7 Tiny Tips to Attempt to Alleviate Burnout

Written by: Adrienne Olivia

I’m goddamn tired, and you probably are, too. Between schoolwork, resume building activities, loan paying jobs, and if you’re anything like me, a complex cocktail of mental illnesses, burnout before the end of the semester is inevitable. I think most students start to feel done, for lack of a better term. We start focusing from one thing we have to do to the next, which means that anything that might nourish, soothe, or replenish us is moved to the end of our perpetually growing to-do lists. Though a full on vacation, or even a full eight hours of rest a night might sound undoable, there are still some tiny things we can do every day that can help us reach that finals finish line without fully burning out.

These are tiny tips—as in tips that do not take up more than five minutes, and take minimal planning and effort. I’m not here to help with actual solutions to chronic fatigue, I’m here to give teeny tiny bite-sized ideas that anyone could try on whim to try to make life a bit more manageable right now—because personally, that’s the only kind of thing I have time for myself.

1. Check the weather before you leave the house

The more Spring like it gets, the more I see people wearing outfits that aren’t setting themselves up to have a successful day. It’s common to see students dragging around a parka on a five0-degree day, walking through the rain in a pair of Birkenstocks, or wearing shorts on a day that started warm but quickly dips below freezing. And I am one of these students—I constantly “Dress for the weather I want, not the weather I have,” and this totally screws up my day, because instead of focusing on what I need to be doing, I’m focusing on how uncomfortable I am. This also means I am much more likely to head home rather than to stay out and be productive. So take that one minute to check the weather so you can mindfully dress for the weather you have.

2. Add an accessory to your “I had five minutes to get to class” outfit.

We all have days where we wake up late to class and rush out the door wearing an outfit that doesn’t speak to us on an emotionally fulfilling level but is fine “just for class.” The problem is, at least for me, these days become the majority of mornings as the semester progresses, meaning most days, I don’t love how I look. That is super draining, isn’t it?

I might not be able to wake up a half-hour earlier to get ready to my full heart’s content, but I could wake up like, one minute earlier to put on a pair of earrings—that’s super doable! This small act goes a long way in how we perceive ourselves, which really helps with motivation when we are feeling our most tired.

3. Clean something, not everything

It took me two weeks to change my clock from daylight savings time—this is an analog clock, I literally had to press one button, and it took less than 10 seconds. Why did I wait so long?

I’m a total believer in that mindset that our outer existence reflects our inner reality. With that said, I know my regular cleaning schedule gets kicked to the curb the second I start to feel overwhelmed—which only ends up making me more overwhelmed. I know it is impossible to get myself to KonMari my house as the end of the semester draws to an end, but I can do little things when I can to make my environment feel less chaotic, which makes me feel more in control of myself, as well.

4. Check your bank account.

Just do it. Right now. Open a new tab and just see what is in there—a little extra awareness of what your spending right now will pay off big time.

5. Answer the messages you’ve been mindlessly avoiding

I have a bad habit of neglecting the messages I get on Facebook Messenger. I don’t know why it’s just this app—but those little red notifications build up, and as more time passes, it gets harder and harder for me to face answering them because know I will have to explain why I didn’t answer them earlier.

For you, this could be your Outlook email, your texts, your calls, whatever—I think we all can fall into that trap of avoiding answering messages that would take us less than a minute to respond to. We all have enough going on, we don’t need those little red notifications to bother us any longer, so spend five minutes catching up on messages and practicing your “sorry I didn’t answer this sooner” voice.

6. Brain dump

This is the only piece of advice I’ll give that could take more than five minutes. The point of the brain dump is to dump everything that you know you need to/want to/should do down on one page. This includes looming due dates, errands, appointments, meetings, etc. This really helps your brain take a moment to decompress, and not feel so responsible for keeping track of all the things you need to do alone. If you are feeling ambitious, try prioritizing your list of things you need to do so you know what needs your most attention first.

7. Call whoever is proud of you

Though I hope that everyone has more than one person that is proud of them, I suggest calling that one person who will always pick up the phone for you. For me, that’s my mom. Hearing from her helps me put things into perspective, and remember that failure is most likely not looming ahead, and hearing about her life reminds me to not limit my focus on myself. A quick call to someone you trust can help us remember why we are putting ourselves through so much stress in the first place, which for me, at least makes my burnout feel more meaningful.

Inside Scoop: Fashion Associated with Confidence and Empowerment

Written by: Ellie Williams

Pictures by: Ellie Williams

Textiles intertwined with billions of fibers, some the eye can perceive, some that are invisible. A mechanical process taking place to assemble together something even greater. That is to say a masterpiece, being passed on to others leaving them to interpret how they want to make use of the item. Creativity in the hands of the creator, a shift in responsibility and a new level of interpretation to embody.

