Category Archives: daily distractions

Whiteness as Orientation

The world extends the form of some bodies more than others, and such bodies in turn feel at home in this world. Sara Ahmed, Queer Phenomenology (2006) In Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others, Sara Ahmed argues that whiteness is an orientation. People who are white or white-passing tend to be directed toward objects that areContinue reading “Whiteness as Orientation”

Conflict Avoiders

I’m trying to be more wary of people who can’t handle any form of conflict. Differences in opinions/perspectives are inevitable. When living or working closely with people there’s bound to be disagreements. So we all have to practice the skill of facing conflict. Facing conflict requires an internal strength that I’m realizing some people justContinue reading “Conflict Avoiders”

What Do We Need to Understand?

Maybe I’m experiencing some sort of creative block, but there’s really only one thing on my mind lately and only one thing I want to talk about. It is what I believe to be the crucial first step in all the challenging conversations we have to be having right now. What can I learn? HowContinue reading “What Do We Need to Understand?”

Leaning into Discomfort

Now is the time to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Systems need to be broken in order to allow room for all of us. And the breaking of systems will make people who benefit from them uneasy. That’s part of the process. What that looks like, for me, is asking myself hard questions, and notContinue reading “Leaning into Discomfort”

Out of Sight

In the process of being vulnerable (and creative), there will always be information and ideas that remain hidden. Directing a play, for example, requires one to be on high alert for that which is unseen. An actor may suddenly say a line in a way that completely unhinges the entire scene, and if you payContinue reading “Out of Sight”

A Time For Burning

That’s the title of Barbara Connell and Bill Jersey’s 1966 documentary about a pastor’s attempt to integrate a white congregation with a black church. Click here to watch it. The rebellion happening now in the United States and around the world deserves our focused attention. It also requires a burning of what white people likeContinue reading “A Time For Burning”