Representation and social transformation

The Artdog Quotes of the Week

How does representation play a role in social transformation? Last week's Monday post explored stereotypes and the power of portrayal. Now let's tackle social transformation.

Make no mistake. Society is always transforming. Social change happens, whether we want it to or not. And individually we can't control how it changes.

No, the creators of content can't change basic facts of human existence. But we can affect how people think about those facts, for well or ill. (This quote-image featuring Ellen DeGeneres is courtesy of FCKH8 on Twitter).

One person's efforts rarely provide a huge pivot point, unless that one person speaks for thousands, and society was ripe for the change. Case in point: #MeToo. That one was way overdue!

What kind of future do you want?

We can't control the changes. But we can affect how things change. 

What kind of future do you want? As creative people, we make art that comments on how things are and how things could be. If you think a more broadly representative world would be more fair and interesting, reflect that in your art.

Subverting the stereotypes

If you think harmful stereotypes should be questioned, treat them like the clichés they are. Turn them inside out. Subvert them. Transform them into something fresh and unexpected and better.

It can take guts to "call people on their stuff" and challenge stereotypes. But artistic integrity demands it. (This quote-image from Rosie Perez is courtesy of The Huffington Post).

That's just basic sound practice--but you're also making a statement by the way you make the transformation.

Please note that this approach requires awareness. Creative people fall into tropes, clichés and stereotyped thinking when they don't recognize them for what they are. We all have unconscious biases. But we owe it to ourselves, our work, and our fans to learn about them and challenge them.

Representation and social transformation

Wider and more diverse representation is essential to the social transformations that I would love to see come about. I have my own ways to portray that, particularly in the stories I write.

Artists need to seize the power of portrayal. (This quote-image from Gina Rodriguez is courtesy of The Huffington Post).

There are as many possible approaches as there are artists. Some, such as those in the Solarpunk movement, seek to portray the benefits of positive future change.

Writers, artists, filmmakers and others with a more dystopic bent often dramatize how badly things can go wrong. Perhaps as a cautionary tale. Or because they're pessimists. Or because conflict is inherent in a dystopic plotline.

Everyone takes an individual path, because each of us has our own unique voice. We must let the world hear our visions, presented from our own perspectives, in our own voices.

What values do you seek to embrace? What negative outcomes do you hope we avoid?

IMAGE CREDITS:

Many thanks to  FCKH8 on Twitter and The Huffington Post for the quote-images in this post.

Creating a cover with Lucy A. Synk: a cover reveal

(Cover Artwork © 2020 by Lucy A. Synk)

Creating a cover with Lucy

Lucy painted the first Wizards' Worlds cover. She corresponded
with Andre Norton several times while the author was living. (artwork © by Lucy A. Synk)

I sort of wandered sideways into creating a cover with Lucy A. Synk. Lucy's a wonderful fantasy and media-portrait artist whose work I discovered at science fiction convention art shows in the 1980s. She also painted professional illustrations and book covers back in the day.

She and I were friendly acquaintances when she lived in the Kansas City area. But ironically our friendship really took off after she moved away. We discovered how much fun it was to talk with each other on the phone, and the rest is history.

Although she and I haven't lived in the same town in decades, today I count her as one of my dearest friends. We travel to places "partway between" to meet for the occasional face-to-face gabfest, and we've shared many adventures over the years.

Lucy's been there since the beginning of the XK9s

Naturally, she reads drafts of my writing projects in their developmental stages. She offered insights and unflagging encouragement throughout the many, many, many, many early drafts of What's Bred in the Bone (that's why her name is on the dedication page).

Lucy created "Doggie-Back Rides," featuring Rex with Charlie's niece Lacey, mostly for fun.
(artwork © 2018 by Lucy A. Synk)

But she had by then moved into other realms with her artwork, and expressed no interest in illustrating my stories, other than the occasional, small whimsical drawing. Ever creating a cover with Lucy seemed out of the question.

Until one day it wasn't, anymore. I started in my role as Art Director for Weird Sisters Publishing, Lucy's job situation changed, and I finished the manuscript of my soon-to-be-released novella The Other Side of Fear.

The novella depicts events that happened before the action in What's Bred in the Bone, when the XK9s and their future partners met on the planet Chayko. The story's action follows Shady's eventual partner, Pamela Gómez, and her personal evolution. Lucy had been reading each draft, advising me on the development of the story . . . and cooking up visual ideas.

A creative collaboration

My favorite way to work with a cover artist is to have them read the manuscript, consider the story and how to visually express it, then tell me how they'd like to approach it.

I generally have my own ideas, but the artist knows his or her own vision and capabilities best. The folks I've worked with so far also understand the "postage-stamp poster" nature of a book cover. Creating a cover with Lucy or any other artist becomes a creative collaboration.


