WE ARE BLEEDING
TO PURCHASE THIS YEAR'S CALENDAR CLICK HERE!
BACK IN 2005, WHEN PERIOD TRACKER APPS WERE A THING OF THE FAR OFF FUTURE- I WAS SICK OF MARKING MY POCKET CALENDAR (YES, MADE OF PAPER AND FOLDED INTO MY WALLET LIKE A CAVEMAN) WITH INDISTINGUISHABLE NOTES AND MARKS TO REMIND MYSELF OF MY UPCOMING MENSTRUAL FLOW. I HAD JUST READ "CUNT" AND "TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR FERTILITY" AND WAS FEELING INNOVATIVE! I DECIDED TO DRAW A CALENDAR TO EASILY TRACK AND PREDICT WHEN MY NEXT PERIOD WOULD BE ARRIVING SO I COULD PLAN ACCORDINGLY ( TAKE A BUNCH OF HERBS, BUY A A LOT OF CANDY, PREPARE MY SELF FOR AT LEAST THREE DAYS OF DEPRESSION AND PAIN) . AT THAT TIME I HAD ALSO RECENTLY BEGUN TO UNDERSTAND THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF THE MOON ON OUR BODIES (OUR 28 DAY CYCLE COINCIDES AND IS GUIDED BY THE MOONS 28 DAY CYCLE) AND KNEW THAT BY PAYING ATTENTION TO THE MOON CYCLE EACH NIGHT, IN TIME I WOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AND LISTEN TO MY BODIES CYCLE- THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK INTO THE SKY ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT AND KNOW NOT ONLY WHETHER THE MOON WAS WAXING OR WANING BUT ALSO IF I WAS OVULATING, FERTILE, OR PMSING. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE AND POWERFUL WAY TO CONNECT OUR EARTHLY BODIES TO OUR CELESTIAL BODIES.
AS I BEGAN TO DRAW MY FIRST CALENDAR I ALSO WANTED TO MAKE ANOTHER CONNECTION- THAT CONNECTION TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY WHO BLEED AND ARE EFFECTED BY THEIR MENSTRUATION. I USE THE WORLD PEOPLE AND NOT WOMEN INTENTIONALLY HERE- AS THERE ARE MANY WHO HAVE MENSTRUAL PERIODS WHO DO NOT IDENTIFY AS WOMEN (TRANS, NON-BINARY, AFAB, ETC) AND THERE ARE MANY WOMEN WHO DO NOT HAVE PERIODS. SO THE BLEEDING CALENDAR IS FOR ANY AND EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO KEEP TRACK OF THEIR CYCLE! I WANTED TO HAVE A WAY FOR ALL OF US TO COLLECTIVELY KEEP TRACK OF OUR BODIES- TO NOTICE WHOSE CYCLES STARTED TO LINE UP WITH EACH OTHER, TO BE ABLE TO COMPARE AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER (ROOMMATES, SIBLINGS, LOVERS - IM LOOKIN AT YOU!) AND I WANTED TO CELEBRATE THAT CONNECTION AND RELATIONSHIP- TO RECOGNIZE HOW WE CAN ALL BE IN SYNC WITH OUR LOVED ONES, HOW WE ARE ALL GOING THROUGH THE SAME FEELINGS AND BODILY PAINS AND PLEASURES.
THE TITLE: WE ARE BLEEDING CAME FROM THIS INITIAL UNDERSTANDING- OF A COMMUNAL SACRIFICE -THAT IS ALSO THE GREATEST COMMUNAL POWER- THE FACT THAT WE COLLECTIVELY HAVE THE POWER TO GIVE AND CREATE LIFE. THAT IS FUCKING INCREDIBLE. "WE ARE BLEEDING" IS ALSO A COLLECTIVE ANNOUNCEMENT AND RESISTANCE TO PATRIARCHY. IT IS A RECOGNITION, A TESTAMENT TO, A GRIEVING, A WITNESSING, A REMEMBERING AND AN HONORING TO THE INSURMOUNTABLE VIOLENCE AND OPPRESSION OF WOMEN UNDER PATRIARCHY. IT IS A DECLARATION- WE ARE BLEEDING!! YOU ARE AND HAVE BEEN ENACTING VIOLENCE UPON US! YOU ARE KILLING US! WE ARE IN PAIN FROM THIS WORLD!! AND ALSO, THROUGH ALL OF IT- WE ARE BLEEDING!! WE ARE THUS LIVING. WE ARE THUS RESISTING, WE ARE CONSTANTLY HEALING, CONSTANTLY GIVING, CONSTANTLY CREATING. OUR BLOOD IS OUR STRENGTH. IT IS A REMINDER OF OUR POWER AND OF OUR CONNECTION. OUR BODIES MONTHLY CYCLE REMINDS US AGAIN AND AGAIN TO NOT LET ANY PAST PAIN TAKE OVER US- THAT THIS TOO SHALL PASS- TO BE PRESENT WITH OURSELVES AND OUR FELLOW BLEEDERS. TO BE GRATEFUL FOR THE GIFTS OF KNOWLEDGE AND SELF CARE BLEEDING HAS PROVIDED US- TO KNOW OUR STRENGTH THROUGH OUR ABILITY TO MOVE THROUGH THE PAIN--CUZ TOMORROW WE ARNT GONNA BE BLEEDING. TMRW WE ARE GONNA BE GIVING BIRTH TO OUR OWN CREATED WORLD AND YALL BETTER WATCH OUT!!
EACH YEAR I HAND DRAW EVERY BLEEDING CALENDAR. THE IMAGE IS THAN TRANSFERRED TO SILK SCREEN WHERE I HAND PRINT EACH POSTER USING WATER BASED INKS AND RECYCLED PAPER. THE THEME CHANGES EACH YEAR, OFTEN DEPICTING MEDICINAL PLANTS THAT HELP AIDE IN THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE. THE PRINTS ARE VERY LIMITED RUN!