Caught On Camera In My Overalls; OR Are Naked Mole Rats Cute?

A student journalist showed up at our most recent zine-making workshop.  I didn’t know she was going to be there.  She had a big camera.  Which was fine.  The kids were a little extra-clever for her benefit but that was fine too.  Until she asked to me to say a few words about the workshop. On camera.

 “Can you tell me what this is about? Why you are doing this?” she asked, innocently curious. 

 To which I replied, “Um..Er...” and started fidgeting with side loop of my overalls.   

 Earlier that day, as I was heading out to the workshop, I caught sight of myself in a mirror and noticed that I was wearing overalls and no make-up.  I said to myself, “Don’t go to the workshop like that.  Overalls wouldn’t look good on Instagram.”  And then replied to myself something snarly about the first snow and temperatures in the 10s and it’s only November and if you want me to be pretty it has to be at least 30 degrees out because they don’t make stylish snowpants (feel free to argue with me on this final point, if you know something I don’t).

 So, I went to the workshops wearing six layers of clothes stuffed into an overalls casing, and no makeup, and got a camera in my face for my (lack of) trouble. But that wasn’t really what bothered me about the whole thing. What bothered me was that I had a chance to tell someone how important these workshops are. And I fumbled it.   

 I’d like to think that because I genuinely care about these workshops that I could just speak from the heart and it would be taken care of.  The truth will out!  Instead, I tried to craft a snappy video clip on the spot—because everybody on YouTube can do it and so can I!--and ended up making weird faces and stammering something about “Punks made zines!” and “It’s really fun!” 

 All in overstuffed overalls.

 Needless to say, our little segment didn’t make the evening news.  Part of me felt like I let the kids down, or at least missed a chance to do some free marketing.  There’s so much I could have said.  If only I’d been a little more professional-looking, a little more video-clip-savvy on my feet…

 But you know what?

 It doesn’t matter.  

 None of it was or ever will be about what I say or how I look.  It’s not about me.  It’s about the kids.  And they were in rare form that day.  Ideas and jokes and questions and pieces of paper and magazines and glue sticks and a debate over whether or not naked mole rats are cute—they were all over the place, doing their thing.  And that’s all I’m here to do.  Hold a safe, comfy space where they can let it rip and be themselves.  If they need encouraging, I encourage them. If they need to be reminded not to throw scissors (or glue sticks, or chairs) I remind them.  If they need help figuring out what a hermaphrodite or the difference between pot and hemp are (authentic and valid questions asked at one time or another in workshops) then we discuss, and find the best people, books, or websites to give us the best answers. And, by the way, it’s often the kids themselves that have the best answers. Next time, I’ll direct the camera lady’s questions to them.  

 So, who cares what I’m wearing? (Though one of the kids did offer to use a glue stick and some paper-scraps to help me decorate the bib of my overalls).  I will work on my ability to drop a sound bite on the spot, because I do want to be a good advocate for kids and creativity.  But seriously…

 Sometimes I get a little worked up over selling people on the idea that this is important—creativity, self-expression, community, healing...But that’s just my inner marketer/ego getting in the way.  Whether I articulate it well or turn it into a pretty enough Instagram post or not, we all know this is the good stuff. If you don’t believe me, try it out for yourself.  That’s your assignment for this week. It doesn’t matter whether you look like a naked mole rat in overalls on camera, or your video clip is one long, fidgety “Ummm…Errrr…”  Just show up, make something, and have fun.

This week’s assignment:  Go make something with your friends.  Anything.  A pie. A zine.  A friendship bracelet.  A submarine. Anything.  Then report back.  Bonus points for figuring out whether or not a naked mole rat is cute.