences.  This is why Domestic Violence Awareness Month is so important.  It gives us a chance to come together and say that we will not tolerate domestic violence in any of its forms.  It provides us with an opportunity to educate others about what domestic violence is and to stand with survivors.
     You may be wondering how you can help.  There are numerous ways to get involved, some of which are low commitment.  For example, you could:

• Don purple (the color of domestic violence awareness) or teal (the color of sexual assault awareness) clothing and purple or teal ribbons to show your support.
• Change your Facebook or Twitter profile using this Domestic Violence Awareness Twibbon.
• Attend one of the many Domestic Violence Awareness events going on across the country (this site has some of the events going on across the country, although I'm not sure how comprehensive it is).  If you're a Mainer, click on this link and select the organization corresponding to the county you live in to see what events are happening in your area.  Additionally, if you're a UMaine student or community member, the Student Women's Association will be hosting our annual Take Back The Night march and rally on Thursday, October 15th at 5 pm in the North Pod of the Memorial Union.  We would love to have your presence and support!
• Volunteer to help with your local anti-domestic violence organization.  Needs may vary from one organization to the next, so check with your local group to see what they're looking for.  Hotline workers are a position that many organizations need volunteers to fill on a regular basis.  They often have specific times when they are hosting training sessions, so if you're interested in this be sure to keep an eye out.
• Donate to your local organization.  Groups are always in need of money to maintain and/or expand services.  Many groups that operate shelters may also need personal care items such as shampoos and menstrual hygiene products or toys and games if there are children at the shelter, but check with your specific organization before donating to make sure that your gift best suits their needs.

     The most important thing you can do all year round is listen and offer support.  If you suspect a loved one is in an abusive situation, the best thing you can do is to be there for them in whatever capacity they need.  If you aren't sure how to handle the situation, this site has some good advice.  If you yourself are experiencing or have experienced domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is a 24 hour hotline and chat service that can help you figure out the best course of action given your situation.  They have an escape button in the upper left hand corner of their webpage that you can click on if you need to leave the site immediately.  Many local organizations also offer hotline services and other forms of support, so if you have the ability to do so, check out the services that they have to offer.
     I know this has been a heavy post, but this is such an important issue and if I inspire even one person to take action or seek out help, then it was worthwhile.  Now on to this week's craft.

Domestic Violence Awareness Ribbons

Materials

*Purple and teal ribbons, one of which is thicker than the other (the purple ribbon is for domestic violence awareness and the teal one is for sexual assault awareness)

*Safety pins

*Scissors

Directions:

*Take one of the lengths of ribbon and cross it over itself to form a loop, adjusting it until you have a ribbon of the desired length.  Cut off excess ribbon.

*Cut the second ribbon to be the same length as the first.

*Lay the thinner ribbon over the thicker ribbon and cross the two ribbons in the same manner as you did in step one.

*Slide a safety pin through the intersection point of the ribbons.  Use the safety pin to affix the ribbon to your clothes.