... # ts n

we're tired of waiting
to be seen to let us
see ourselves

of only
pretending
to imagine

we are us
completely

(all comments go also with 07a)

Our art doesn’t have the answers secretly or covertly hidden inside it—the art, as it is, is… well, it is itself. It’s a part of us, it’s honest and open and raw, but to learn what it means to us… you have to ask us. You only have to ask. We - we appreciate it when you ask, and we only answer as much as we are able and want to, so you’re never forcing us - by asking.

It’s more than ‘we appreciate it’—

It’s, that means the most to us. That’s the only way to know that you - that anyone cares what our own art means to us. It means the world that you would be curious what our art means to us, because then we know you… we know you want the tools to understand our art as an extension of us, not just as, um, a mysterious expression of us, interesting but ultimately impenetrable

lan, bluesky

The second—was more direct. I don’t know how to understand her feeling, but I can try to draw it, so I did. Her feeling, or an expression of it, is on the page… it made me feel closer to her even though it still didn’t exactly explain anything. I tried to write a little about feeling that closeness, about owning it for myself - for ourselves - on our own, just because I do feel it, and I know that - I don’t need anybody else’s assurance.

I could tell it was Whisper in both drawings, but I was wondering how much of it was Whisper and how much was Claire, since you mentioned sometimes that can be the case - the energy felt different in these drawings compared to other drawings you've made of her and I was curious if that was a factor at all or not

Yeah… I… haha, I don’t know how much of it is Claire. Because from the outside, she’s just Whisper to me, you know…? But I understand. I realized it at least looked like Claire, for sure, a little in both drawings really

I’m looking at them again
The second one especially

I’m reminded of a drawing Tangle did, of Whisper just sitting… I don’t remember the words but it was a feeling of an ungappable distance, no one’s fault, despite seeing her, expressive, emotional, herself, here right next to you

I don’t feel like I’m looking at a drawing, when I look at the second one. I feel like I’m looking at her

I don’t feel like I’m looking at a created image of her, I feel like I’m looking at a person

I can’t describe what I exactly feel about “the drawing” because it’d be like… like telling what I feel about your face taken in a photograph, one where you weren’t posing at all—

the drawing is like she sat still, knowing she’s getting drawn, not putting on any face other than her own

But… I feel that’s… central to what she’s trying to say, through this drawing

to what she’s saying and as a response to “my” drawing, the one that says “this isn’t really how we feel, or is it?” which didn’t turn out like I planned…

The sense I get is unity despite our gaps

“We’re only together because we’re different” is something Tangle wrote when she was listening to a somewhat distant Whisper, some months ago

“We are with each other, apart” is maybe more like the sentiment here

“Unity” means… it’s… imagine it’s, “we’re at each other’s side, deaf”

We’re in this together but in this moment our only communication is trace brainwaves, and, well… the rest we can’t describe

The ways we always exist as one, no matter how muddled our inner senses

a shared spirit if and when nearly nothing else

lan, bluesky