Hey everyone, thanks for such lovely and supportive comments on my last two postings! I was quite overwhelmed by your responses. I also appreciate the emails you sent too. For those of you who wrote to tell me that you also have a brain injury or some other invisible disability, I am starting a blog in the spring called The Memory Palace which will deal with not only my book, by the same name, but also with issues such as brain injury and the creative process, memory loss, neuroscience research, and creative strategies for disabled artists. Basically, it will be a blog that uses my book (due out from Free Press/Simon & Schuster in January 2011) as a springboard to discuss lots of things I bring up in my memoir. I will continue to maintain this blog, so don't worry!
In the meantime, I just wanted to say thanks and to let you know that I am on a crazy deadline this month (actually, pretty crazy deadlines here and there until the end of May but this one might be the worst one). I will do my best to post on a fairly regular basis but don't hate me if I am a bit slow at times! I have some new deadlines for you that I will most likely get to by this weekend, if not before. Some new residencies have started up and I'll check them out before I send you news about them.
I'll also get to a couple new questions people have asked me that are not listed in my FAQs (and here) so please be patient. Until then, best of all to you....Mirabee
Showing posts with label BRAIN INJURY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BRAIN INJURY. Show all posts
P.S. BE A HORSE, NOT A TINY FEARFUL THING
P.S. You know, I also get some whiny letters too. And to those, I say: we all have a choice. We can choose to be victims and get really cynical and bitter about our disappointments, our illnesses, our losses and rejections in life. We can blame our friends, the government, grant foundations, literary magazines, art dealers, our mothers and fathers, our husbands and wives or our crying babies. Or we can be brave, emotionally present and creative. Do you want to be a small, snarling fearful creature or do you want to be a fierce and beautiful thoroughbred, who, for every obstacle placed in your path, jumps over it with intention and joy? Dudes, I'd choose the horse if I were you.
xoxox
m.
xoxox
m.
MAY YOU DREAM BIG DREAMS IN 2010
Dear Gentle Readers,
I just came back from my post box that I keep in the next town over. I don't go there very often as I only use it for Mira's List mail, which doesn't amount to much. To my surprise, I found some very beautiful and moving thank you letters and donations! I was incredibly touched. My favorite was a postcard with a picture of one of my readers with her beautiful child, along the sweetest note, thanking me for all I do. (You know who you are! Thank you!) That picture (and the other letters) made my day and reminded me once again why I do this—not to get compliments and money (although both of those are nice). It's about helping and inspiring others because others have helped and inspired me.
Some of you know that a few years back, ten to be exact, I was hit by a huge truck (a big-ass 18-wheeler) on the New York Thruway. I never fully recovered from my traumatic brain injury (TBI) (a Diffuse Axonal Injury, to be exact) but I would never be where I am today (published author, working artist and happy blogger!) without the help and encouragement from certain friends and arts foundations (in particular: The Volgelstein Foundation, The Author's League Fund, The Pollock Krasner Foundation, Pen American, and The Gottlieb Foundation.)
I remember writing one foundation, a year after I had received a $3000 emergency grant from them, to see if they would break their rule just this once and allow me to reapply for more financial aid. It took me about three days to write the terribly mis-spelled and poorly constructed letter due to cognitive deficits at the time (now it takes me about three hours—still a long time but better than three days!). I expected them to say no, sorry, those are our rules. Instead, within A WEEK I got a check for $4000 and a letter that simply said, "Let us know if we can be of any more help to you. Wishing you a speedy recovery."
Friends cooked for me, took me shopping and helped me re-organize my apartment so that it was easier to deal with. For example, I had to take all my art off the walls and cover up my bookshelves with a sheet because of sensory overload. I had to put signs on cabinets so I knew where things were. One friend put post-it warnings around the place so I wouldn't make mistakes, like putting my hand on the burner to see if it was hot (that was a common one!) or telling me to shut off my toaster oven and stove.
I am, and continue to feel grateful to those friends and institutions. Their presence reminded me that I was still me deep inside, even though I often couldn't find the proper words for things (aphasia) or said terribly inappropriate things in public (that would be frontal lobe damage, folks. Quite embarrassing, really.). Because of their support, I never viewed myself as a victim and still don't, even though I am one of millions, like those with Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Fibromyalgia, etc. who walk around with an invisible disability. We TBI-ers are always told "Well, you don't LOOK brain damaged" or "Oh, we all get that way after forty." But no one gets like this over night unless they get knocked upside the head. And you will see more and more people walking around with TBIs in the future, as many of our soldiers are coming back from Iraq and Afganistan with mild to severe head injuries.
Anyway, the people close to me who "get" my disability (if you met me, you'd never know), know that it takes me a long time to form sentences properly on the page, and that I can't do something intellectually taxing (like writing) AND do something else in the same day, like say, go out to coffee with a friend, take a chatty walk in the woods with a pal, or go food shopping (too much stimulation and sensory input). I must manage my time carefully so I don't get lost or press down on the accelerator instead of the break when at a stop light (NOT a good thing!). But regardless of how long it takes me to write, it is extremely important for me to do this blog. I wish this blog had been around when I had my accident. I would have used the links and gone straight to the posts about emergency funding. I would have even written me a thank you letter like one of the ones I got today. Those little notes sure go a long, long way, I tell you.
