Disabled Artist Affirmations
Birch Rosen
Birchrosen.com
Birchrosen.etsy.com
Instagram.com/birchwrites
birchrosen@gmail.com
When offered the choice amongst a catalogue of zines, I felt like I had an impossible choice ahead. However, when I read this description, I couldn’t help but be intrigued.
“While these affirmations are meant to be encouraging, they’re not entirely “positive” in the sense that many mainstream affirmations are. In my experience, affirmations are most powerful when they also acknowledge how unpleasant reality can be. I want affirmations that can meet me in the pit of hopelessness and despair to lift me up a little, not ones that ask me to wish or believe my way out.”
Disabled Artist Affirmations is Birch Rosen’s answer to all the fluffy ‘wish’ affirmations you see floating around on the internet – and the answer is a good one.
Straight from the beginning, you know Birch is a person who cares about the reader. On the inside cover, there is a note about how the font chosen is used in the hope of greater readability and an offer of contact for possible triggers as well as access needs discussion. While I am perfectly happy and able to read this zine, I appreciate the time taken by a zine maker to show that caring is there.
What I really love about these affirmations is that they, in their own way, address the “if you work/wish/are good enough” philosophy that seems so prevalent in many affirmations I see. The problem with those is that they imply that if the change doesn’t happen in your life, then you’re not enough in whatever way or don’t deserve it. Birch’s take on realistic affirmation acknowledges that good things don’t just shower down on good people because they are good.
The affirmation that spoke the most to me was (as a part of a larger affirmation): “…it’s not a failure to need more rest than others.”
Wrapping up with song and artist recommendations was a lovely touch (you know how much I love things to investigate beyond the blog). That and the earlier inclusion of a list of ways to use these affirmations makes this feel like a treasure box of a zine for those needing a realistic pick me up.
PS. It was awesome to see saddle stitching for binding!
Thank you for the kind review! It’s great to hear what you enjoyed and what connected with you the most. 🙂
Absolutely my pleasure. Thank you for sending me a copy.