This…all of it! Your practical no-nonsense lens that you look through is just such a great fit to your words. I can smell it, feel it. I sort of feel like I might have been there too somehow!
"saved pertinent pages, and tore up the rest (which I still have in a large vat)"
!!
Are you able to you articulate why (you don’t need to share unless you want to)? Tbh it’s the sort of thing I probably would do, but perhaps not be able to verbalize well, at least for a while. It’s interesting because you “saved” both. But clearly drew a distinction between “pertinent” and “not,” whatever that meant for you. Does privacy somehow come into it? You obfuscated some of the pages for other eyes, but didn’t discard.
There's so much I love about thist post, especially the decorated envelope from the early 80s. I know precisely where that is on Queen Street East. And that envelope has a hybrid of Sneaky Dee's/Ernie Pook's Comeek vibes. You're making me nostalgic for Toronto in the 80s.
I've never considered myself a visual artist of any kind. I've always been about the words. But between your collage class (which I just have to sit down and do, dammit!) and what you've said here about the memoir comics, well, you're giving me tons of inspiration in new directions. Including going through and shredding and recycling my old journals, because I cannot let myself die with the notion that anyone may see the drivel and angst found within those pages.
This is great story telling Betty Ann! I’m not sure I could divulge my tumultuousness teen years!
This…all of it! Your practical no-nonsense lens that you look through is just such a great fit to your words. I can smell it, feel it. I sort of feel like I might have been there too somehow!
I love this perk into the origins of Life’s Work and your first attempt at graphic memoir. Thanks for sharing.
"saved pertinent pages, and tore up the rest (which I still have in a large vat)"
!!
Are you able to you articulate why (you don’t need to share unless you want to)? Tbh it’s the sort of thing I probably would do, but perhaps not be able to verbalize well, at least for a while. It’s interesting because you “saved” both. But clearly drew a distinction between “pertinent” and “not,” whatever that meant for you. Does privacy somehow come into it? You obfuscated some of the pages for other eyes, but didn’t discard.
There's so much I love about thist post, especially the decorated envelope from the early 80s. I know precisely where that is on Queen Street East. And that envelope has a hybrid of Sneaky Dee's/Ernie Pook's Comeek vibes. You're making me nostalgic for Toronto in the 80s.
I've never considered myself a visual artist of any kind. I've always been about the words. But between your collage class (which I just have to sit down and do, dammit!) and what you've said here about the memoir comics, well, you're giving me tons of inspiration in new directions. Including going through and shredding and recycling my old journals, because I cannot let myself die with the notion that anyone may see the drivel and angst found within those pages.