a year of doing it betterish togetherish
“Betterish togetherish” is a phrase I coined at the start of lockdown last March, referencing that we could, and still can find ways to build a sense of community—perhaps not physically, but through different approaches that spark play, creativity, and making more meaning from the mundane amidst the monotony and never-ending sameness. At the root of all things that have allowed people to feel betterish togetherish, it’s been important for me to continue to push the boundaries into new ways of seeing, thinking, exploring, imagining, and, ultimately connecting: to ourselves and to others in a time where that’s proven quite challenging.
A YEAR IN REVIEW: overall, we’ve kept some sense of calm and masked on. Specific to the realms of betterish: we’ve connected, we’ve reflected, we’ve even had some fun…
THE MEET CART - Since the end of March 2020, The Meet Cart has been zapping into zoom rooms worldwide hosting everything from birthday parties, baby showers, conference & orientation kick-offs, tarot sessions, creative conversations with libraries, TEDx, and CreativeMornings Global, racial justice dialogues in which we’ve collaboratively compiled resources into the Betterish Anti-Racist Resource Room, in addition to interactive happy hours for companies ranging from cybersecurity, pharmaceuticals, architect firms, marketing agencies---heck, I’ve even thrown on a dinosaur costume and hosted virtual storytimes for children, deeming myself “Connectasaurus Rex.” The Meet Cart branched out so big, by Fall 2020, it got its own website wings. With every virtual Meet Cart experience, participants have been invited to cultivate in-depth connections in a digital world, yet still in a way that integrates hands-on approaches with tangible resources. And that feels dang good.
VIRTUAL SPIRIT WEEKS – These have been your classic spirit weeks, but made better(ish) with a mix of playful, action-driven, empathy-building prompts that unfold on Instagram stories with themed days ranging from “Send a Note to Your Neighbor Day” to “Share Your Slice of the Sky Day.” I also loved partnering with History Colorado to design two virtual spirit weeks as a way to engage their communities with some refreshing digital fun, offering a John Denver Spirit Week when The John Denver Experience launched back in June 2020, as well as “Colorado Spirit Week,” which celebrated all things Colorado leading up to Colorado’s 144th Birthday on August 1st.
PENPAL PROJECTS - In September 2020, I launched Penpals for Progress, a snail mail project geared to facilitate meaningful connection as folks geared up for the 2020 election. I sent 104 snail mail starter kits to 52 sets of penpals spanning 49 cities in 21 states in an effort to share perspectives, advocate, learn together, and write + fight for justice via a reflective letter-writing practice. Participants were expected to write two letters their penpals, two letters to elected officials (templates + contact info were provided).
“My penpal has been a joy to meet and correspond with. By participating in this project, I was encouraged to write to people in office, something I had never done before. That was empowering. It gave me something to take a step in using my voice in a big way and I look forward to doing more of it in the near future,” said a Penpal for Progress participant.
In January 2021, I partnered with Boulder Colors to offer Paint Pals, another snail mail project, but this time to facilitate the creation of more colorful connections. Participants received a Paint Pal Snail Mail starter kit that included: one dot card palette with paints sourced from locally grown plants (vegan & waste-free), five watercoloring postcards, and a mini-guide with tips & tricks on how to be an awesome pen pal/paint pal. You can see how it’s been unfolding here.
THE SASSPORT PROJECT – In August 2020, I teamed up with TARRA + Babe Walls to offer a socially-distant-safe creative adventure aimed to support local womxn + BIPOC artists and business owners here in Denver, CO. The event completely sold out, while proving to connect the dots in exposing community members to local creatives with small businesses in such a restrictive time. Attendees got to collect a set of custom-made stamps made by 17 local artists in a souvenir passport notebook; each artist was stationed at a womxn or BIPOC owned shop. The artists — all of which were womxn — represented Babe Walls, Colorado’s first all womxn and non-binary mural festival.
ZINES ZINES SO MANY ZINES– I’ve created everything from participatory “Zines for Kids in Quarantine,” zines for organizations that more accessibly tell their stories in a fresh historical format, a collection of recipe zines for my own extended family connected to Jewish Holidays, and most recently made a set of zines that serve as wedding invitations.
What has it all taught me? What am I most proud of? Still wrapping my brain on that big stuff, but here are a few initial things/thoughts:
MY ASSUMPTIONS HAVE BEEN DEFIED: Previously my work was so based on those face-to-face, hands on experiences. I never thought meaningful connections could take place over zoom, but heck there’s been laughter, there’s been tears, there have been friendships made, bookclubs formed; there’s been a lot of cute cats, puppies, and even been a pig.
ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYBODY: I’ve been able to host events and workshops for friends, families, companies, and organizations, across the globe. Two weeks ago during my Creative Mornings Global FieldTrip, there were folx from Peru, Spain, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, South Africa, Poland, Scotland, India, France, Indonesia, Argentina, and all over the U.S. That would have never been made possible if it weren't happening virtually.
CRAVING CONNECTION APPLIES TO MANY OF US RIGHT NOW: the fact that I’ve been able to transfer this work to apply to a cybersecurity company one day, then to a 50th wedding anniversary on the next---and for all involved to willingly participate and (I think) enjoy themselves, just goes to show how thirsty we all are for some form of connection. Someone recently asked me, “how do you get people to participate who might be skeptical or hesitant of something so interactive?” I explained with all of my work, the entry point is always light or light-hearted, and together we build a safe space for more vulnerable moments to emerge.
ACCESS TO THE IMAGINATION: it’s not all wacky, but I’m adamant about offering some prompt or element to get folks tapping into a space of creativity or play. Because that ultimately makes space for new ideas and connections to form.
Sending a big burst of gratitude to all of you who booked a virtual celebration or something at The Meet Cart, participated in one of the above-mentioned projects, or collaborated with me in some capacity. Particularly when it comes to the virtual stuff, I consider it a true honor to zap into the corners of people's worlds during a point where many are experiencing pandemic grief, zoom fatigue, and overall feelings of isolation, exhaustion, and burnout. In just under an hour, I've gotten to know some meaningfully deep and silly snippets of people's lives. And that's truly something special and I don't take it for granted.
Here's to a Spring that's betterish than the last---full of bloomy scenes and COVID vaccines.