STEP 1 —

finding your Narrative

(The Personal is Political)

BEFORE WE DISCUSS COLLECTIVE-CARE, LET’S IDENTIFY YOUR JUSTICE NARRATIVE.

There is a point in our lives when we widen our worldview and the panorama becomes nuanced and complicated. Seemingly benign systems we thought were supposed to heal us and protect us start to feel oppressive and exclusionary. The innocent “colorblindness” and heteronormativity some of us were taught as children gives way to realities of privilege and histories of harm.

For those of us engaged in justice-oriented creative work, there was a point at which all of this awareness became too much to bear. We could no longer sit back and allow the status quo to replicate itself. Whether for our own self-healing, the healing of generational trauma, or an attempt to leave behind a better world, we took up a cause.

But what happens when traumatized and wounded people all find themselves in the same spaces? With similarly primed triggers? As we examine our personal “why,” we can understand how our experiences and narratives inform our work, what moves us, and our lenses.

*What brought you to justice-oriented creative work? WHAT’S YOUR WHY? HOW ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES AND NARRATIVES INFORMING YOUR WORK?

CLEARLY UNDERSTANDING YOUR “WHY” HELPS YOU FIND CLARITY—AND STAY MOTIVATED WHEN THE WORK IS CHALLENGING.

For many of us, our pain brought us to this work and yet our pain and our stories also imbue our work with triggers and pain points. Our personal narratives lead us to invest ourselves deeply. Setbacks have a big impact on us and losses are hard on us because we care. Conflict and harm in spaces where we thought we would be seen feels disheartening.

So how do we find the motivation to keep going when things get hard? In our Collective Care Club series, we heard stories of disappointment followed by a re-grounding in one’s values and in the strengths of one’s communities. Doing this work with others has its challenges, but it also leaves us with ways to bolster one another when we need to. We find ways to have fun together and to relish the successes, even if they feel small. Many of us need time to step back from our work temporarily to get re-grounded in our own personal “why,” only to come back to the work and step back in when we are ready to.

SOMETIMES, WE KNOW OUR WHY—BUT NOT OUR “WHAT.” WHAT ROLE DOES YOUR WORK PLAY WITHIN MOVEMENT-BUILDING?

When figuring out how to help (or how your work helps), it’s always best to start with a few simple questions:

What are you naturally good at?

Maybe your skillset is creativity, you’re going to design a stellar social media campaign or flyers to get the word out. Perhaps you’re a social butterfly whose charisma and connections can help attract donors or get the right pair of eyes on your content. Lean into your innate abilities, and you can’t go wrong.

What feels safe for you?

When fighting “isms” and other foes, it’s important to not re-traumatize yourself in the process. Listen to what feels overwhelming and what you have the capacity to do. Perhaps being on the frontlines in a protest is a level of public-facing attention you aren’t naturally comfortable with. Maybe as an abuse survivor, you don’t cope well with raised voices or passionate debate. Be patient with yourself. You are so powerful and can show up for yourself and your community in a myriad other ways.

How do you show up for others?

We as social creatures often serve a specific role in our groups and offer unique ways to support others. Here are a few different ways you might support your community:

Being a good listener
Giving people space to debrief and process
Leading people
Delegating, transportation, etc.

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How do YOUR experiences help YOU in YOUR work? and in what ways DO THEY MAKE YOUR WORK DIFFICULT?

When we look at the ways we show up for others and what feels safe and comfortable for us, it may become clear that we gravitate towards certain roles and that some ways of working towards change may come more naturally than others. To create real and lasting change, our movement ecosystems require a variety of different roles and forces. It is okay to be drawn to some roles more than others.

We also recommend asking yourself if the roles you inhabit and the patterns you embody in your work and personal life are still working for you.

How are these roles influenced by your history?
Is trauma a part of that story and are there ways in which your trauma narratives are showing up again or impacting where you feel most comfortable?
Are there ways in which the roles you are drawn into are harmful to you?
Are there other ways in which you would like to try to show up?
Sometimes the roles we are comfortable in and good at are the ones we had to step into when we were younger.