![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The Icarus Project is creating a new culture and language that resonates with our actual experiences of madness and "mental illness" rather than trying to fit our lives into a conventional framework. We are a website community, support network of local groups, and media project created by and for people struggling with bipolar disorder and other dangerous gifts commonly labeled as "mental illnesses." Come Join Us!
Mad Gifts Week
The First Annual Icarus Week of Mad Gift Giving
October 29th through November 4th
a call for a week of
New Language
Radical Wellness and
Listening Spaces
Give and Get Mad Gifts
Mental Health Skillshares - Discussions - Open Forums - Dancing - Culture Jam - Performances - Resource Swaps -
and Mad Pride Parties!
More ideas for how to celebrate Mad Gifts week:
(from Inel's list here)
By and for ourselves:
Perform personal rituals of self-care and reflection on mad gifts.
Work on a mad map/advanced directive/wrap.
Make a madness first aid kit.
Inventory your mad gifts. Make a wish list of skills/self care tools or things you’d like to do or explore.
Revelations, resolutions and revolution: Explore what you have discovered along your mad journey, come to a sense of resolve about what you want to do and consider how what you do to take care of yourself and share with your community connects to the movement and cultural evolution.
Dreaming the future: Imagine an ideal world where mad gifts and diversibility were fully honored. Make visual image or write a story as if it were totally true and possible (because it may indeed be).
Make a self-portrait of yourself and your mad gifts.
Video journal: Be the star of your own movie showing off your mad gifts. This can be a document that could remind you later (if you forget) how cool you are.
Re-language your permanent record: Get a hold of your mental health file and re-write your side of the story that reflects your truth in your own preferred language. Share your modified document with your allies if you feel safe enough to do so.
Make a mixed tape/cd of mad music. Could be madness related and reflect different mindscapes. Give as a gift to friends, a gift to yourself, or gift to madness radio. Theme music can be about anything, perhaps a comfort mix, a manic dance mix or music that rallies strength for the struggle.
Make a zine, write a poem/essay, paint, collage, mosaic, sculpt or whatever crazy creative thing you do, with intention of saying something about your mad gifts.
For/with our communities:
Here are some things you can do with your friends, family, support circle and community. These are things you can do with an individual friend or with a whole group of people. The first step is assessing allies and the available resources.
Mad Tea Party. Encourage people to come as they most truly are and hold a dynamic discussion over tea and comfort food.
Super Hero themed costume party. Dress as a personality trait or "symptom" and imagine how this will somehow save the world.
Skill-share something you are passionate about, like survival skills, wellness tools, nutrition, sleep strategies, yoga, art, ANYTHING!
Mad map making with friends. Inspire one another in the process.
Write an editorial for local newspaper or agree to be interviewed about your mad gifts. Be the media! Connect with your local Indy Media, Community Radio Station or Cable Public Access and work together with others on a Mad Gifts project to be aired MGW.
Post an anonymous shout out to Mad Ones on Craigslist or other such free local classified ad place. See who responds.
Flyer town with TIP info with website contact. Leave postcards in pivotal places.
Make up mad slogans and write them everywhere in sidewalk chalk graffiti.
Mad Masks: Make masks or diversibility dress up. Go out in the world in costume and pass out mad resources or TIP postcards.
Celebrate the Day of the Dead by holding a tribute night to mad ones who have crossed over to the other side. (Last Halloween I went to a Syd Barrett/Arthur Lee Tribute Show. Both died after lives of struggle while leaving a legacy of their mad gifts.) Maybe a poetry reading tribute night, etc.
Pass out placebo to friends. Any little pill shaped sugar pills will do (I like pez or smarties). Make product information sheets and put in old med bottles with new labels. The secret to placebo is totally believing they work. (I take a placebo that cures me of the seven deadly sins. This year I’m going to give my psychiatrist and therapist bottles of placebo, because I think they’d appreciate the humor.) This is NOT a good thing to do if you have children in your lives.
Hold a healing circle and swap massage, reki, touch, tickle, meditate together, breathe.
Start a “bitch and stitch”, make a crazy quilt with community friends. Could be passed around as a symbol of support to those in need when finished. Sometimes doing stuff together like this makes conversations and discussions unfold more naturally. Discussion topic could be something like “mending”. Could also work while gardening and discuss “planting seeds”, “tending” and “composting”.
Start a tradition! Things we are discussing here are things like, “Stone Soup” meals towards the end of the month when we’re all broke, forming a skill bank, or monthly gleaning days together where we swap what we gather.
Pick a topic of mad activism and take your message/action to the source in mass.
Movie night/discussion.
Discussion forums, panel discussions, story swaps.