A meaningless fabric some would say. However, it’s so much more, exceeding the level of integrity and entrepreneurship bound within us all. Making someone feel as if they’re standing tall, confidently positioned over the world. This fabric can be anything you want it to be: rustic, retro, or vintage. One can use it to express creativity to embody their true inner emotions and feelings of who they are as a person, leaving the opportunity in your hands. Gaining a sense of control and responsibility. You can make an impact and develop something even greater than the pivotal norms. It doesn’t have to be “high end” designer brands that make up fashion. Fashion is left for the mind of the creator and it does not discriminate.

Lauren rises out of bed, disheveled from the restless sleep she had gotten the night before. Tossing and turning with millions of thoughts of what her timely oriented college day will consist of tomorrow, arrogating her mind like an outnumbering stampede. Bleary-eyed, she grabs the pot of coffee, overflowing the amount needed to make a cup. Getting ready this morning requires effort.

She explores her closet, only to find an item that has the capability to change her mood. Her face lifts with awe as she gently picks up the vintage tie-dye jacket that her grandma had given her many years ago. Chills wave over her petite body. She gets a sense of excitement; this was her opportunity to craft a look, one that would match her mood and evoke an expression of who she is. Racing to find the perfect complementary pieces to match her aesthetic, Lauren finds her favorite 1978 U.S Tour Rolling Stones t-shirt, ripped jeans and Doc Martens to create what believes is a masterpiece. These items are so much more than just a piece of fabric; these textiles are woven together to alter her mindset, acting as an overarching force exceeding the human body. A spiritual, soothing power.

She now feels completed. All of her thoughts, emotions, and sensations embodied into an outfit that not only reinforces who she is, but fills her with satisfaction. She takes a final look in the mirror, and a sense of empowerment fills her. This is who she is, authorized by the creative masterpiece that she has fabricated.

The 6:45 am, mind-boggling sound of a piercing alarm frantically wakes up Wendy. Time to try to get her three fatigued children ready and semi-excited for school. Chaos and urgency set the tone for the Monday morning. Toast jumping out of the oven and her children anxiously trying to get that last bite in before the car horn honks from outside.

7:30 am now brings a sense of relief and final relaxation. This was Wendy’s favorite time of the day, as she had some time to herself. This allowed her to fully engage with her thoughts, emotions and creative desires. She passionately unraveled the new cover of Vogue, only to get lost in the fashion world: the latest trends, outfit styling ideas, blog pieces on the elemental value of clothing, all appearing to pop out of the page with luminosity. It was her time to get ready for the day.

She journeys into her closet with determination, gazing at all of the opportunities that fell within her reach. Picking up a subtle, black, snakeskin turtle neck, she places it over her head with ease and admiration. Wendy pairs it with a long, mature jacket and vintage converse. A satisfactory smile takes over her face, getting her in a positive mindset to seize the day. As she steps out of the house, smelling the fresh crisp fall air, she feels a sense of belongingness with the environment surrounding her. You can sense the empowerment and self-assurance given off, filtered into the atmosphere by any movement that was created.  That sense of purpose that we grow up to find is captured through her ability to be able to express herself. This is who she is: someone who is confident and bold.

They say that our generations aren’t connected. Diverging views push us apart, blurring the understanding between what’s acceptable and what’s not. However, there is an in-between, a sense of connectedness and interconnectivity that bonds the societal generations together with creative expression and empowerment. This is known as the power of fashion. One that can evidently cater to the sensations and desires within. Or one that can create a power greater than existence that’s indestructible and purposeful. It gives us a sense of purpose and the ability to reproduce the impossible, or even a tied togetherness through such simplicity over a shared bonding. It can make us reinforce the aspect of knowing who we are and develop an ongoing, spiraling empowerment of positivity.

A Look at the Arts: An Interview with Xiaoyue Pu

By: Sophia Rahman

“Art, I guess, means an escape from reality and also my bonding to reality at the same time.” - Xiaoyue Pu.

Art is a hard concept for many people to define, as it is composed of many elements. In an interview with local artist Xiaoyue Pu, Pu elaborates on her experience as an artist. Xiaoyue, (pronounced Shao-U), is a 22-year-old artist born on November 18, 1997, from Beijing. She practices various mediums of art, including photography and body performance as her main focus, and at times takes on an art director role when working with fashion. She has also begun experimentation with installations and videography. She began her artistic journey in a high school student club where she became an editor and began experimenting with photography. 