In this case, Lucy had a very clear idea. There are two pivotal scenes in the story that happen near a bonfire at night. She wanted to use the dramatic lighting at these important moments to create a dynamic cover.

Here's Lucy's first sketch of the "bonfire scene." (artwork © 2019 by Lucy A. Synk)

With the concept approved, Lucy moved to the tonal study. (artwork © 2019 by Lucy A. Synk)

Next she created the first color rough of the most important part of the scene. (artwork © 2019 by Lucy A. Synk).

What does an "ashasata" look like?

Most of the action in The Other Side of Fear takes place on Planet Chayko, under the watchful eyes of the XK9 Project's trainers and officials. Chayko is an exo-Terrestrial planet that humans were allowed to colonize because repeated meteor bombardments had reduced the native life-forms to pre-sapient levels. But it still has a breathable atmosphere, a similar mass (thus, gravity), a G-type star, and many other Earth-like aspects that allow humans to flourish there.

The humans installed a shield to repel the meteor-strikes, then settled in. They brought Earth plants and animals, but never completely terraformed the planet. Instead, it's a patchwork of native, more "primordial" organisms alongside the imports from Earth.

Lucy, with her decade of work in natural history illustrations, has been having a wonderful time advising me and co-conspiring with me about how native Chaykoan life-forms look. One general type of organism that is mentioned repeatedly in The Other Side of Fear is the ashasatas. They are brachiated life-forms that fill a niche similar to Earth's trees.


But what do they look like? The bonfire scenes take place in a rustic setting at the edge of an ashasata forest. We could've blurred the details back into the shadows and "faked it," but Lucy wanted to explore the idea. Ashasatas, she suggested, would look more like the earlier treelike plants on earth. She led me on a journey through the paleobotany of conifers, to the Chilean Monkey Puzzle Tree (yes, this is how nerds have fun).

Monkey Puzzle Trees (Araucaria) at night, lit from below--living fossils that provided a perfect model for our Ashasatas at the bonfire. Note: they are the Chilean national tree (Lucy found this photo somewhere. I haven't been able to locate the source).

Pulling it all together

Once we figured out what ashasatas look like, Lucy was able to finish the cover painting in the correct proportions. Here's a look at the painting without the words all over it.

Here's the finished painting, before I put in all the typography. Lucy can tell you who every person in the background crowd is. (artwork © 2020 by Lucy A. Synk)

She ultimately reduced the size of the crowd behind Shady. For those of you who've read What's Bred in the Bone, can you guess which of them are Dr. Ordovich, Dr. Imre the Breeding Coordinator, and Chief Klein?

Other characters whom you'll meet in The Other Side of Fear are Randy the Education Director and other partner-candidates. Lucy can tell you who everyone is.

I hope you've enjoyed this look at the process of creating a cover with Lucy A. Synk. We've discussed a lot of other ideas and projects, so look for more artwork from her in the future!

Weird Sisters Publishing released The Other Side of Fear In wide distribution on March 31, 2020. If you'd like a FREE e-copy, you can get one if you subscribe to Jan's monthly newsletter!

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to Lucy A. Synk for all of these images.

The power of portrayal

What is the power of portrayal? Why is it important that we see ourselves in the pictures, the fiction, and the media that surround us?

Because people define themselves in reaction to, and in relation to, what they perceive around them. All of us are suggestible, to one degree or another. We react to peer pressure, and to social norms.

The messages we send

This quote-image from Salma Hayek is courtesy of The Huffington Post.

All creative people should consider the issue of representation. Our creative products, be they songs, visuals, stories, or other things, send messages. I've considered aspects of these in two recent posts, Who gets represented, and Owning our "own voices."

Unfortunately, for many years the only messages our dominant media have been sending about diverse groups are tropes and stereotypes.

Many thanks to The Huffington Post for this quote-image from Nate Parker.

While all too many of the reasons for these arise from overt racism, I'm convinced that a lot of them come from a profound lack of awareness by creatives or gatekeepers, and falling back on unthinking clichés. I blogged about this a while back, too.

What kind of clichés am I talking about?

Rita Moreno has been dealing with negative stereotypes for decades. It's not a new problem. (Quote-image courtesy of The Huffington Post).

I mean the stock characters that always seem to come with an ethnic tag. The Muslim terrorist. For a long time (at least since 9/11) there's hardly been any other kind in the US media. The undocumented Mexican. How about the inscrutable Asian? Or the hostile Indian (Native American). The list is seemingly endless, and it skews sharply negative.

Thank goodness, we're becoming more aware that these are bad. No, I'm not just being "politically correct." That's a term invented by easily-frightened people who are afraid of losing their privilege, or at least their perceived "right" not to care how others feel. In an interconnected society like ours, lack of empathy is an insidious social poison.

