I first
encountered Amber Tamblyn in the short-lived TV series Joan of Arcadia.
I loved the show, and all the characters, especially Ms. Tamblyn’s portrayal of
Joan. I was terribly disappointed when the show was cancelled. The only other
thing I saw Tamblyn in was The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, which
I liked, too.
Ms. Tamblyn
wasn’t recently on my radar, so I was surprised and interested when I discovered that she’d written a book called Era of Ignition: Coming of Age
in a Time of Rage and Revolution.
I’m in my
70’s; Tamblyn is in her 30’s. She’s American; I’m Canadian. So, what do we have
in common? She’s been in the entertainment business since she was a child, but
has also written poetry, a novel and now a non-fiction book (I won’t call it a
memoir because it is much more than that). I’ve worked at various jobs and have
written two collections of short stories and two fantasy novels (a third in
process). I think that Ms. Tamblyn and I also share at least some values and a
view of the world.
I too
believe that there are times in our lives when we need to re-examine and renew.
This can come at any time and occur more than once. I’ve considered myself a
feminist most of my life. I believe in celebrating diversity in all areas of
life and know that equal opportunity for all is yet to be achieved.
Here is a
quote from the first chapter of the book: ‘And my Jungian therapist, Evan, told
me, “Most people in our culture would say one must apply discipline to pulling
oneself out of the muck. I would say the muck is where the magic is. One must
apply discipline and self-control to staying put and tolerating difficulties
that come with the dark stuff, so that one can be changed and improved by it.”
‘
I am
currently very much aware of starting a new chapter of my life. I’m getting
older and facing challenges that I haven’t faced before. There is arthritis, pain, less energy, a
certain emotional volatility. This is the ‘muck’ of my life right now. There
are things I want to achieve – another book finished, a more positive attitude
to my current situation, time spent on learning watercolour painting, and the
regaining of a belief that magic can still happen.
Here’s
another quote I like from the book: ‘Bottom line: Until women are allowed to
make mediocre works of art while still succeeding in the way that many white
men get to do this every single day, we will not have the power to take our
creative freedoms back.’
For those
of us who are writers and artists it’s not always easy to find a way to be
heard, to have our work seen or read. I agree with Ms. Tamblyn that we may have
to find ways outside the ‘norm’ to do the work that is important to us. For
some of us this can mean self-publishing, online distribution of our work, and
sharing it in other ways.
If you are
interested in American politics, you may find Ms. Tamblyn’s insights into
Hilary Clinton’s bids for president eye opening. Tamblyn was involved in both
campaigns and experienced the misogyny. Particularly telling are the pages in
the book called ‘Requirements for a Woman to Become President of the United
States.’
Tamblyn
doesn’t pull any punches, whether she’s writing about the United States, ‘We
are a nation that is morally backpedaling, scared of change, and stuck in the
back pocket of social media’s isolation and alienation. We are a nation that
not only refuses to resolve matters face-to face, we refuse to see eye-to-eye.
We’re not only lost, we’re just now coming to terms with the fact that we’ve
always been lost.’ Or about women’s health, ‘If we want equality and inclusivity
in medicine, and if we want to see better results both for women in the field
of medicine and for women who are patients, we need to see more female
representation in leadership positions and in what research is being funded.’
I was moved by this book and felt that I was
getting to know other dimensions of this young woman, whom I had known
previously only as an actor. Now I know more about the woman, the writer, the
activist, the human being.
‘Put your
defenses down. Let go. Listen. And learn.’ - Amber Tamblyn
No comments:
Post a Comment