Kat Cheairs Spring 2025 Newsletter!!

 

 

I have been attempting since 2016 actually of meditating on new strategies, leaning in to the (un) thought of myself and movement work. I am not sure the strategies we have used before are sufficient to pushback against this particular moment. I see a lot of the current activism fragmented into various camps and centering individuals instead of building coalitions across communities. There is something new every day and as long as our activism stays reactionary, I am not sure that creates the space for new activist paradigms to emerge. We also have to make space for exhaustion and safety. Some of us have been doing the work for a long time and are tired. Some people have to prioritize their safety. Instead of honoring capacity and safety, we have judged and critiqued others for how they are or not behaving as an “activist.” Visibility is also being privileged over less visible forms of activism. Tapping ourselves in and out at various times and honoring diverse approaches is part of a mutual aid framework. 

 

Some of that activist work will look like staying committed to your artistic practice, showing up, writing, and taking care of your mental health so you don't get pulled into the undertow of all that is happening. This is certainly true for me. Since the morning of July 5, 2021 when I found out my brother passed away from a heart attack just hours before. I have awakened every day since saying, “Well, my eyes opened this morning, so I guess I have to do the day.” As many of you know, I have been very open about grief and the grieving process these last few years. I have thought a lot as well about how in times of darkness, we are proselytized into having hope. I am not sure that hope is what wakes me up in the morning to do the day. In fact, I believe it is the generative possibility of grief and despair that urges me on. I don't think that the binary opposite of hope is despair. I believe that despair contains within it boundless lessons and information. 

 

For some, despair can be scary or even a sign that one has given up. I can say, that for me, this is not the case. I learned to paint with despair right by my side. I have completed almost three years of doctoral study with despair reading and writing with me. I started offering classes through the Makeda School for Art, Media, and Humanities with despair right there. Not shunned. Not unacknowledged. Not ignored. Not an interloper getting in the way of my progress. No. A welcomed friend and ally asking me to move from the deepest parts of my being. I am grateful for despair. It always tells the truth. Now, when I talk about despair, the knee jerk reaction for most people is to give me a pep talk, proselytize me into hope, or back away slowly. While these are understandable responses, they miss the point of what I mean when I speak of the generative power of despair. Again, I am not suggesting that despair is in a binary relationship with hope and joy but rather it's own persona with depth and care. 

 

So, if you are a person where there is a slightly heavy feeling at the center of your chest, it might be despair showing up and asking you to be with it. How best to approach it if it should come your way? Simply, breathe. Long, deep, slow breaths. Anytime of the day or night. The breath will carry you. After some time, it might share things with you. You get to decide what to do with it. You also don't have to hold your despair alone. I mentioned that many people will not be able to sit with you and your despair but there will be someone and/or a non-human animal or plant that can be with you in this relationship. After a while, it just exists in the background hum of everything. Despair has a pedagogy, an ontology worthy of respect and care. Its lessons allow me to meet this present moment with groundedness and understanding.

 

It might seem strange to spend time in a spring newsletter talking about despair but the seasons remind us that nature moves through the cycles of death, regeneration, and repair at regular intervals without fear or judgment.  

 

Ase. Amen. And, so it is.

Kat Cheairs Life Updates!!

Makeda School Updates!!

Speaking of the Makeda School, I am happy to announce that I will be running the Say Your Name! Self-Portrait Experimental Video Workshop for Femme/Queer/Trans/Non-Binary Folx virtually during Pride Month! Registration will open mid-April!

 

 

The work of the Makeda School as a “third space” for educational praxis seems more vital than ever before, and I will continue to press on. 

 

 

In closing, remember that you are not alone. Seen and unseen forces are always holding you. Our eyes opened this morning so that means our work is not done. 

There is nothing wrong with you. 

You are enough. 

Ase. 

Amen. 

And, so it is.