Good evening and cheers to (an almost over) May! I hope that things are well and peachy keen in your world and sending you positive vibes either way. Ew— did not mean to make that rhyme, haha.
Did you think I forgot about you since I didn’t send this letter this morning? Of course, I wouldn’t forget! I was just soaking in some much-needed quality time with my family and delayed the send time, but here we are!
When I drafted this newsletter, I was sitting in my bedroom at my home in Alabama feeling revived, joyful and at peace. Now that I’m back settled in Milwaukee, I’m still feeling those things… and hungry. Okay back to the point. As you’ve read from my previous newsletters, this year has been quite the challenge for me mentally, emotionally, and physically. Yet being home with my family in this one past week alone makes the past months feel like a blip in time. I never even thought that that would be possible after all that I’ve gone through, yet here I am at the happiest I’ve been this year thus far. So, if you take nothing else from this newsletter today, spend time with your loved ones for as long as you need to and do it often. Time is so precious and being intentional with every moment is key to maintaining the peace we all so desperately need in our lives.
On a creative level, I’ve found myself writing ideas down every day that are centered around pushing my practice forward. My notes app and journal are filled with dreams, desires, and visions that I have either thought of throughout the day or seen in my dreams at night. I haven’t had this kind of a spark in a really long time, and it feels amazing—thank God.
If you know me, you know I don’t really like to share my work while it’s in progress unless I’m feeling stuck in a place (which right now, I’m not feeling stuck). With that said, I’ll share those ideas vividly in another newsletter. Though for now, just know that I’m feeling really good about where my work is headed, and I already have things lined up between this year and the next that I will share throughout my newsletters.
What a blessing it is to be in a good space with what you’re doing in life and I wish this on any and everyone.
Okay, enough of my mush.
MONTHLY HIGHS AND LOWS…..
HIGHS…..
- Visited family back home in Alabama
- Witnessed my little cousin graduate from high school (congrats Jeh Jeh!)
- Finished with wrist surgery recovery
- Fully leaning into creating and writing more consistently
- Finished my 2nd academic year of teaching (bittersweet, though more sweet than bitter)
- Interviewed with PBS Milwaukee on May 6, 2023
LOWS…..
- Imposter syndrome in my role as a Program Manager (I’m feeling much better about it these days and cutting myself some slack)
- Uncertainty around certain aspects of my life
NEWS + UPDATES…..
On May 25th @ 4 pm PT, I will be in conversation with the incredible Aline Smithson for the Center for Fine Art Photography’s Behind The Curtain series, so please join if you’re available! It is free for members and $10 for non-members to join. Here’s a link for more info which will be posted soon.
I will be instructing an online workshop this summer August 7-24, 2023 with Santa Fe titled Archival Projects: Bringing the Past to Life. It will occur on Mondays/Thursdays from 9:30-11:30 am MT. I’d love to have you join and here’s the link for more information!
My work will be included in the HCP 40th Center Annual Exhibition this summer in Houston, TX!
I am open and available for freelance writing and photography opportunities. If you or anyone you know need my services, reach out to me here and let me know. I’d love to work with you (or anyone you know)!
ART/CULTURE STUFF I’VE BEEN INTO…..
I made more of an effort to attend more exhibitions and artist talks this month. Here’s what I checked out:
Natasha Moustache’s exhibition at C33 in Chicago titled Lerozyon (L-EURO-ZHUHN)
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee MFA Exhibition
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee BA/BFA Exhibition
SAIC First Year Grad Talks (talks provided by Hal Shipman, Sayera Anwar, Che Phi, Sam Tripod, Christian K. Lee and Satchel Lee)
Mentee Talk Backs at the MARN ART + CULTURE HUB
Binge-worthy Shows
Here’s what I watched over the past month (and man did I watch A LOT). Of course, if you ever have any show or movie recommendations that you want to send my way, please send me an email so I can watch them and follow up with you about them later. No book recommendations in this newsletter!
Beef (MA | 2023 | Dark Comedy) – 4/5
Workin’ Moms (MA | 2017-2023 | Comedy Drama) – 4/5
Movies
X (R | 2022 | Horror/Thriller) – 3/5
The Kindergarten Teacher (R | 2018 | Drama) – 4/5
Creep (R | 2014 | Horror/Thriller) – 2/5
Berlin Syndrome (R | 2017 | Thriller/Horror) – 2/5
M3GAN (PG-13 | 2022 | Horror/Sci-fi) – 3/5
The Mother (R | 2023 | Mystery/Adventure) – 2/5
Missing (PG-13 | 2023 | Thriller/Mystery) – 2/5
RANDOM PHOTOS IN MY CAMERA ROLL OVER THE PAST MONTH…
Alright, folks, that’s all I have to share for this month. Thank you for reading and I hope that your May finishes off on the best note. If you ever miss any newsletters, you can find them in the archive on my website and if you’re interested in what I’m up to in the meantime, check out my Instagram!
Take care of yourself and I’ll see you in June.
Love you, mean it!
- Alayna N. Pernell