Hi Dreamer,
I'll get straight to it. I'd love to mail you a special holiday card + a little surprise to your actual mailbox (limited to the U.S. T_T). Just fill out this form ( join the Dreamer Circle so you don't miss it next time) with your address. Why am I doing this?
The truth is that everything has become too digital and I'm tired of it. With so many things happening in the world, it's been frustrating seeing the ways social media sometimes adds fuel to the fire for views / likes rather than focusing on our shared humanity.
Send me a card + surprise (Only for Dreamer Circle Subscribers. Join so you don't miss it next time!)
Looking back, I've been using social media since Facebook's college-only days in 2005, and for a while it felt exciting with its early claims to bring the world together. But over the years, each new platform left me feeling a little more hollow and lost.
When I stepped away from social media between 2022-2024, I realized it wasn't just burnout. It was the exhaustion that came from big corporations constantly trying to colonize our minds and screens. The endless ads selling us shallow dreams, the fake relatability, the pressure to consume, to perform, to keep up.
And now with Black Friday ads flooding platforms and inboxes, I'm sure you're a little tired too. Every year as we near the holidays, I like to take some time to check in with myself:
Am I who I envisioned myself to be? Is this really my dream?
“If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive.” —Audre Lorde
When I started making art in 2012, I didn't do it with the hopes of becoming rich or famous. I did it because it brought me joy and a sense of self. Social media slowly chipped away at that joy...but when I took the time to heal and ignore the algorithms, I eventually reclaimed myself.
And so, I want to keep sharing my joy with you this holiday and for the years to come. To share art filled with hope, wonder, and the reminder of the power of our dreams.
Because the greatest fantasies are the ones living inside each of us, waiting to be told. Please remember this.
And that brings me back to the little postcard and surprise I want to send you (only for Dreamer Circle subscribers). It's a small reminder that you are a human being brimming with hopes and dreams in a world that often tries to reduce us into data and statistics.
The Lumecluster realm is always evolving, but it's shaped by the light and stories you've shared with me over the years. You've helped me keep going and I want to give a little of that back.
“You got to make your own worlds. You got to write yourself in. Whether you were a part of the greater society or not, you got to write yourself in. So I got to write myself in.” —Octavia E. Butler
I know this year has asked a lot from you. I know the world has been loud and chaotic. I know you've probably survived or are surviving things that still weigh heavily on your mind.
So, I hope this simple note reminds you of your strength and also encourages you to be gentle with yourself as we quickly approach the holiday season and the end of the year.
With love,
<3 Melissa
P.S. All the images in this newsletter (and more) are in the Photo Stories. It'll keep growing, so check back often for whenever you need to slip a bit of fantasy into our crazy reality.
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