Issue #3- Carnival
What: Your Pages is an open-minded authentic platform for artistic expression.
Why: There is no talk of direct politics, all those who create content for Your Pages are free to their own preferences regardless of sex, religion, race, orientation or personal beliefs. There will be no tolerance of ignorance or persecution of personal beliefs and practices. This is not a place for any kind of toxic attitude. Rather a place for all those who enjoy the beauty in life and the random but original niches that create the world that we live in.
How: There is a new topic every month and on the first Tuesday of each month my team and I will introduce this topic by interpreting what the topic means to us with personal, and real-world examples. Then, every other following Tuesday (dependent on how many submissions) the issue will be filled with all of your work! As our audience, we want to see what you can do, and how you interpret each topic.
Welcome One and Welcome All To Our Interpretation of Carnival
“You loved ferris wheels more than roller coasters because life shouldn’t be lived at full speed, but in anticipation and appreciation.”
-Amy Harmon
Emili Holden-The Photographer
This theme was fun for me to create! It gave me reason to find inspiration, location, come up with a style, and find someone who would embody and portray that vision with me. I happily met up with Ashley, one of my lil basshed hunnis, and we headed out to an amazing location that just so happened to be closed that day…bummer. But Ashley encouraged me not to give up and she immediately pointed out a few other spots that we could utilize instead. Honestly, it was refreshing to have someone there with that much enthusiasm and to put forward that effort to make this work and to make me feel comfortable changing my vision a little.
Not only did we make some amazing images, we had a blast while shooting! Thank you, Ashley, for braving the cold, wet snow and frigid temperatures and for creating with me. I hope you all enjoy this series, it was a joy to create this and I am so happy with the results.
Emma Murphy-The Artist
Topsy Turvy
They dip and turn,
Coins jingling at their waist.
They open their arms,
To welcome the masses.
The lights dim, and
Smoke curls along the Floor.
Patrons young and old,
The small and the tall.
They wait with baited breath,
Suspense thick in the air.
Top hats and tutus bounce through
Starry nights and colored lights.
Organ music and staccato drums.
Figures glide through the air,
Weightless they float.
Masks and make-up,
Hide the reality of day.
Free spirits roam and
Magic runs wild.
Tightrope walkers dare and
Sword swallowers stun.
Misfits belong, and
Freaks are the norm.
Home to all and closed to none.
Ladies and gentleman, gather round...
What is this page all about?
-Essentially, I ,Anonymia, want to answer the questions that cloud your mind. I am in no way an absolute expert in any field but have endured many hardships in my life and feel that through my experiences I can share some wisdom. Now, don’t think this is solely for the heart-wrenching questions that make you contemplate many aspects of your life. But an option to ask questions without fear of repercussions. I can’t guarantee I will answer all questions but will do my best.
What inspires you?
-The passion of others inspires me to create. Seeing the emotion and raw elements that flow from art either in visual or written ways grips my soul. It’s as if their passion is feeding mine.
How to stay in touch with what you really desire?
-This question has a unique answer to each individual that reads it. But for me, I find myself using my hardships as a sense of motivation. It’s not that I am reliving each hardship but using each lesson or positive elements from the experience. A perfect example would be when in high school I was bullied to the point of severe depression. I stopped going to school for weeks at a time. The depression led to a very dark place and repressing that pain seemed like the easy route out of my continuous turmoil. The looks and whispers from peers burning into my self-esteem. I found it hard to summon up any kind of motivation. That was until I forced myself to sit down one day and asked myself a simple and straightforward question “why have I let the words of a bunch of kids corrupt my mind to the point I was believing what they were saying?”, yes talking to myself I responded, “I am worth something, and I was put on this earth for my own divine purpose.” As an adult now I can attest to that divine purpose being fulfilled every single day through my passion for many things. To stay in touch with what you really desire you must remember the hardships in your life and use them as motivation rather than an anchor holding you back.
Ask your questions on Instagram or Twitter by either commenting on an Anonymia post by one of the teams profiles, using the #ASKSPYP or by submitting a question below questions can be anonymous!
Samscript
So, folks, we are changing things up a bit. Rather than poetry as my piece for Issue #3, I decided to share a memory that comes to my mind when I hear the word “Carnival”. In my hometown, Castle Rock Colorado, at the end of every summer, Douglas County holds a fair/rodeo. This event has been an annual tradition for my family since I was old enough to remember. The smell of popcorn and funnel cakes always brought a warm feeling my heart. Plus, every year I made it point to get a turkey leg. Would take maybe 4 bites and was always too full to finish it. So, my dad ended up always having two lunches every year we went to the fair. Besides that, there is a prominent memory that I go to when when looking back on my childhood in Castle Rock.
I was 7 years old and dressed head to toy in my Jessie costume, from Toy Story, with my bright red cowboy hat and with my matching rope I entered into the rodeos mutton busting event. For those of you who don’t know what mutton busting is, its when a kid aged 4-8, boy or girl, sits on the back of a sheep and holds on for as long as they can. Well, turned out I was the other girl who entered to ride that day. So, there I was the only girl in a group of 14 boys, who not only had a couple or so inches on me but most were a year older than me. Being the only girl who entered at all, they just threw me in with the boys so I could at least get a turn. Little did these boys know, I had been in every mutton busting event at the fair since I was tall enough to be entered. Teasingly they boys offered “ladies first”, I smirked and said, “No its okay boys, I’d rather go last”. With each turn the time got worse, the first boy started with 4 seconds. Then the following boys got between 2-3 seconds. Second to last up was the cockiest, most annoying boy of them all. Being only 8 years old, he had the attitude of a high school senior. As the adult in charge of the line of kinds told him “come on kid, it's your turn. Try to last the full eight”, he walked towards the gate and turned and blew me a kiss “watch how a real cowboy does it” he said. He lasted all of 6 seconds and walked away with a big head, the adult looks at me “alright sweetie, don’t let these boys run this event. You can last the full eight.” He picked me up and made sure I had a good grip on the sheep's fur, put the helmet snug on my head and said: “Show them who the real champion is”. The sound of a buzzer and the gate flew open, holding on with all of my 40 lbs I didn’t let go till I heard the announcer say “She did it! Samantha Grimwood lasted the full eight! We have our champion!”. I ran into the arms of my mom she picked me up, spun me around till we both almost fell over. My sister gave me a hug and said: “I’m proud of you Sam”. After they took my picture and gave me my ribbon I looked over at the group of boys who also rode, blew them a kiss then turned around and walked away.
While my idea of carnival is not the same as many, I think of the rodeo held in my hometown that also had some rides and some food carts that us townies called a “fair”. A simple memory, but it will always be a happy memory I share of my family, childhood, and hometown.
A picture from the same day I won my mutton busting event when I was 7 years old!
“Happiness is simply a temporary condition that proceeds unhappiness. Fortunately for us, it works the other way around as well. But it's all a part of the carnival, isn't it?”
-Federico Fellini
