Our ElseSpaces

My ElseSpace goes beyond the horror of epilepsy. It is a space that captures the beauty and confusion I feel right before having a tonic clonic seizure. The complete tranquility of the post-seizure brain. The ecstasy and excitement of losing control. This space does not erase the negatives (because they exist!) – but explores epilepsy without hiding, shaming, or being scared of it.

Black text on green background: Charlie G's Written ElseSpace: "I've been working with incarcerated youth for the past nine months and this seriously made me reflect on the way our society treats and interacts with youth, specifically youth of color. IT's very fitting for some of the testimonials that have been shared in our class, and was very beautiful and helpful for learning how to sit with yourself and being comfortable and even happy with the things that might not be okay."
Charlie G’s Written ElseSpace
Iona M's Visual ElsSpace: Blue writing on pink, green, and yellow paper, and a sketch of a body: "It happened. It continues to happen. No Matter your size. That's perfectly fine. Kg. You lived. You're alive. You will remember. You can live. It all. despite it all. You can have it all. We don't forget. Let's talk about it. I can't erase the experience. 53. Let's document it. You don't have to forget. I am not ashamed."
Iona M’s Visual ElseSpace
Maria, a white woman with her black hair in a bun, big earrings, and red lipstick, stands in front of letters on a screen that say "my landscape"- a video representation of her epileptic ElseSpace
Maria standing in front of “Body Tricks”- a videographic representation of her epileptic ElseSpace.
Iona M’s Spoken ElseSpace
black text on green background: "brought up some things for me to think about to put in my ElseSpce that have been so binary in thought. Immediately Vegas came up as the thing I should "forget" or "cure" and I've been exploring my relationship with it lately and couldn't quite name how I feel about that part of me and now I do." -Anonymous
An Anonymous Written ElseSpace
A drawing in markers of different colors of a figure crouching
An Anonymous Drawing of an ElseSpace
A drawing in blue marker of maybe a bear hugging itself with a house on top of their head with a heart
An Anonymous Drawing of an ElseSpace
Written in marker: Accept the fact that the understanding of our differences and disabilities makes us all better and stronger.
An Anonymous Writing about ElseSpaces
Written in marker: A SPACE WHERE I CAN OWN THE INTENSITY OF MY FEELINGS W/O JUDGEMENT OR SHAME MY FEELINGS MATTER BECAUSE THEY ARE MINE
An Anonymous Writing about ElseSpace

21 thoughts on “Our ElseSpaces”

  6. A plane of existence where I see only people’s spirits without needing to “bucket” them at all, based on anything corporeal.

  13. A space where we are allowed to absorb and interact in our own comfortable ways, and not bound to the expectations and perceptions of those most outward and dominating.

  18. Where xenophobia’s manifestations of ego, insufficiency, bigotry, racism, and war are eclipsed by the growing understanding that WE ARE ONE

  19. Every place in the natural world that can support life but is not in the throes of the necessary, catastrophic events that push nature to re-group. For example: A forest but not during a fire.

  20. A place where I can breathe freely, calmly and feel free of life’s stressors without actually having to meditate. Essentially a place where I can just BE.

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