just in the nick of time!
joy and healing + authentic sharing + expansive language
hey yall…
I guess a hearty “Happy New Year” will soon be in order. But I have to admit, it feels odd to start this newsletter off with a cheerful exclamation. I don’t lack gratitude for breathing into this new day and into a new year. I don’t lack appreciation for the time with my loved ones over the break. I don’t lack excitement or hope for the future. AND…I honor the real tension, anxiety, frustration, and sadness that is in the air as we turn the page on a new year, still deeply impacted by COVID-19 and uncertain about the collective health and care of our Community.
Knowing all that we know, as we continue to navigate uncertainty, I’m especially grateful for folks like Gurdeep Pandher who creates moments of joy and healing for folks across the globe by sharing Bhangra in the Yukon. Over the past year I’ve enjoyed Gurdeep’s videos when they came down my timeline. The tranquil and stunning nature, his smile and energy, his uplifting offering to us. My hope for each of you reading this newsletter is that you experience abundant joy and continued healing throughout 2022. And as your capacity builds, may you radiate that joy and healing to those around you. This is how we get through.
something you can try out…
I share this tool especially because many folks will be returning back from a break in January and returning to work can often carry a range of feelings. As you’re re-establishing relationships and rapport in the new year, consider ways to create space for people to share how they’re feeling, authentically and without pressure to perform happiness. As a leader, teacher, facilitator, you gain insight about the range of emotions present around you, increasing your ability to be responsive to needs and concerns that may arise.
This resource can be used on any day, regardless of season. It’s called, “The Blob Tree.”
Each time I’ve this resource it’s received positive feedback. People appreciated the variety of options, the way that each blob person could take on their own meaning to each individual, and also the space it created for people to pause, reflect, and share honestly, shifting from the auto-pilot response of, “I’m fine.”
Creators Pip and Ian describe the blobs as, “the best of us and the worst of us. They don’t tell us what we ought to do, or what we mustn’t do…they merely show us how a variety of people feel.” You can purchase the Blob Tree for yourself.
NOTE: I have only used Blob Tree 1, the image shown above. There are many different versions that I cannot vouch for. Please be sure to look carefully at the full image you select to ensure the blobs and their accessories are appropriate for your context.
what I’m learning about + who I’m learning from…
I came into 2021 meditating on the word expansive. Language is always shifting and should be looked at in a more expansive way. I’m always open to critiques of language and terminology and I appreciate Nora Rahimian for highlighting the way “underrepresented” misrepresents the impact that systemic and ongoing marginalization has on communities. It also strikes me as a passive term, as we see passive language being called out in relationship to recent police violence.
I’ve been following the Radical Copyeditor, Alex Kapitan, for a while now, and was glad to see them discuss the power of metaphors. Metaphors are effective and compelling, but if we’re not thoughtful, we overuse some metaphors in positive and negative ways, reinforcing stereotypes and biases. Check out the Radical Copyeditor’s blog to increase your language awareness, moving beyond the status quo.
Radical Copyeditor explained: “The concept of radical copyediting is based on the fact that language is not neutral. Through language we communicate values, maintain norms, and dictate what’s possible. Words matter: they can be used to harm or to heal; to perpetuate prejudice or imagine a different world; to oppress or to liberate.”
share a resource…
You’re invited to share resources with our Community on our Collective Resource Bank (via Padlet). This month, let’s share tools and resources around liberatory and expansive language.
Thank you to our Community members for sharing resources additional resources in October.
what I’ve been up to…
Curating, updating, and developing!
A new website for Tamisha Williams Consulting, LLC is in the works. I’m eager to launch the website in mid to late January with updated resources, easier ways to get connected to my services, and in the future, direct sign-ups to offerings and events. This newsletter will likely get a facelift as I shift to having it integrated into my site. Don’t be alarmed if the January newsletter comes to you in a shiny new format.
Additionally, I’ve continued to track what energizes me about my work. I’m following lines of interest that I neglected in the past due to exhaustion and unsustainable workloads. I’m creating more room for what’s fulfilling and transformative and setting greater boundaries around work, people, and ventures that feel inauthentic and misaligned. As 2022 unfolds, I look forward to sharing more details with you. Stay tuned!
And if you are interested in having me work with your community or interested in one-on-one coaching, fill out my intake form.
Thank you, Tamisha, for this warm welcome into 2022. It's just what I needed. Be well,
Sherri