Atticus + Maya

the life and adventures of a broke wanderluster and her spastic wannabe wolfhound

[atticusandmaya]

Custom Mixed Media Portraits. Since my entire living expenses budget for the year has been obliterated by WREB & boards fees, I decided to make an Etsy shop to help fund my everyday existence! Friends & followers get $10 off any custom art piece with coupon code: BETHSFRIENDS Check it out. :)

[atticusandmaya]

Custom Silhouette Art.

Since my entire living expenses budget for the year has been obliterated by WREB & boards fees, I decided to make an Etsy shop to help fund my everyday existence! 

Friends & followers get $10 off any custom art piece with coupon code: BETHSFRIENDS

Check it out. :)

[atticusandmaya]

They'll say things like 'Well don't do that or don't look at that because that's someone's daughter, that's someone's wife, that's someone's sister.' I get what they're trying to say there, but at the root of it they are actually tethering that woman's value to the relationship of her with a man. It's saying she only means something because of who she's related to, not who she is. There's a big difference. But the truth is a woman is not valued because she's someone's daughter, a woman is valued because she's someone. That's a big, big difference. Nothing can bring more dignity than the realization of someone's genuine humanness.

Jefferson Bethke

[atticusandmaya]

#goals #canigetanamen

(Note: I saw this on a friend’s facebook but have no idea the original source.)

[atticusandmaya]

Art | Words

“At the present time all that we know of life and of love is based on the dim and clouded reflections we see in broken mirrors. But one day soon we will be face to face with the author and perfector of all that is good and holy and pure and worthy - on that day we will finally understand what true and perfect love really is.” (Inspired by 1 Cor. 13:12.)

[atticusandmaya]

Enjoying the beautiful outdoors!

[atticusandmaya]

Art | Henna Designs

When I was living in Nepal, henna was a way for me to connect with the other women there. It was a celebration of art and beauty and culture, a reason to gather and tell stories and drink chai and enjoy each other’s company. It was a way to put aside language and cultural barriers and just enjoy some girl time. Maybe here we paint nails instead of henna and sip moscato instead of spiced tea, but it’s not so different halfway across the world. We all laugh and smile the same, we all gossip and tease each other about crushes, we all dance together and sing together and ask for each other’s recipes. We all want to be beautiful and appreciated and loved. We are all women, all human. What a beautiful and precious common ground to stand on.

Henna, 2011.

[atticusandmaya]

Eats | Brown Sugar Chili Rubbed Salmon with Avocado Crema

I found this recipe on Andi Mitchell’s blog, and it is an absolute winner. The sweetness of the brown sugar, spiciness of the chili, savoriness of the salmon, tanginess of the lime, creaminess of the avocado... it’s such an incredible fusion of flavors and textures and I can actually feel my salivary glands pumping out drool right now just from thinking about it. Definitely worth the time and effort for a decadent (and nutrient-dense) home-cooked meal. Mmmmm. 

[atticusandmaya]

Art | Women Who Inspire Me | Stephanie

Stephanie’s resilient spirit and overwhelming positivity in the face of adversity are incredibly inspiring. No matter what life throws her way she never gives up, never gets discouraged. She is constantly looking for ways to make the world a better place and is always recruiting others to do the same. She is a portrait of strength and determination and I’m so blessed to have her as a friend.

Mixed Media, 2015.

Note: the style of art I used here was inspired by Frida Kahlo (her favorite artist) and Gustav Klimt (mine.)

[atticusandmaya]

Wardrobe Essentials | The Perfect Tee

I bought one of these a few weeks ago and ended up going back and getting one in every color. This is THE softest, comfiest, most perfectly draped and flattering basic tee I have ever worn. LOVE. 

Pure Body Essentials short-sleeve tee by Gap | $24.95 | Available in black, white and gray.

[atticusandmaya]

Texts from Rape Culture, pt. 3

a.k.a. “Pyromaniacs will be Pyromaniacs”

a.k.a. #NotAllPyromaniacs

[atticusandmaya]

Texts from Rape Culture, pt. 2

a.k.a. “Vandals will be Vandals”

a.k.a. #NotAllVandals

[laughingsquid]

A Neuroscientist Demonstrates How One Person’s Brain Can Control Another Person’s Arm

[atticusandmaya]

Science, y’all.

[atticusandmaya]

The moon was out as the sun was setting and the air smelled like honeysuckles in bloom. Evening walks with Atti = the highlight of my day.

[atticusandmaya]

Texts from Rape Culture

a.k.a. “Thieves will be Thieves”

a.k.a. #NotAllTheives

[nomnipresent]

“Oh—you wouldn’t date a girl who’s ever been a stripper? In that case, I wouldn’t date a guy who’s ever been to a strip club. Oh—you wouldn’t date a girl who’s ever done porn? In that case, I wouldn’t date a guy who’s ever watched porn. You’re the reason we exist. You’re the demand to our supply. If you disdain sex workers, don’t you dare consume our labor. As they say in the industry, “People jack off with the left hand and point with the right.”

[atticusandmaya]

Double standards infuriate me. The idea that “boys will be boys” and can do whatever they want whenever they want, but heaven forbid a woman have a sex drive before she has a ring on her finger. Heaven forbid the women of the sex industry ever be considered anything more than a product to be consumed. 

[atticusandmaya]

Seeing the news about Baltimore (and Ferguson before that) is heartbreaking on every level. Human beings seem to have an inherent bent towards prejudice, and that prejudice gives rise to a thirst for violence.

What is happening in Baltimore is not ok. The suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Freddie Gray are not ok. The subsequent riots that are now tearing the city apart are not ok.

There is fault to be found in both the actions of the police and the response of the people, and there are innocent lives being lost on both sides. But all of this is a response to and a symptom of a very real problem, and we cannot trivialize or justify that.

I'm not advocating overlooking criminal activity, I'm not advocating "reverse racism" (although, seriously? Cry me a river. Reverse racism never bludgeoned me to death for playing with a toy gun.)

What I am advocating is that I (and anyone else who cares to join me) set aside my arguments and excuses and indignation and take 2 seconds to consider the fact that I have NEVER been negatively discriminated against because of my skin color.

On the contrary, I have been awarded many unmerited (and often unrecognized) privileges because of it. It's not fair and I am benefitting from the unfairness. I can't take that for granted and I can't assume that if someone else doesn't get the same (again, unmerited) privileges that I do that it's somehow their fault.

True equality won't come through riots, but it won't come through ignorance or denial either. Until we admit that there is a problem and that we (as white people) are perpetrating the problem, we will not be able to work towards a solution. Baltimore and Ferguson are begging us to acknowledge the problem. The question is: how, then, will we respond?

This problem is so big, so institutionalized, that I don’t know where - as an individual - I can start. 

I know that “sorry” is not and will never be enough, but I am sorry. I’m sorry that good people, innocent people, are lumped into a “criminal” stereotype and have to live in fear for no other reason than the pigmentation of their skin. I’m sorry for that and for so many other things that can’t be fully articulated because I still don’t fully understand all the ways in which having pale skin makes my life easier. I’m sorry for taking that for granted - when I take my own privilege for granted it trivializes the injustice that other human beings face on a daily basis.

I am sorry. 

How can I - how can we - make this right?