Katie | Jiana | Carly | Hayley | Such Creatures | Demery | John | Kori
April 4 | Katie Friedman
Brooklyn
I don't want to talk about the thing
I feel like everything has already been said
We are in a loop
It sucks
What doesn't suck:
- I haven't made anything (performative) since moving to Brooklyn and this prompted me to change that
-My roof gets really warm in the sun
-I've gotten to celebrate an engagement, see live performances, and talk to friends I haven't seen in years and all of this could have still happened but probably wouldn't have if it wasn't for, ya know, the thing.
- I fixed my bike and it's spring
I usually like to make work with a lot of honesty and a little bit of stupidity. I'm in Brooklyn, right now, for now, making custom clothes/ alterations/mending for clients in my neighborhood. I would like to thank the very annoying but often helpful app- Nextdoor- for providing me with a way to make money that I will absolutely not be claiming on my taxes in 2020.
Here is a photo of me in a public place on a night where I got very sweaty dancing in a room full of people. Email | Instagram
April 4 | Jiana Estes
Chicago
WOW i feel a little bit horrible? on the upside, for the first time in my adult life, i call my parents everyday.
jiana is an artist living in chicago. co-founder of @hotkitchencollective
website hotkitchencollective.com
insta @jianaestes
April 4 | Carly Wicks
Chicago
What I took from the pieces before me was this "tada" moment that I see myself and others trying to find and then also share within self isolation. There is this underlying pressure I feel to "make the most out of a pandemic." Things that I would typically feel pretty good about accomplishing are kinda tinged with a sort of manic grotesqueness. A fight to stay positive or proactive makes me worried that maybe I'm being avoidant and in denial. Nothing I do in my free time is the same right now. If I make bread, its because it's a self-sustaining act I can do while indoors during shelter in place. Changes the whole damn thing. I used to just like to make bread sometimes.
Carly Wicks is a comedian and performance artist rooted in physical comedy. She is also a teaching artist with Playmakers Laboratory.
April 4 | Hayley Barnes
Gulfport, Mississippi
Life is weird under quarantine when you still leave the house every day to go to work. My life hasn’t changed as much as many and I wish it would change more. Being saturated by the news gives me a measure of control. Finding a place for art and comedy — and the levity they bring within the chaos — gives me peace.
Hayley Barnes is a poet and journalist born and raised in South Mississippi. You can find her work on pigeonhole.blog, Medium, and her favorite horrible corner of the internet, Twitter.
Blog | Medium | Twitter
April 4 | Such Creatures
Chicago
Our love languages as movement artists include physical touch and time with one another in the same space. Without that, how do we maintain connection? How do we tell others we love them? How do we keep ourselves centered? How do we navigate ourselves and each other right now?
Such Creatures is the official wiggle pair, Berit Frejand and Luke Greeff, and seeks to explore the vast scope of body to spirit connection through their lens as trans movement artists.
@andro_x_alien | @high.priestx
April 4 | Demery Zlatic
North Hollywood
This week has been a lot of hard conversations, two failed attempts at making vegan hibiscus tacos, and three successful pots of beans. Cooking has been a welcome respite for most of my adult life, so I’m blessed to have that outlet of escape. My heart still hurts when I think of the aggregate of what’s occurring, what has already occurred, and the uncertain future ahead. Still, I’m trying to give myself allowances on what is out of my control, and keep my focus on things that make me happy. Such as spending e-time with loved ones. And dried beans.
Demery is a writer living in North Hollywood, California. She hopes everyone is giving themselves hugs and remembering to drink water.
April 4 | John Dyson
Chicago
I feel being in quarantine has made me the butt of every joke, my disconfabul(OUS)ated mind spewing random sentiments otherwise intended to stay in my subconscious. My conversations with my roommates feel very one-sided (like your debut stand-up comedy routine), peppered by crafty choreography. Isolation has always been in a domestic partnership with my self portraiture. Why not make me the video star, soon to be kilt?
John Dyson is a Chicago-based photographer, multimedia artist and documentarian. His portraiture vehicle Vicurious Media (vicuriousmedia.com) began in Dallas, Texas as a way to breathe personality in the local influencer culture, and grew into a popular experienced-based service for his portrait work. His work has been described as the offspring of Salvador Dali and the Osmond Brothers.
April 4 | Kori Whitby
Chicago
Since losing my job I've stared out of nearly every window in my house and started begging celebrities for cash on twitter. I ate a lot of cake today, and now I have a stomach ache. I hope everyone reading this is taking care of themselves and others, and to everyone who didn't get a chance to celebrate their bday-- this one is for you.
Kori is a Chicago-based gal who is still trying to figure it out. She enjoys art history, making theater, and restoring old furniture. Follow her on insta @going2puke, twitter @baddivorce, and send her a few bucks on venmo @koriwhitby. xoxo