Deerfield post II

besweettome, , ,

At long last…A Fresh Plan

It’s been a bit since I’ve last posted.

I haven’t been posting as much as I think it’s easy to get thrown off course when it comes to creativity. If you approach everything from this place where you want to ask why, how, why how, it’s a bit exhausting. Not pursuing what excites you fuels all of the imposter syndrome scripts, but I’m back! I’m more excited to tell Eunice’s story and my own through my creative practices and need to communicate visually and take in the haptic experience. I’m pursuing non professional, totally about me and my creative work, grants to give permanence to my arts practice.

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I’m still very excited about Eunice, I am going to go for it and make a graphic novel about her life. I was accepted to Gullkistan to attend for two weeks and devote this brief time to industry of creativity. Eunice will be my guide.

I’m applying for these grants to better assist development of my illustration non-fiction graphic novel. Graphic novels are a great tool to immerse in content and approach topics that a lot of readers might approach with dread. If I may be so bold: history is often presented poorly. Hollywood portrayals saccharine, tangential to the truth, and needlessly sensationalistic while eliding contrary facts that misalign to the chosen narrative.

History is so important and feel it’s portrayed in deeply uninteresting ways and as if it’s atomically irrelevant to our contemporary lives, culture, political realities.

In particular, the Deerfield raid in 1704, and the central, enigmatic figure, the “unredeemed captive,” Eunice Williams. So far, I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot over the past year, have traveled to relevant sites (Deerfield & Montreal), and have been sketching various drafts or portraits of Eunice and objects in her  life. I’ve read just about everything I can find on this particular person and Deerfield, at Harvard, online, and the Boston Historical Society. Eunice could benefit with an illustrative retelling as her story has been lifted and pieced into other formats well know, The Last of the Mohicans, they aren’t wholly accurate to the Deerfield events. Outside of a handful of wonderful things I’ve encountered (share your secret stash?), I haven’t truly been able to find a meaty brainful of info about Eunice.

Stop. I can hear you, really. Keep your shirt on.

Such an expose doesn’t exist because she was a child three hundred years ago, and most of all, it appears she didn’t want her story to exist, itemized on paper in permanence. Unfortunately, that’s just not enough to satisfy my interest in Eunice. Is it too much of a streeeeetch (a crime? lock me up!) to believe Eunice’s life and choices have larger relevance to how history lives with us and guides American (individual and nationalistic) choices?

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I was recently reminded by my favorite ballerina how critical it is to quiet one’s inner, negative voice, and in the spirit of New Years and new growth, I can agree *just to agree* … i’ll try.

Reads & References

Feature image is my own find, microfilm scan #414, from the Harvard archives!

XO

H

Published by besweettome