Photography has since become a form of language for Pu. She describes that her love for photography has enabled her to express deep emotions and thoughts that are normally hard to articulate. Photography functions as the foundation for tapping into her subconscious and allows her to capture colors that she feels represent parts of her and her mind.

Xiaoyue Pu works with various mediums of art.

Though Pu has many interesting pieces, she personally feels she is far from her goal. She explains how her photos attempt to piece together the mind, but actually differ from what she envisions, leaving her unsatisfied. Deep down, she is filled with confusion and worries that her work is easy to read. As an artist, she wants her audience to feel so confused that they can’t understand what they’re experiencing, much like the experience of life. 

Pu’s influences include Japanese poet, dramatist, and film director, Shūji Terayama. She believes his work to be “abstract in its form but powerful in evoking particular emotions.” Furthermore, in order to get ready for a project, she listens to music. Musicians she enjoys are Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda. In addition, she is inspired by Meng Jinghui, a Chinese theatrical play and film director. She finds herself emotionally connected to his way of storytelling; it confronts his audiences’ perspective and the way of expressing emotion. His work also challenges physical appearances and world existence.

Besides photography, Pu is very passionate about body performance. She explains how she focuses on defining what her body means to her as an individual, as well as how it is viewed in society. What it means in the age of feminism, what it means to her in terms of sexuality and sexualization, and what it means in society’s constructed norms and how she is affected by them. She attempts to escape yet construct her own definition by pushing her body to function as more than its basic function. By doing this, she came to the conclusion that “[her] body is so much more... it’s a platform for language that [she] can express with.” Additionally, she finds that there is much more power in the body itself and that in society. We focus on globalization and capitalism, which causes us to forget the basics of life: our bodies. We then focus on materialism instead. “We live in a normative world and are privileged, so learning how my body works is like being a 3-year-old kid again, making mistakes,” Pu explains. “...Body language is a power society wants to suppress and it discourages us from individuality.”

Most of Pu’s work involves themes of blood, death, love, and romance. These elements together are important to her work, especially in her understanding of love. “You have [love] but it's hard to grasp and have it... [Love] is an idea that is never fully understood,” she quotes. One of her recent products is a video relaying the evolution and termination of her 3-year relationship. The conclusion of her video was then turned into an installation that consists of a white background covered by red strings and what appears to be a heart. After talking with Pu, the heart is discovered to actually be a pomegranate that she smashed in the video and then recreated to look like a heart. The overall piece which includes the video and installation attempts to explain how she understands love and how the psyche is involved. This project can be found on her Instagram, @xiaoyuepu_photography.

An installation by Xiayue Pu

She explains how individuals embrace yet push love away. How, although she ended the relationship, the process is still difficult. “You brought a part of you and [your partner] left with it,” Pu laments. She continues to say that after the end of a relationship, people still save that part or destroy it but can't distinguish between them and their partner. She, her ex-boyfriend, and who their personalities were as a couple are all individual agencies that she can’t differentiate or distinguish through human emotion. The utilization of the pomegranate was intentional to symbolize the heart. A pomegranate is sweet and smells good, but in her work, it is made to look like a bloodied heart, which gives a violent effect. In Xiaoyue Pu’s understanding, “love is fucking ugly, but still has a sweetness that no one can deny.” Similar to how the bloodied pomegranate is destruction, yet its residue is sweet.

As of now, Xiaoyue Pu has a few pieces in production that are sure to captivate the eye. In addition, you can find her at the Overture Center, where she has a solo show that will run until December 1st. To add on, Pu has been recognized as a photographer on Vogue Italia. Some of her work has even been displayed on Vogue Italia’s website, which can be viewed here.

“On The Operation Table” by Xiaoyue Pu

(One of many photos featured on Vogue Italia)

Overcoming Bias at the Trans Monologues & Gender Spectrum Open Mic

Written by: Panagioti Tsiamis

Pictures by: Panagioti Tsiamis

Now, something meets Boy, and something meets Girl

They both look the same

They're overjoyed in this world

Same hair, revolution

Unisex, evolution

Tomorrow who's gonna fuss

And tomorrow Dick is wearing pants

And tomorrow Janie's wearing a dress

Future outcasts and they don't last

And today, the people dress the way that they please

The way they tried to do in the last centuries

(from Androgynous by the Replacements; performed by Adrian Lampron)

—

In an effort to raise awareness for the transgender gender non-conforming community, the UW Gender and Sexuality Campus Center and the Madison Public Library hosted an open mic on November 15th. The event featured a slew of underrepresented voices across campus and the Madison community. These artists, poets, and genuinely amazing people had the opportunity to bring their stories forward, bravely and candidly, to a wonderfully receptive audience.

