PFLAG - Sam Dawson

focus_contributor.

PFLAG

with SAM DAWSON

from Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

March, specifically the 31st, is about celebrating International Transgender Day of Visibility and bringing awareness to this part of our LGBTIQ community encouraging discussion about our gender diverse within our own community.

I would say that this area is very important these days. It’s important to raise awareness as many families are impacted as their loved ones discover who they are whilst being acutely aware that this makes them “different” and maybe in fear of not being accepted in their own family or amongst friends or immediate community.

In our PFLAG meetings I have been made aware of how families are experiencing a lot of mixed emotions around acceptance but then coming up against all sorts of barriers.

One barrier that really stood out for me was their child not being able to use their trans name. An example pointed out to me was when using medical facilities that their original (known as the “dead name”) was being constantly used by professionals as well as their sexuality assumed.

This is painful for the transgender adolescent or adult who is trying to be accepted as they are and who they identify as. This is not always done purposely but its important to raise this awreness.

This Transgender Day of Visibility was initiated in 1999 in response to not only honouring gender diverse people who had their lives taken by transphobic violence but also to celebrate and empower our gender diverse community by removing the stigma attached.

Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from the sex that they were assigned at birth. Some transgender people who desire medical assistance to transition from one sex to another identify as transsexual.

With awareness comes education and hopefully a change in thinking and attitudes. I spoke recently to a wonderful mature gay couple who are planning their wedding and they actually believe that our Coffs Harbour

TRANSGENDER DAY

community has changed enormously with attitudes to the whole LGBTIQA+ community and in a good way. That is great and I know I threw out a challenge last month to revisit our own and our immediate family’s attitudes but it is great to see that we are making inroads here. Everyone deserves to grow and be safe in their own place. We don’t

These awareness want our youth to have days are generated to invite to move to feel safer in a bigger community or city. These awareness discussions amongst days are generated ourselves and to invite discussions workplaces around the amongst ourselves and world to share stories workplaces around the and achievements world to share stories with our gender and and achievements with diverse community. our gender and diverse community. When Covid settles we will be resuming face to face meetups so follow us on FB. PFLAG is here to give help, support and information to families and friends of all gay people right here on the Coffs Coast. pflagcoffscoast.com PFLAGcoffcoast 0417 861 045

Lifeline’s vision is for an Australia free of suicide, and on a local level you can be part of the solution.

Lifeline North Coast needs the support of like-minded people and organisations to join us at the front line of suicide prevention.

Eight Australians die every day by suicide. That’s more than double the road toll, and for each life lost to suicide, the impacts are felt by up to 135 people, including family members, work colleagues, friends, first responders at the time of death.

Our Lifeline Crisis Support Volunteers are currently responding to one call every 30 seconds, and we need help from our community to make a difference.

Locally there are a few ways you can get involved. With the help of our corporate partners, people like you, we can reduce the rate of suicide in our region.

If you are interested in finding out more about corporate partnerships, please register your interest with Angela Martin, Communications and Community Engagement Manager,

e. angela.martin@lifeline.org.au ph. 02 6651 4093

GET INVOLVED

Lifeline North Coast is all about people – people just like you. Here are some ways you can support our work.

DONATE

Help us improve the lives of individuals , families and communities affected by emotional distress and thoughts of suicide.

FUNDRAISE FOR US

Host a fundraising event or activity to support Lifeline North coasts work and make a difference in our local community.

VOLUNTEER

Lifeline North Coast relies on volunteers to support our community initiatives that enable Lifeline to support people in crisis, no matter where they are 24 hours a day. If you enjoy giving back and connecting to others, then you can help us save lives.

CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

The connection we make with our partners is fundamental to all we do; lives depend on it. Partnering with us provides a unique opportunity to:

• Promote a workplace culture that is inclusive, destigmatises mental health problems, and encourages help-seeking.

• Empower employees, partners, and customers to be suicide-safe through advocacy, education, and provide important opportunities for connection.

• Provide suicide prevention strategies which include staff training, research, media influence, and postvention action plans.

• Protect vulnerable audiences by providing frontline worker training for key staff in key industries i.e., banking and finance, utilities, security, aged care, construction, insurance etc.

• Deliver important prevention and intervention services to the most vulnerable in our community.

• Fund and develop initiatives that will bolster the longterm social and emotional wellbeing of people by supporting them to recognise, strengthen, and develop their community connections.

focus_interview

TAYLOR

M E A G H E R

ARTIST

Art has always been a significant part of Taylor Meagher’s life. Her work has evolved over time and is incredibly emotive as well as beautiful. She tells us all about her processes and what inspires her work.

Hi Taylor. When did you first find yourself being drawn to art and wanting to create?

Creativity, particularly painting, runs in my family. My grandfather was an amazing oil painter and my mother, Violeta Lanza, is also an artist, so needless to say I was drawn to art from a very young age. I've been surrounded by art since I was a child and was encouraged to nurture my creative gifts. I didn’t find my style of painting until I was much older, when I decided to go backpacking by myself at the age of 18.