What I do every time I post is to imagine someone like me, ten years ago, someone who is a bit overwhelmed, a bit exhausted and confused but who is very driven to do her art. I imagine that person has talent and passion and will try her hardest to never give up. That person is not going to be devastated by rejection letters, by illness or disability and will, time and time again, persevere for one reason only: she has to make art, no matter what.
I do this for you, dear reader, but I also do it for myself. It empowers and delights me to know that I can help a few people find time, money and a peaceful space to create. Ten years ago, I never would have imagined doing that. So thank you for sticking with me since the beginning of this blog. I hope this relationship continues a very long time.
May you all dream big dreams in 2010 and may some of them, if not all, come true!
Yours,
Mirabee
I just came back from my post box that I keep in the next town over. I don't go there very often as I only use it for Mira's List mail, which doesn't amount to much. To my surprise, I found some very beautiful and moving thank you letters and donations! I was incredibly touched. My favorite was a postcard with a picture of one of my readers with her beautiful child, along the sweetest note, thanking me for all I do. (You know who you are! Thank you!) That picture (and the other letters) made my day and reminded me once again why I do this—not to get compliments and money (although both of those are nice). It's about helping and inspiring others because others have helped and inspired me.
Some of you know that a few years back, ten to be exact, I was hit by a huge truck (a big-ass 18-wheeler) on the New York Thruway. I never fully recovered from my traumatic brain injury (TBI) (a Diffuse Axonal Injury, to be exact) but I would never be where I am today (published author, working artist and happy blogger!) without the help and encouragement from certain friends and arts foundations (in particular: The Volgelstein Foundation, The Author's League Fund, The Pollock Krasner Foundation, Pen American, and The Gottlieb Foundation.)
I remember writing one foundation, a year after I had received a $3000 emergency grant from them, to see if they would break their rule just this once and allow me to reapply for more financial aid. It took me about three days to write the terribly mis-spelled and poorly constructed letter due to cognitive deficits at the time (now it takes me about three hours—still a long time but better than three days!). I expected them to say no, sorry, those are our rules. Instead, within A WEEK I got a check for $4000 and a letter that simply said, "Let us know if we can be of any more help to you. Wishing you a speedy recovery."
Friends cooked for me, took me shopping and helped me re-organize my apartment so that it was easier to deal with. For example, I had to take all my art off the walls and cover up my bookshelves with a sheet because of sensory overload. I had to put signs on cabinets so I knew where things were. One friend put post-it warnings around the place so I wouldn't make mistakes, like putting my hand on the burner to see if it was hot (that was a common one!) or telling me to shut off my toaster oven and stove.
I am, and continue to feel grateful to those friends and institutions. Their presence reminded me that I was still me deep inside, even though I often couldn't find the proper words for things (aphasia) or said terribly inappropriate things in public (that would be frontal lobe damage, folks. Quite embarrassing, really.). Because of their support, I never viewed myself as a victim and still don't, even though I am one of millions, like those with Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Fibromyalgia, etc. who walk around with an invisible disability. We TBI-ers are always told "Well, you don't LOOK brain damaged" or "Oh, we all get that way after forty." But no one gets like this over night unless they get knocked upside the head. And you will see more and more people walking around with TBIs in the future, as many of our soldiers are coming back from Iraq and Afganistan with mild to severe head injuries.
Anyway, the people close to me who "get" my disability (if you met me, you'd never know), know that it takes me a long time to form sentences properly on the page, and that I can't do something intellectually taxing (like writing) AND do something else in the same day, like say, go out to coffee with a friend, take a chatty walk in the woods with a pal, or go food shopping (too much stimulation and sensory input). I must manage my time carefully so I don't get lost or press down on the accelerator instead of the break when at a stop light (NOT a good thing!). But regardless of how long it takes me to write, it is extremely important for me to do this blog. I wish this blog had been around when I had my accident. I would have used the links and gone straight to the posts about emergency funding. I would have even written me a thank you letter like one of the ones I got today. Those little notes sure go a long, long way, I tell you.
What I do every time I post is to imagine someone like me, ten years ago, someone who is a bit overwhelmed, a bit exhausted and confused but who is very driven to do her art. I imagine that person has talent and passion and will try her hardest to never give up. That person is not going to be devastated by rejection letters, by illness or disability and will, time and time again, persevere for one reason only: she has to make art, no matter what.
I do this for you, dear reader, but I also do it for myself. It empowers and delights me to know that I can help a few people find time, money and a peaceful space to create. Ten years ago, I never would have imagined doing that. So thank you for sticking with me since the beginning of this blog. I hope this relationship continues a very long time.
May you all dream big dreams in 2010 and may some of them, if not all, come true!