==> Icarus article on MGW
(I'm coming in late on this, but I'm going to try to have some madness-related posts in the next couple days. And I've been thinking about having a Mad Tea Party in my neck of the woods.)
The First Annual Icarus Week of Mad Gift Giving
October 29th through November 4th
a call for a week of
New Language
Radical Wellness and
Listening Spaces
Give and Get Mad Gifts
Mental Health Skillshares - Discussions - Open Forums - Dancing - Culture Jam - Performances - Resource Swaps -
and Mad Pride Parties!
More ideas for how to celebrate Mad Gifts week:
(from Inel's list here)
By and for ourselves:
Perform personal rituals of self-care and reflection on mad gifts.
Work on a mad map/advanced directive/wrap.
Make a madness first aid kit.
Inventory your mad gifts. Make a wish list of skills/self care tools or things you’d like to do or explore.
Revelations, resolutions and revolution: Explore what you have discovered along your mad journey, come to a sense of resolve about what you want to do and consider how what you do to take care of yourself and share with your community connects to the movement and cultural evolution.
Dreaming the future: Imagine an ideal world where mad gifts and diversibility were fully honored. Make visual image or write a story as if it were totally true and possible (because it may indeed be).
Make a self-portrait of yourself and your mad gifts.
Video journal: Be the star of your own movie showing off your mad gifts. This can be a document that could remind you later (if you forget) how cool you are.
Re-language your permanent record: Get a hold of your mental health file and re-write your side of the story that reflects your truth in your own preferred language. Share your modified document with your allies if you feel safe enough to do so.
Make a mixed tape/cd of mad music. Could be madness related and reflect different mindscapes. Give as a gift to friends, a gift to yourself, or gift to madness radio. Theme music can be about anything, perhaps a comfort mix, a manic dance mix or music that rallies strength for the struggle.
Make a zine, write a poem/essay, paint, collage, mosaic, sculpt or whatever crazy creative thing you do, with intention of saying something about your mad gifts.
For/with our communities:
Here are some things you can do with your friends, family, support circle and community. These are things you can do with an individual friend or with a whole group of people. The first step is assessing allies and the available resources.
Mad Tea Party. Encourage people to come as they most truly are and hold a dynamic discussion over tea and comfort food.
Super Hero themed costume party. Dress as a personality trait or "symptom" and imagine how this will somehow save the world.
Skill-share something you are passionate about, like survival skills, wellness tools, nutrition, sleep strategies, yoga, art, ANYTHING!
Mad map making with friends. Inspire one another in the process.
Write an editorial for local newspaper or agree to be interviewed about your mad gifts. Be the media! Connect with your local Indy Media, Community Radio Station or Cable Public Access and work together with others on a Mad Gifts project to be aired MGW.
Post an anonymous shout out to Mad Ones on Craigslist or other such free local classified ad place. See who responds.
Flyer town with TIP info with website contact. Leave postcards in pivotal places.
Make up mad slogans and write them everywhere in sidewalk chalk graffiti.
Mad Masks: Make masks or diversibility dress up. Go out in the world in costume and pass out mad resources or TIP postcards.
Celebrate the Day of the Dead by holding a tribute night to mad ones who have crossed over to the other side. (Last Halloween I went to a Syd Barrett/Arthur Lee Tribute Show. Both died after lives of struggle while leaving a legacy of their mad gifts.) Maybe a poetry reading tribute night, etc.
Pass out placebo to friends. Any little pill shaped sugar pills will do (I like pez or smarties). Make product information sheets and put in old med bottles with new labels. The secret to placebo is totally believing they work. (I take a placebo that cures me of the seven deadly sins. This year I’m going to give my psychiatrist and therapist bottles of placebo, because I think they’d appreciate the humor.) This is NOT a good thing to do if you have children in your lives.
Hold a healing circle and swap massage, reki, touch, tickle, meditate together, breathe.
Start a “bitch and stitch”, make a crazy quilt with community friends. Could be passed around as a symbol of support to those in need when finished. Sometimes doing stuff together like this makes conversations and discussions unfold more naturally. Discussion topic could be something like “mending”. Could also work while gardening and discuss “planting seeds”, “tending” and “composting”.
Start a tradition! Things we are discussing here are things like, “Stone Soup” meals towards the end of the month when we’re all broke, forming a skill bank, or monthly gleaning days together where we swap what we gather.
Pick a topic of mad activism and take your message/action to the source in mass.
Movie night/discussion.
Discussion forums, panel discussions, story swaps.
==> Icarus article on MGW
(I'm coming in late on this, but I'm going to try to have some madness-related posts in the next couple days. And I've been thinking about having a Mad Tea Party in my neck of the woods.)