COMIC ARTS LA: December 8-9, 2018

✩YOU'RE INVITED!✩

Fun & family-friendly: Comic Arts LA (CALA) is a free, public event promoting the appreciation of comics, graphic novels, and sequential arts among the broader Los Angeles public.

When:
December 8th and 9th, 2018
Where:
3000 Dolores St., Los Angeles, CA 90065
What's cool:
CALA is highlighting hot topics in open forums and workshops -- including parenthood, education, diversity & health! Our top pics:

• ✩CREATIVITY AND PARENTHOOD (Sunday 12:00-1:00 pm)✩

Balancing your life as an artist can be complicated enough — what happens when you add parenting to the mix? Join Tracy Park (MomBlob Comics) in a open forum discussion for all parents and creatives to share ideas and experiences about being artists while raising kids. Open to all, including kids and babies of course!

• ✩COMICS IN THE CLASSROOM (Sunday 2:00-3:00 pm)✩

Nalo Hopkinson (UC Riverside Professor, Sandman Universe: House of Whispers) and Rachelle Cruz (UC Riverside Lecturer, Experiencing Comics) discuss their various teaching experiences and strategies for using comics in interdisciplinary classrooms, from creative writing lectures, to courses on children's and young adult literature.  They will also talk about centering and prioritizing stories by women, creators of colour and queer creators in their classes and give recommendations of comics titles and exercises that have been especially engaging for their students.

• ✩FITNESS FOR ARTISTS (Sunday 3:00-4:00 pm)✩

Suffering from wrist pain when drawing? Struggling with back problems from hunching over a tablet? Want to know how to prevent or counteract bad posture when you spend all your time at a drafting desk? Personal trainer Hetty Diep walks you through exercises targeting common problems for cartoonists and other sedentary creatives. Make comics — without falling apart.

Plus:
Greenroom access for nursing moms. Take a break in a more quiet setting. Tables and chairs provided. ✩

#animationisfamily #cala #parenthood #comics #family #diversity #classroom #nursingroom

When a baby is born, so is a mother. #matrescence

This week, we're highlighting motherhood

-- or rather --

the topsy-turvy transition into motherhood

called MATRESCENCE.

Remember your awkward teenage years? Yeah, matrescence is kind of like that.

New moms sometimes expect that motherhood will be beautiful and easy and natural. And some moments are. But too often moms are not prepared for the difficult physical and emotional transition that follows childbirth. Moms aren't to blame -- our culture, our media, our doctors and even our government regularly fail to acknowledge the whole story. 

When a baby is born, so is a mother, says reproductive psychiatrist Alexandra Sacks, but the natural (and sometimes unsteady) process of transition to motherhood is often silenced by shame or misdiagnosed as postpartum depression. In this TED talk, Sacks reveals the emotional tug-of-war of becoming a new mother -- and shares a term that could help describe it: matrescence.

If we're going to change the way our culture understands this transition to motherhood, women need to be talking to each other, says Sacks. So mothers, talk about your matrescence with other mothers, with your friends and if you have one, with your partner so that they can understand their own transition and better support you. 

For confidential support 24/7, Guild members (and anyone in your household) can call (888) 661-9141 or log on to www.liveandworkwell.com with access code: mpiphp. 

<3

#postpartumdepression #motherhood #animationisfamily

Thanksgiving Ideas: Recipes, Restaurants, Crafts, and Movies!

🍂🍁🍂

Happy Thanksgiving

to all our Animation

Friends & Family!

🍂🍁🍂

'Tis the season for catering, cooking, and crafting! You may already have a perfect event fully orchestrated, but just in case you need a few last minute tips, we've got you covered:

Not a chef at heart? No problem - take a gander at these Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Recipes. Looking to avoid your kitchen entirely? These are the best places for Thanksgiving dinner in Los Angeles. 

Got a house full of friends & family or feeling a bit crafty yourself? For holiday fun (and to keep the kids entertained), check out these 36 Easy Thanksgiving Crafts. If you've got grown-ups in the mix, you may prefer this variety of Holiday Crafts, ranging from table center piece ideas to wine cork art. Feeling Earth-friendly? These Quick Nature Crafts embody traditional seasonal elements that you just might find in your own garden.

Wondering what to do with your guests once the feasting is finished? Check out these 15 Thanksgiving Movies to Watch After Your Big Meal.  