Transgender Awareness Week, typically observed in the second week of November, is a one-week celebration leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance, which occurs annually on November 20th. The purpose of Transgender Awareness Week is to educate about transgender and gender non-conforming people and the issues associated with their transition or identity. It also memorializes victims of transphobic violence.

This year’s open mic notably featured performer and poet Osimiri Sprowal. Sprowal (he/they) is an Afro-Indigenous, Two-Spirit, QueerCrip poet, model, and researcher. They are also a queer, disabled, homeless rights activist. Focusing on the physical body, Sprowal’s work deals with disability, trans identity, and self-transformation. Their poetry and performance center around the complex nature of one’s identity and spirituality, chronicling their journey to finding the divine within. They are the founder and President of an all-trans artist collective and has participated in multiple poetry slam competitions, consistently being recognized for their talent and activism. Their poetry, likewise, has made it into numerous literary publications and social commentary pieces.

While Sprowal certainly brought a recognized presence to the stage, it is important to note that many other individuals contributed to the important dialogue occurring that night. From songs about vaping in the gender-neutral bathroom, to soul-wrenching prose on behalf of T. S. Banks, there was something for everyone.

All in all, it was incredibly uplifting to see that, even in these trying times, the campus and Madison communities can be brought together to uplift the voices of the underrepresented and show compassion for people from all walks of life.

For more information about the event’s setlist, as well as pictures from the event, please see below.

—

2019 Setlist:

Mattie, she/hers

T. S. Banks, he/him

Valiant Lakshmana-Krishna Jacob, he/him

Adrian Lampron, they/them

C. Smith, they/them

Wayne Gathright, he/him

Gideon Elliott, he/him

Osmiri Sprowal, he/they

Jay Adam W, he/him

Maggie Cousin, they/them

Aleister Jarding, he/him 

—

Antonio Testolin

Overcoming Bias, 1994

Carrara white marble

Pamphlet from the event

Through the Lens: An Interview With Madison-Based Photographer Gabe Oviawe

Written by: Caroline Friedl

Photographs by: Gabe Oviawe

Sitting down with Madison-based photographer Gabe Oviawe at Fair Trade on State Street, we discussed his career in photography, what he tries to convey in each shot, and what the future holds.

Finding his passion early, Madison-based photographer Gabe Oviawe remembers wanting to take pictures at just five years old. By age 11, he was already practicing with a point-and-shoot camera. However, it wasn’t until his high school freshman year that photography truly captured him. Photography worked as an outlet after going through a devastating period in his life, in which two members of his family passed away. Despite the awful situation, Oviawe found that photography brought him some of his happiest memories. So, with the help of his high school counselor, he decided to start pursuing it as a career.

After attending Columbia College in Chicago for a year, Oviawe dropped out and started doing freelance work, as well as working on a podcast called the Chicago Sleepers. From there, he then teamed up with Gathr, a social dining platform that organizes small communal meals at peoples’ homes. He then moved to New York, and then Missouri shortly after. While there, he designed internet ads for Gathr for six months. Oviawe is now back in his home town of Madison, where he works by taking pictures for clothing companies like Simba and August.

Oviawe has been trying to diversify his subjects. Pictured here is Ken, a nonbinary model.

Over time, Oviawe’s subjects have diversified. He originally centered on black men but gradually began including other men of color. Women have been his focal point lately. When looking for a diverse set of models, he searches for not only unique, strong faces, but also interesting people, noting, “if the chemistry isn’t there, the picture taking isn’t there.”

Regarding his shoots, Oviawe explained what he tries to focus on and bring to life, noting photographers Simon Lehner and Christopher Anderson as influences. “I’m interested in the space between poses, capturing the movements between one pose and another because I feel like that’s where the best photos lie.” Another element to each shot is “trying to capture real emotion from a real person, but it’s this character that I’ve made in that particular moment.” His biggest interest is documenting life through these two principles. From his work with snapshot photography, Oviawe focuses on taking the time to consider each shot and never wants to waste one. He explains, “you should be considering what’s in the frame, how it moves. The beauty of photography is that you never know what the photographs will look like until you see them.”

In regards to the future, Oviawe would love to move to New York for his professional career, selling prints, doing shows, and working for bigger magazines such as Time Magazine, The Fader, and shooting for Magnum Photos. Currently, he is really excited about how his photography is developing, commenting, “my last shoot I felt like was closest to being it.”

To see more of Gabe Oviawe’s work, visit his Instagram.