Love

​We accept the love we think we deserve. 
― Stephen Chbosky

The American news cycle is horrific right now. Maybe it's horrific everywhere? It seems particularly bad here and the social media reactions to the news are equally as exhausting. A writer I follow describes it as waking up every day and "sucking on the crack pipe of outrage."

Truer words.

I'm trying to step back from this culture of outrage where every conversation teeters on the precipice of a yelling match, even between people who agree with each other. The level of emotion is too high and all my online interactions feel counterproductive to my mental health,

So, how about a week of love instead? I listened to Joe Rogan's interview with Elon Musk the other day and it ends with Musk saying that love is the answer to most of the world's ills. If the premiere inventor and engineer of our time can say that, then probably we should listen. 

I found a bunch of different thoughts about love that struck me for one reason or another so I'll explore them this week. And it's my birthday week so that also feels like a good time to think about love. Self love particularly. And uncomfortable truths like this quote, even more particularly..

I started this photo project a year ago because I was looking at my life and sex choices and not seeing a lot of self-love. I needed to see my body differently and thus change my mindset. It's definitely worked in certain regards and I love how the project has progressed this past year. 

In my actual life I've made some good changes, like quitting my job. And in the past week, I turned down a guy who would only contribute messiness and mayhem to my life, even though it might come along with some hot sex, so i feel good about that decision.  

I have several other changes that I need to make this fall so I'm going into my 47th year with some resolutions, one of which is to expand this photo project into the real world. I want to see my pictures on an actual wall in real life and not just on a computer screen. As with most other things in my life, the process of that expansion is interesting and terrifying and exciting and nonlinear. Just as a new project should be. 

Happy one year anniversary to Ekphrasis Inverted! Let's see what my 47th year brings.