While large corporations capitalize on manufactured scarcity, DIY mediums offer alternative, accessible, and communal tools for navigating life’s many challenges. This 90-minute workshop aims to explore DIY practices as outlets for grief and mediums for memory-keeping, and will be divided into three sections: 1. an introductory circle where we can start to name our grief(s), identify related needs, and connect with others (15 min) 2. an experimental space to explore different DIY mediums, with stations for zines, archives, and cyanotype (45 min) – each station will have a guided activity that participants can follow and/or observe, along with samples for participants to study and experience – each station will also have handouts that include the history of these mediums, instructions and prompts to try at home, and reflective questions 3. a communal sounding board to reflect, share ideas and best practices, and identify strategies to bring DIY mediums home and to our communities (30 min) Grief, loss, and change are inescapable in this capitalist hellscape, but remain difficult to talk about. When words cannot provide space for expression, DIY mediums allow us to metabolize our grief and share it with others. Accessing our imagination to make something tangible can invite others to share in our experiences and keep cherished memories alive. As we navigate socioeconomic collapse, increasing surveillance and militarization, and catastrophic climate change, the cost of survival can feel too high. How can we expect to move through grief when time feels so scarce? What is the physical, emotional, and political cost of swallowing and suppressing these emotions? We cannot rely on existing systems to support us, but we can rely on ourselves, each other, and shared curiosity. As we metabolize grief, we build capacity for imagining a better future, and cultivate the stamina to build a liberated world.

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