Many thanks to The Huffington Post for this quote-image from Octavia Spencer.

Negative stereotypes and stock characters are bad because we tend to believe what we see. Even if we are confronted in our daily lives with examples to the contrary, repetition of a negative trope/message can interfere with our perceptions. And believing harmful things about others in our society weakens society as a whole.

The power of portrayal

It's not "harmless," just because it's fiction. On the contrary, we craft fiction for a powerful emotional impact. Negative messages are actually more harmful when when clothed in popular fiction, because of their intensity and reach.

The power of portrayal lies in its pervasive, persuasive impact. Children are more susceptible to harm from negative portrayals, because they are less sophisticated and more impressionable. But negative depictions harm all of us, no matter who we are or what groups we belong to. They tear at the fabric of society, and can devastate self-image.

Bottom line to creative people in all media: educate yourself, so you're not caught unaware. Understand that you are more powerful than you may think. Respect the power of portrayals in your work.

Many thanks to GLAAD, for this quote-image from Sarah Kate Ellis.

IMAGE CREDITS: 

Many thanks to The Huffington Post, which published the features that provided four of these posts. They are "18 Times Black Actors Nailed Why We Need Representation in Film," and its sidebar slide show (scroll to the bottom), "16 Times Latinos Were Brutally Honest about Hollywood's Lack of Diversity." The quote-image from Sarah Kate Ellis is courtesy of GLAAD.

Owning our "own voices"

The Artdog Quote(s) of the Week

Who owns our voices? If you run in the circles I do, you're aware of the "own voices" movement, which has been growing since 2015. It started in children's books, but it's reaching far beyond that now, because it's a sound idea.

In simplest terms, as Blue Crow Publishing lays it out, "'Own voices' means that if you are writing a main character who is part of marginalized group, you are part of that marginalized group."

(image quote courtesy of a tumblr that no longer exists, via Pinterest)

It's a simple, elegant, empowering idea

For so many, many years, marginalized voices went unheard. Drawing on Blue Crow's explanation above, if, for example, you were a trans* person writing about a trans* main character in the past, you wouldn't even be able to get published at all.  The gatekeepers were all white cis folk who didn't have a clue about the issues, drama, and authentic visions of trans* persons.

Heck, most of the traditional media still have a problem letting more marginalized voices speak up. Remember #Oscarssowhite? That was a few years ago (2015), but it seems the lessons keep on having to be re-learned.

Sorry to all the wishful thinkers. No, we are not yet "post-racial." We have a long, long, long way to go, before we get there.

I remain convinced that until the rise of indie publishing, and the success of niche markets such as gay erotica (which doesn't even seem so "niche" any more), we would have seen the "own voices" movement rise even more slowly.

(Photo from the Huffington Post)

Why are authentic "own voices" needed?

Environmental science, biology, history, business experience, and common sense all teach us the same lesson. A diverse community brings a variety of strengths to the table. More approaches. More interesting meetings of minds and cultures and perspectives. Diverse communities are stronger and more adaptable. Yet humans' instinct for tribalism fights this truth.

Likewise, intellectual communities are more adaptable, versatile, and robust when they accept many inputs. Our own individual world-views are deepened and enhanced by knowledge of wider ranges of possibility. When we pay attention to writers who tell their own stories and speak in their own voices, our understandings expand.

I recently blogged on my publisher's website about the book American Dirt, and the need to read works by people who really know what they're writing about. Such accounts tend (when well-written) to be more powerful and more realistic. And interesting.

(Photo from the Huffington Post).

IMAGE CREDITS:

Many thanks to a tumblr that no longer appears to exist, via Pinterest, for the Rosario Dawson image-quote. I also thank The Huffington Post, which published the features that provided two of these posts. They are "18 Times Black Actors Nailed Why We Need Representation in Film," and its sidebar slide show (scroll to the bottom), "16 Times Latinos Were Brutally Honest about Hollywood's Lack of Diversity." 

K9 Veterans Memorial

Today is an especially fitting day to share photos of the K9 Veterans Memorial. Because today is K9 Veterans Day.

Views of the K9 Veterans Memorial in Fort Atkinson, WI. Mark Dziewior sculpted the bronze dog. The Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson conceived of the project, conducted the fundraising drive, and installed the memorial. Photos are from Facebook.

Established on March 13, it's the anniversary of the 1942 founding of the United States Army K9 Corps. If you've followed my blog for long, you know I've recognized K9 Veterans Day several times.

An honor guard from the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson WI attends a ceremony at the K9 Veterans Memorial on March 9, 2020. (Photo from Facebook).

Some background on the K9 Veterans Memorial

A couple of deputies pose by the K9 Veterans Memorial with their K9s on March 12, 2019. The men are identified as ED and KC. Their dogs are Friday and Nox. (Photo from Facebook).

