Song of the Week

Listen to this song as you read to help open you up. Messy by Lola Young.

“You’ll get through it.”

As my second cousin Joe patted me, Olivia, and my friend Aziz metaphorically on the back he reassured us that people do survive fascism. He was one of them, so his confidence was especially meaningful. So many Irish folks reassured us in this way as we shared about the current political state in the U.S.

A new friend in Belfast talked to us about how the suicide rate skyrocketed after the height of the conflict in Ireland and how they remain extremely high especially among youth. It makes sense. Survival instincts kick-in in during high levels of conflict, survive, get through it, fight, fight, fight. When the conflict is “over” and the body doesn’t get a break, that’s often when the despair aka self-destruct starts to kick-in. That feeling of “this will never end”. It’s so important to prepare for this despair, and to know it’s a normal part of the nervous system’s geological clock rather than an actual indicator of things being more hopeless than they were before. That’s why therapists are big fans of coping ahead or starting therapy before things get dire.

Today I am at Lake Tofte. I’m starting my first artist residency. Last night I talked to by cabin mate who is native to Turtle Island. We talked about how exactly 101 years ago on June 2nd, 1924 Native Americans were granted citizenship in the U.S. That sentence makes me laugh. This act was known as The Indian Citizenship Act, also known as the Snyder Act. As the current legal system in the U.S. is shifting, it’s so important to look at it’s origins and how it frames certain groups differently at different times. I’m not an expert in this act, but it’s clear that one of the main reasons Native Americans were “granted” citizenship in 1924 was to encourage assimilation in the guise of benevolently giving Native Americans the right to vote. It’s convenient for the U.S. government to want to erase Native Americans, their absence justified their presence. The targeting of Venezuelans now, well, it feels kind of like the opposite. Highlighting Venezuelan identity, framing people as unassimilable, criminals, justifies their deportation, heightens fear and xenophobia.

One of the ways that I “get through it” is by making these connections, it makes the world make sense and it helps me understand which strategies to use for resistance. If your oppressor wants you to assimilate, then what could you do instead? Watching the panel for the Northland Poster Collective earlier this week, a panelist described what her mother said when she saw a member of the American Indian Movement walking down the street for the first time, wearing his long braids. “Some of those guys, they could be kind of full of themselves…but walking down the street with his long braids, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful he looked.” Decades passed. On February 18th, 2025 her daughter, the woman on the panel, had the honor of making the moccasins that Leonard Peltier wore when he walked out of prison.

What I love about art, is that it exalts beauty in some kind of way. As I focus on my personal art practice this week, I want to encourage you to think about how you make art. My wife Olivia wrote me a note before I left which said, “Just breathe and let yourself be, and art can happen.” I’ll pass that on to you. Let yourself be a little while, and see what happens.

Van Orman & Helwin in Concert

July 19 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

$20.00 – $25.00

With special guests Todd Menton, Drew Miller, and Mark Black

Van Orman and Helwin play songs of love and loss, from the devout to the degenerate, with inspired vocal harmonies accompanied by an array of instruments including Viennese guitar, gourd banjo, fiddle, hurdy-gurdy, harmonium, concertina, harmonica, and jaw harp.

Schedule With Me

OTR/L, BA, MHP, LMT,
she/they) Integrative Therapies

I offer trauma informed somatic informed therapeutic coaching, craniosacral therapy, Swedish massage, Thai bodywork, myofascial release, group workshops, and healing through art, play, and connecting to nature.

Community Events

Drunk(ish) Antifascist History Fundraiser! Mark Your Calendars!

Irish Adventure Camp

$125.00

Get ready for the Irish Fair of Minnesota with Irish Adventure Camp!

This fun and engaging summer camp offers young learners an introduction to the rich traditions of Irish language, music, dance, and theater. Through games, rhythm, and storytelling, campers will explore Irish culture in an age-appropriate and imaginative way.

The week wraps up with a special performance at the Irish Fair of Minnesota on Friday, August 8—a chance for campers to share what they’ve learned on a small stage in the Pavilion.

Our wonderful instructors include opera singer and music theater artist Felix Aguilar Tomlinson, Irish language educator Sue Clark, and Irish music and dance teacher Adrienne O’Shea.

Join us for a joyful week where culture, creativity, and movement come together!

For ages 6-11 years old
August 4-7, 9:30 am – Noon
Fee: $125

Thanks for READING! xoxo Eiko