I was situated in Barcelona when I had a sudden urge to buy myself a watercolour pad and paints. That was when I discovered that I possess a very particular style of painting and I haven’t stopped since.

How would you describe your unique style of art?

I would describe my style of art as Visionary Art. I tap into the creative void that is my mind and paint my visions into reality/form. It is highly intuitive, spiritual, feminine, vibrant and slightly abstract. Full of life and emotionevoking. It is my form of storytelling. I would also call it earth-based as I pull a lot of my inspiration from my connection to the landscapes surrounding me.

How has your art evolved over time?

My art has evolved immensely over time just as I have. My portfolio is a direct reflection of my own journey as a woman and as an artist. I like to think of my early body of work, which I painted with watercolour paints, as a form of art therapy.

Not only was I documenting my travels in Europe with my art but on an even deeper level, I was painting about the parts of myself I had felt disconnected from up until that point in my life. I found it very therapeutic to carry my artwork around with me in my backpack because my art helped me understand myself on a creative and emotional level. It added an extra

My inspiration layer of self-discovery to comes from four my travels. main pillars. My Upon arriving home connection to the land and settling back in I am fortunate enough Australia was when I to reside on. The animal started to really own kingdom. Womanhood my gifts. Painting on and my journey as a a much larger scale, spiritual being. exploring my femininity through my art practice. I declared to my friends and family that I am in fact an artist and started to share my work publicly via social media, which was a very big deal at that point because it meant that I was not hiding my artworks anymore. My art style developed over time from depicting the taboo subjects of being a woman to exploring my connection to nature and the animal

kingdom. Painting with acrylics marked the beginning of my art career. Moving from watercolour paper to canvas was the catalyst for even bigger growth for me.

What media do you like to use and how do the use of different media portray your message through your art?

Right now in my art practice I predominantly paint with acrylics and posca pens. I started with watercolour paints, transitioned to digital art then took the leap of faith and started painting with acrylics a little over a year ago now.

Where do you find inspiration and influence when creating your art pieces?

My inspiration comes from four main pillars. My connection to the land I am fortunate enough to reside on. The animal kingdom. Womanhood and my journey as a spiritual being.

You use different landscapes in your artwork. How does the Coffs Coast play its part in some of your work?

I grew up on the Coffs Coast. My family moved to Sawtell in 2002. The landscape has

Before each artwork, I like to helped shape me as a go into nature and create an earth person and therefore my art process. I draw my inspiration from the mandala, an diverse landscapes in impermanent piece of the area and how they work that will make me feel. From eventually be destroyed the rainforest to the by the elements. mountains and the sea, what more could you ask for?

Can you tell us a bit about your process from start to finish when working on a piece?

My approach to my creative process is very intentional. The process of painting artwork is an artwork in and of itself. Before each artwork, I like to go into nature and create an earth mandala, an impermanent piece of work that will eventually be destroyed by the elements. My process is fluid but also very structured and methodical. I begin by taking my art journal out and writing down the intention behind the piece and also the important points like particular colours and the subject matter.

Continued over...

My art journal does not leave my side throughout the entire process, I write down the meaning behind certain elements, the symbology of certain aspects and I also like to paint the pages of my art journal with leftover paint, so not to waste my materials.

Meditation is also a crucial part of my process, it enables me to still my mind and receive a vision that will be the piece. This process can be referred to as channelling. It is highly intuitive.

Most of the time I have no idea what I will be painting until I put a brush to canvas. Besides journalling, in the beginning, it is not planned in the typical sense of preliminary sketches on paper. I first start by painting the entire canvas with the set colour palette.

I then sketch the outline of the subject matter with Posca Pens straight onto the canvas. The trick to my work is all in layering. I paint the main body of work and then to finish off the artwork I go over the top with fine-tipped Posca Pens to give that added definition and depth, this is how I do all my line work and patterns.

What would be a personal favourite piece and why?

I love the deeper meaning and symbology that this My favourite artwork artwork represents. I is the Triple Moon Earth enjoyed the creative Goddess. This artwork is process so much that number 2 in a series of it is the quickest four artworks that I was artwork I have commissioned to paint painted to date. for Topi Topi Retreat Centre down in Forster. It is my favourite because it incorporates all of the subject matter that I love to paint about. It’s all about fertility, mother nature and animal symbology. The moon, snake, owl, hare, orchard and Venus of Willendorf all represent women’s wisdom. I love the deeper meaning and symbology that this artwork represents. I enjoyed the creative process so much that it is the quickest artwork I have painted to date.

Where can we find out more?

You can find my entire portfolio online at taylormeagher.com. Instagram handle is @taylormeagher.artist and I am on Facebook as Taylor Meagher. I have two online stores where you can purchase my work as merchandise. The stores are called Redbubble and Society6. Here are the links: taylormeagher.redbubble.com, society6. com/taylormeagherartist If you would like to know more about me or if you are interested in your very own commissioned artwork, art print and or stretched canvas print then please feel free to contact me via email at taylormeagher.artist@ gmail.com