WEEK 14 - Better Together
Hey HOMwork friends, happy Friday!
(If this is your first time joining us, take a peek at our Challenge Archive for all previous assignments.)
We've got another fantastic guest teacher this week, my dear friend and forever travel companion Lauren Ronquillo! Lauren is a multidisciplinary graphic designer specializing in hand lettering, illustration and signage; based in NYC & abroad.
From Lauren R:
Our culture has conditioned us to fake it til we make it, to hide vulnerability (especially professionally), to hustle through and tack on a “smile” while we're at it. Thankfully, we’re entering an age where revealing our struggles is something that's praised, not shamed. Even so, it’s still difficult to come out with that dirty little secret, so I'll start:
I have massive, massive anxiety. The type of anxiety that not only one, but two therapists have confirmed to be like… next level. Anxiety that manifests in excessive worry, throat closing panic attacks, extreme fatigue, body aches, and irrational fears. Much of my anxiety comes from the pressure I put on myself. I take my career extremely seriously because I believe art is capable of making the world a better place and that becomes debilitating at times. I blow up project expectations and immediately stress myself out. Sound familiar?
This is my first time talking publicly about my anxiety (yay/eek!), I've started sharing my symptoms with close friends recently and that's lead me to a place where I feel more balanced, and through these conversations, I've realized it’s not just me.
We're all healing from something: [insert condition here] You're not crazy, you're not weak, you're not less than. You're strong for doing everything you do while also healing.
My hope is, through this challenge, we can break the "show only the shiny parts of life" Instagram barrier, share some healing techniques, and come together to rejoice in the fact that in the end… we’re all fighting our own battles but we’re still on this crazy blue marble together.
OMG FREE BRUSHES!
Awww yeah - as a HOMwork subscriber, you get two FREE Procreate brushes to play with every week, courtesy of DesignCuts.
<< Click here to download this week's oil pastel brushes!
Your Assignment: In whatever style you choose, letter the word/words of a condition that you are working through.
This assignment will focus a bit more on how open and honest with yourself and others you want to be as opposed to the lettering itself (although please have fun, go wild, use colors that make you happy, work in a style you've wanted to try out, or stay within a trusted aesthetic you enjoy, up to you!)
Caption Idea: Share as much or little of your condition, symptoms, or struggles as you feel comfortable and let us know what your techniques are for processing and healing. You may not be ready for full-blown transparency just yet and that's for you to decide, but keep in mind that we're better together, and speaking from experience, it can feel so freeing to just come out with it so you can begin to move on.
Some ways I heal: It might seem obvious, but, meditation and yoga have changed my life. I also regularly dance real hard in the mirror and attend a weekly "laughter experience," a class forcing yourself to laugh with a bunch of strangers for an hour to release serotonin (I literally never want to go but always leave feeling great), and I attend breathwork workshops. Yep, I pay someone to help me breathe, and it's some of the best money I've ever spent.
Don't forget to tag @homsweethom and @laurenronquillo then follow and use the hashtag #HOMwork so we can see and support you. We’ll be sharing our favs in our stories all week!
Love,
Lauren & Lauren R
P.S. For more information, a full list of healing techniques & trusted resources for handling anxiety, subscribe to Lauren Ronquillo's mailing list!