And, most important of all, have a safe and happy holiday!

#thanksgiving #animationisfamily #crafts #recipes

 

EQUALITY starts with Leadership

This week we're highlighting a CULTURAL SHIFT

in family leave.

Our featured hero is:

- DWYANE WADE -

basketball star and NEW DAD!

This week belongs to Dwyane Wade, his wife Gabrielle Union, and his coach Erik Spoelstra, who are exemplifying a cultural shift toward supporting families.

When Dwyane Wade introduced his newborn daughter and announced he would take time away from basketball to be a father, I braced myself for the backlash, writes author Shannon Ryan in the Chicago Tribune.

Instead, he and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, were greeted with congratulations from teammates, celebrities and fans. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Wade could take all the time he needed.

With my daughter coming a couple weeks early, she’s a little tiny right now, so we’re making sure health-wise that she’s OK, says Wade. And for me...this time right now, this bonding moment with my daughter is the most important thing in my life at this time.

As it should be.

#animationisfamily #supportpaidleave #paternityleave #culturalshift #dadsrock

It's Veteran's Day: We Support You

Today, the Family Leave Subcommittee honors the VETERANS

in our communities, in our families, and

in our industry.

Animation has a symbiotic relationship with the national defense narrative; from Walt Disney and Warner Bros' now-famous World War II training films to today's Google Doodle honoring our veterans and their stories. 

For more than a century, animation artists have helped shape our world, while providing society an illustrated mirror through which to view ourselves. Striking visuals have captured the national mood, communicated our fears, carried our hopes, and - in their best iterations - they've inspired a brighter future. 

We recognize that veterans count among our numbers - from Guild members to family members. We remember those we've lost and honor those who continue to serve. Whether on the front line or on the production line, daily life can become overwhelming. If you or a loved one are struggling now, MPIPHP offers free counseling and support through OPTUM. 

To talk with someone 24/7:

Call (888) 661-9141 or log on to

www.liveandworkwell.com

with access code: mpiphp.

We support you.

#veteransday #support #animationisfamily #tag #mpiphp #optum

Celebrate Dia de los Muertos in LA

💀 Olvera Street 💀

Now through November 2, 2018

Olvera Street celebrates Dia de los Muertos with processions, altars, face painting and more!

For over 30 years, the merchants on Olvera Street have celebrated Dia de los Muertos. The celebration has evolved to incorporate the pre-Columbian, Aztec, Mayan and Catholic rituals surrounding death. Each night, a vibrant and colorful procession sets the stage for our ceremony.

Dia de los Muertos is, in fact, a celebration of life – it is not a time to mourn our loved ones, rather it is a time to remember the lives they led and the many things they enjoyed during that life. Death is a part of life, and so we honor it. Dia de los Muertos at Olvera Street is the only celebration of its kind in Los Angeles – A nine (9) day festival, with altars on display, children’s workshops, face painting, and entertainment throughout.

💀 Old Town Pasadena 💀

November 2 - 4, 2018

Old Pasadena celebrates Dia de los Muertos with the Tour of Altars and more!

Old Pasadena celebrates Day of the Dead, the reverent yet vibrant Mexican holiday that honors loved ones who have passed before us. During the three-day event, numerous Old Pasadena businesses will create beautiful altars in their spaces to showcase during the self-guided Tour of Altars. The weekend also includes three Community Altars, a Salsa dance party with live music and calavera face painting, and pop-up weekend fun. All events are free and open to the public.

💀 Canoga Park 💀

November 4, 2018

Canoga Park celebrates Dia de los Muertos with music, chalk artists, a car show and more!

This annual street festival is a traditional cultural event that celebrates the ancient Mexican and Central American traditions of paying homage to loved ones who have passed. Festivities are continuous all day in historic Downtown Canoga Park, a recipient of the All-American City Award, and showcase live musical entertainment, vendors, international foods, calaveras, artists’ exhibits, altar displays, a children’s art pavilion, and a large classic car show.

#animationisfamily #dayofthedead #diadelosmuertos #canogapark #olverastreet #pasadena #losangeles

Friends & Family FUN!

BIG thanks to all our friends & family who came out for the fun!

The Animation Guild

Friends & Family

Playdate in the Park

October 2018