The K9 Veterans Memorial's centerpiece is the sculpture Unbreakable Bond. Wisconsin animal sculptor Mark Dziewior created a touching vision in bronze.

It's in McCoy Park in Fort Atkinson, WI. The local Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson (KCFA) takes their K9 veterans very seriously.

They not only sponsored the creation of the K9 Veterans Memorial in McCoy Park (dedicated June 25, 2017). A couple of years earlier, they spearheaded an effort to get K9 Veterans Day officially recognized in the State of Wisconsin, in 2015.

The Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson and a lot of law enforcement handlers and K9s appeared at the Wisconsin Capitol in 2015 to gain state recognition of K9 Veterans Day. (Photo from the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson).

A day dedicated to Military Working Dogs

Don't confuse K9 Veterans Day with National Police K9 Day. That's celebrated on September 1, according to one of my favorite K9 charities, Vested Interest in K9s.

Military Working Dogs face specific challenges and dangers that police K9s don't. Just like human veterans, some of them retire to pursue law enforcement careers. So it's easy for a layperson to think they're basically the same.

And, like law enforcement K9s, today's Military Working Dogs or MWDs are usually one of a few main breeds. It's another reason laypersons may confuse them.

Here's another look at the K9 handlers in the Wisconsin Capitol to urge recognition of K9 Veterans Day. (Photo from the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson)

Typical breeds for MWDs

The brilliant SEAL Team 6 dog Cairo was a Belgian Malinois. Malinois mixes also make up a percentage of MWDs. They're not show dogs. The armed forces don't care about breed standards. So they sometimes create crossbreeds for specific purposes.

This Susan Orlean Quote comes from GetintoPC.

People know less about Dutch Shepherds, but everyone knows the versatile, ever-popular German Shepherds.

The Armed Services still classify them as "equipment." But since the year 2000 they're no longer abandoned on the battlefield or euthanized. When they're too old or traumatized or wounded to serve anymore we bring them home.

Civilian and handler outrage made a difference. Most MWDs are now adopted by a former handler. As I noted above, some have second careers in law enforcement.

But all too many MWDs, like all too many human soldiers, go home wounded and traumatized.

This is where organizations like Mission K9 Rescue and specialized programs from groups such as American Humane can forge lifesaving links. If you're considering donation options, why not make a donation to them?

IMAGE CREDITS:

A whole lot of these photos are from Facebook. I thank the National K9 Veterans Day Facebook page for the to photos of the sculpture, the wider shot from the ceremony, and the Deputies and their dogs. 

Many thanks also to the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson for the photos from the Capitol event. Finally, I must thank GetintoPC for the cool quote-image from Susan Orlean.

Who gets represented

The Artdog Quotes of the Week

Who gets represented? In my opinion, that's one of the most important questions any writer, visual artist, actor, or other creative individual can ask. 

So who gets represented in your creative work?

Who wins the final battles? Which character earns their true love's heart in the end? And how does that true love look? Who plays the villain's role? Which characters die horribly and get cast into the outer darkness? 

The stories we tell and the pictures we create matter. Because who gets represented is a vital question for all of us.

Amandla Stenberg quote-image courtesy of the Huffington Post.

Art is essential to our understanding 

There's an essential reason why art matters, in whatever of its many forms and media. It matters because the stories and the visuals that surround us help us define ourselves and our world.

I have blogged before about art creating bridges of understanding between cultures, but it's broader and deeper and far, far more important than simply reaching out between cultures, important as that is.

Sonia Manzano quote-image courtesy of The Huffington Post.

Representation is important

Representation helps people answer the question, "where do I fit in?" This is especially important for children. They understand the world in the way they see it explained to them, both verbally and visually. They respond to the representations they see.

As Lupita Nyong'o has said, when a child sees a representation of him-or herself in a work of art, "We plant the seed of possibility," which may not have existed before. It can unlock doors to complete new realms of potential.

But it really is a question for all of us throughout our lives. Just look at the assorted reactions to the recent "OK Boomer" fad. If people hadn't cared how they were being represented, would they have reacted the same way?

Lupita Nyong'o quote-image courtesy of The Huffington Post.

Who gets represented signals power

Now we're getting to the base-level reason why representation is important. Why the question "Who gets represented?" is so urgent. Representation signals and is an outcome of power.

The power dynamics of representation are too big and important a topic to address in the final paragraphs of this blog post, so look for more on this topic in blog posts to come!

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to The Huffington Post, which published two features that provided all of these posts. They are "18 Times Black Actors Nailed Why We Need Representation in Film," and its sidebar slide show (scroll to the bottom), "16 Times Latinos Were Brutally Honest about Hollywood's Lack of Diversity."