Yours,
Mirabee
A NOTE ABOUT MIRA HELPING WITH APPLICATIONS AND PROPOSALS
Dear Gentle Readers,
So lately, for whatever reason (increased popularity of my blog, temporary insanity of a few people, astrological weirdness, or general confusion), I've been getting many, many proposals in my in-box and requests from people to read them through and give feedback. Usually a day or two before the applications are due. (By the way, it is bad form to do this on such short notice to people you know, let alone people you don't know personally.) These are proposals for various grants and fellowships or applications to residencies. (Oh, I also have gotten some rather strange and long-winded requests for money too. Lots of money. Odd, that.)
Anyway, most of you are very respectful and take it to heart when I say that I do this blog for free (translated: I spend many hours researching, managing, writing people back, etc.) and that if you have a burning question, you check my FAQs on the side bar first before asking me privately. However, for those of you who don't check my FAQs: dudes, scroll down and read them! I need you to. You need to be resourceful and figure this out and that is why I do this blog. To help people help themselves. As for reading people's proposals--as much as I would love to help, I simply can't. It is just way too time consuming. And if you read my article "Finding Money for Your Dreams," you know that I suffer from a brain injury. I don't mean to whine, so please don't take this the wrong way, but you need to know that the way it works is this: if I read something several pages one day, that means that I will then be way too exhausted to do my own writing later that day and maybe the next. So you see, it is too taxing on my wee brain. It's enough just to do this blog.
I'm about to go back into my book and re-edit it once again, as well as finish all the artwork. That means less time for Mira's List. I will do my very best to keep you all informed but please--do check those FAQs, use the comment forum at the bottom of the right hand sidebar so others can put their two cents in, and do not send me attached documents of your proposals, your Fulbright grant applications, your MacDowell applications, etc. I just can't do it. I get very, very tired just reading your emails asking me to help you. It doesn't mean I don't like you. It means I am not the person for the job.
I don't mean to complain. But things are getting out of hand so I had to say something. Please pass it on to others that I don't look at grant proposals. And if you feel like Mira's List has helped you in anyway whatsoever, consider making a small donation on the donation link on the right hand sidebar. Even if it's five dollars. Every little bit helps. I am trying to maintain this as a free site so any contribution would be appreciated, especially if you feel like you learned something from an article or you found out about an amazing opportunity here. Help keep this blog going or it will fizzle out in the future, as much as I'd like it to grow.
Thanks for listening. I guess I really got bombarded this month with letters and proposals, etc. Probably because the fall is a big application time and everyone out there needs money. Anyway, good luck with your endeavors, keep making art, keep applying for things and be courageous and go forth! I'm here to be your faithful resource and so I shall continue to....
Cheers,
Mira
So lately, for whatever reason (increased popularity of my blog, temporary insanity of a few people, astrological weirdness, or general confusion), I've been getting many, many proposals in my in-box and requests from people to read them through and give feedback. Usually a day or two before the applications are due. (By the way, it is bad form to do this on such short notice to people you know, let alone people you don't know personally.) These are proposals for various grants and fellowships or applications to residencies. (Oh, I also have gotten some rather strange and long-winded requests for money too. Lots of money. Odd, that.)
Anyway, most of you are very respectful and take it to heart when I say that I do this blog for free (translated: I spend many hours researching, managing, writing people back, etc.) and that if you have a burning question, you check my FAQs on the side bar first before asking me privately. However, for those of you who don't check my FAQs: dudes, scroll down and read them! I need you to. You need to be resourceful and figure this out and that is why I do this blog. To help people help themselves. As for reading people's proposals--as much as I would love to help, I simply can't. It is just way too time consuming. And if you read my article "Finding Money for Your Dreams," you know that I suffer from a brain injury. I don't mean to whine, so please don't take this the wrong way, but you need to know that the way it works is this: if I read something several pages one day, that means that I will then be way too exhausted to do my own writing later that day and maybe the next. So you see, it is too taxing on my wee brain. It's enough just to do this blog.
I'm about to go back into my book and re-edit it once again, as well as finish all the artwork. That means less time for Mira's List. I will do my very best to keep you all informed but please--do check those FAQs, use the comment forum at the bottom of the right hand sidebar so others can put their two cents in, and do not send me attached documents of your proposals, your Fulbright grant applications, your MacDowell applications, etc. I just can't do it. I get very, very tired just reading your emails asking me to help you. It doesn't mean I don't like you. It means I am not the person for the job.
I don't mean to complain. But things are getting out of hand so I had to say something. Please pass it on to others that I don't look at grant proposals. And if you feel like Mira's List has helped you in anyway whatsoever, consider making a small donation on the donation link on the right hand sidebar. Even if it's five dollars. Every little bit helps. I am trying to maintain this as a free site so any contribution would be appreciated, especially if you feel like you learned something from an article or you found out about an amazing opportunity here. Help keep this blog going or it will fizzle out in the future, as much as I'd like it to grow.
Thanks for listening. I guess I really got bombarded this month with letters and proposals, etc. Probably because the fall is a big application time and everyone out there needs money. Anyway, good luck with your endeavors, keep making art, keep applying for things and be courageous and go forth! I'm here to be your faithful resource and so I shall continue to....
Cheers,
Mira