Photoshoot featuring @icesloski and @teverdeen for @4evercurz
I've come to a realization lately regarding a shift I need to make in the project. Not only is there a lack of spaces (creative or otherwise) addressing the importance of intersectionality, or more specifically the importance of intersectional feminism. But there is a tendency in existing spaces to end up being counterproductive in their activism. When these spaces do exist, they often pressure contributors to create only about their identity. Sometimes, even putting minorities in the role to be pressured to create only in the name of educating. While we cherish these teachings and listen to them with everything we have, it is important to encourage creation for the sake of creating. I have been put in this position myself so many times. Submitting to projects only to have a piece about my ethnicity or my femininity be the only recurring accepted topic can be such a mixed bag of emotions. When this project was simply an anonymous submission box, and myself in my room with a sharpie and old heavy textbooks, it was different. I had the mission to reach out to a community with writing. Now, I have the mission to create and manage a community-driven publication. And it's so exciting! I want to make sure I care for every word and every intention as if I were still handwriting each submission character by character.
In the past Petal Projections Seasonal Zine submissions have been limited to the themes of the project.
The themes include:
COMMUNITY
Intersectionality
Intersectional feminism
Divinity
Self love/ Self Care
Environmental Care
Nature
Ecofeminism
Going forward, the themes we have used as required themes will act only as inspired prompts for suggestion. These themes mean the world to me, and will never stop being the foundation of this project. But the most important theme of this project is community. Elevating a voice means nothing when you limit the discussions that can be had. To give voice means to hand over the microphone and listen, it is not to restrict the speech being given.
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