I am still feeling my way around this site, and trying to figure out a few things, but I feel as though I may actually finally be getting the hang of things. Since I teach Internet Literacy, you would think I'd be moving much more quickly on this, but I DO have a few other things I do, and I still enjoy making art by hand, which of course is generally my priority in the summer!
When I was a teenager, I totally adored unicorns, and in the late 70s and early 80s, they seemed abundant. I am not sure what is in the air (or the water) lately, but they are everywhere once again, and have been for a few years. I do believe there are more unicorn items available now than there ever have been. My teenaged self would have been over the moon. Of late, loved ones have gifted me with many unicorn themed items, including mugs, a sippy cup, a ring, a phone case, and I even found a set of unicorn ear buds in Five Below. What exactly is in the zeitgeist here? I suspect it may be that reality is a bit harsh for most people right now, and unicorns allow us a lovely escape into more innocent and sparkly coated times.
Recently, I watched a film on Netflix called Unicorn Store. The title, and the fact that the film starred both Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson, were both quite enough to hook me in. The film tells the story of Kit (Brie Larson), art school reject, who receives a mysterious offer to visit "The Store", where The Salesman (Samuel L. Jackson) tells her that in order to be able to have a unicorn, she must carefully prepare herself as unicorns are made of "unconditional love," and they can only survive in completely positive environments. The story goes delightfully from there, with Kit transforming herself and the people around her, and finding a lot of surprises along the way.
The film Unicorn Store is really about all of us who set out early in life with no real clear plan of how to "adult." (I am going to get past my Grammar and Dictionary Head Nazis and just accept that the internet has made the word "adult" into a verb). I felt much as Kit did in art school - that I couldn't possibly ever fit in with the art that was popular at that time - deeply conceptual and pretty modernist - and that I had no idea of what a "real" job was, or how I would support myself. This film is really all about finding one's own path, and listening carefully to the little voice inside... the one that reminds you that the world is still magical, that you in fact are still magical, and that you have something to offer the world in spite of all the ugliness and naysayers who may be telling you otherwise.
I've been going through a time of reflection on what my 'right work' is, and have received a lot of really good guidance on following my own counsel. The wording every time has been along the lines of "Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do." I'm still formulating where it is I am headed next, but I can tell you, I am setting on the path with surer footsteps than I have felt in quite some time. It feels good, and there will probably be a unicorn or two along the way for company.
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