@gender_revel
A relatively recent and ongoing development is the Instagram @gender_revel, a visual journal exploring my experience of gender.
I decided to settle on an aesthetic from the get-go. I wanted something soft and personal, yet unafraid of complicated truths (as gender is so often wrapped up in.) It was also important that the aesthetic I landed on wasn’t too complicated, as this is a side project, and I had an already busy schedule to maintain.
In order to establish this, I chose pastel backgrounds to suggest softness and combined that with messy sketches and hand-drawn text to give it a vulnerable and personal feeling. Additionally, the simple guidelines and intentionally messy aesthetic have made the designs easy to keep up with.
I’m happy with the design choices I settled on, but what I’m most proud of is the community I’ve built alongside it.
See, gender is a very personal, very loaded subject for a lot of people, and it’s difficult to feel anything but alone in your experiences. I’ve gotten dozens of messages from people, paragraphs long, thanking me for the things I post. Others have actually done the work to translate some of my posts into different languages so they can share it with more people.
This project exists because I thought about the kind of content I wished I had available, the kind of community I wished I had. And when I didn’t find it? I created it.
I started this Instagram with no thought to possible growth, but the emotional resonance I’ve found with my audience has blown me away.
@gender_revel is not finished, but is an ongoing project and is updated regularly with new content.
“[…] Thank you for connecting with us through your art!”
“I don’t normally reach out to people like this but I just felt the need to tell you that I’ve just found your page, and seeing what you have to say in your art has been such a blessing to me. It rings so true with how I relate to gender in ways I never realized until seeing your perspective.
Thank you for making such lovely and descriptive art. I believe that it is powerful and by proclaiming your truths, you are helping others accept truths about themselves too.”
“Fan mail: Hey I just finished going through all your posts. They really hit home for me [...] I write you this because there are not enough people who are non-binary of fluid, or gender non-conforming making content like this. Thank you.”
“I’m so glad I found this page [...] it’s so reassuring that there are other lovely humans going through the struggles that I am”
“All of your posts have really resonated with me and I felt the same way you do now when I first looked at your account. […] Thank you for the work keep going it’s wonderful and brilliant!!”
“[Y]our art is amazing, honest and beautiful. [I] think that it’s clear how personal and important the art you create is and maybe that’s why it’s so relatable. I’m glad I found this space you created and only hope for it to grow”
“I have been struggling with super similar thoughts even tho I don’t share my experiences through art as much as just writing on various social media groups of like minded people. Your art has helped me a lot.”
