Why YOUR 1 Small Group makes effective change!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
(Barnard College, class of ’23! I’m class of ’09!)

The Pussyhat Project was created by a small group of people!

Download the print to see how 1 person became a group of 4, which became a group of 7, which became a movement of millions!

It’s easy to doubt yourself in the beginning. We’re just a small group of people, you might say. We’ve never done something like this before, you might say. I call these well-meaning, nay-saying thoughts “squelchers.”

It’s natural to have squelchers, but please, don’t let that stop you. Persist! Resist! We need you and your small group to make effective change in this world.

The Pussyhat Project might seem ginormous, but really, it’s just a bunch of small groups coming together and joining in, and feeling impassioned about a common cause.

Easy, right?

Another “squelcher” I hear a lot is, “oh, my doesn’t do much, we’re not like, national or whatever” – and to that I say noooooo, don’t let that stop you, don’t hold yourself to some arbitrary rubric that “national is better” or “only big organizations are valid” or “only official non-profits are worthwhile.” Seriously, that is the patriarchy trying to tell you that the way you do things is wrong and they are hoping, rooting for you to be overwhelmed by these squelching thoughts and quit – don’t let the patriarchy stop you! Understand that small change on a local level is valid, important, and most of all doable. And hopefully, the actions you take with your small group are pleasurable and fulfilling for you.

I invite you to check out this article:

5 Reasons to Build a Network of Small Groups Rather Than a Mass Movement of Individuals

He talks about how to shift the focus onto small groups, not worry about going national, and in the meantime, to document how your group functions so your successes can be replicated. I agree – documentation is important and I don’t think the focus should always be on “being big” but instead on scalability. See if you can design your small group’s project to be scalable – i.e. it works whether it is for a small or large group. When what you’re doing works in your local community, and when you document how it works, you can share it with other communities so they can replicate your successes, and spread the means of effective change! Social media and the Internet makes the documenting and sharing so easy nowadays.

By the way, small groups can be political activism groups, but they can also be knitting circles! Choirs! Book clubs! Wherever you gather with your friends – that is an opportunity to create meaningful change in this world.

100 prints! This is the most gorgeous illustrated herstory you have EVER seen! I am giving away 100 art prints to y’all because I love you. Check out the new section of my website to order a free art print  delivered straight to your door! And if all 100 are gone, you can get a free digital download instead! If you like, write back to me at heyitsme@kristasuh.com about how your small group is making a difference in your local community, I’d love to hear!

Lots of love,

P.S. If you were forwarded this email from a friend, you can sign up for my email newsletter here.

P.P.S. For more advice on overcoming “idea squelchers” watch my speech at Barnard.

Rise Up! With self-care, not self-help

Spring is here! Surrounded by nature’s beauty, I’ve been thinking a lot about self-care and how that creates SUSTAINABLE resistance!

Part of what makes the Pussyhat Project a success is that it embraces fun and pleasure and joy. It’s fun to put on a hat, it’s a pleasure to give hats away, it was a joy to see the huge “flag of resistance” we created on January 21. Pleasure does not impede progress, it fuels it!

What do you do to take a break now and then? Have you ever noticed that when you feel the most bonkers busy and it seems like you couldn’t POSSIBLY stop to take a break, that’s actually THE time to take a minute and breathe?

Last night my eyes were glued to my laptop doing Something Important That I Don’t Remember Now. I was thirsty for water, and I had a huge headache from being at the computer nonstop. I couldn’t possibly stop for a break. Then, Hallelujah! my angel friend Yumi Sakugawa called and asked if she could come over. We ordered in food (local favorite Park’s Finest), I finally drank some water, and at the end of the night, we took a lovely walk to Grand Park and sat on a marble bench in front of City Hall. Being under the night sky, I could feel myself release the anxiety I had been hanging onto. It was bliss.

My friend Yumi just released her 4th book, and it covers all sorts of tips on how to stay sane and how to implement self-care. It’s called The Little Book of Life Hacks, and it’s a gorgeous book that Yumi fully illustrated with her amazing iconic drawings. If you want a copy, in the spirit of The Pussyhat Project, she has given me 3 copies to give away to my mailing list! If you would like one of these gorgeous books, please email me back at heyitsme@kristasuh.com with Subject Heading “I care about me” Include your mailing address and I will randomly choose 3 winners on Wednesday night!

You can find me this month in LA, though I will be traveling all over this summer to visit YOU! More on that epic road trip very soon!

May 9: UCLA 7:00pm – Women of Color: A Discussion on Intersectional Feminism – I am on an awesome panel!

May 10: Skylight Books 7:30pm – I interview Yumi about her new book! Yumi also illustrated a limited edition print of PUSSYHATS in her eponymous style. A detail of that is below (and you can see us holding it in the first photo above). It’s so amazing. There are only 100 of them available, and you get first dibs if you go to this event. She and I will both sign the print at the event.

Um also… I have to vent about my pet peeve that I try to avoid. It’s a bad habit I have and maybe you do too. It boils down to this: There is a difference between self-care and self-help. Self-help is important. It’s when you are down and out and need to build yourself back up, often through pleasure and pampering and joy. A lot of women are told that we need to be better about this. And we are getting better at it. The NEXT step though, is giving ourselves pleasure and pampering and joy EVEN WHEN we are NOT down and out. Even if we’re just fine. Because notice, if you only give yourself pleasure and pampering and joy when you’re down and out… what are you teaching yourself? That you only get pleasure and pampering and joy when you’re down. So to get pleasure and pampering and joy (let’s called it PPJ for now)… you get yourself down in order to receive PPJ. We need to be administering PPJ even when we’re UP. Because that is the only way we will RISE.

When you give yourself pleasure and pampering and joy, EVEN WHEN you don’t “need” it – that is not just self-help, that is TRUE self-care! For example, I’m feeling pretty great right now… and I don’t NEED pleasure and pampering and joy… but I’m going to give myself some anyway! YAY!

So if you’re down and out, I’m sending you love.
If you’re feeling a-okay, I’m sending you love.
And if you’re feeling FAAAAABULOUS, I’m sending you love.

Let’s rise.

Lots of love,

P.S. I am slowly but surely going through all your letters sent to heyitsme@kristasuh.com and through my website. Thank you so much for your kind words and amazing uplifting energy!

P.P.S. Is it scary to say out loud, “I care about me”? Practice it. Seriously. It’s OK, it’s GREAT to care about yourself. It’s not selfish. Women especially have been taught that caring for ourselves is a bad thing (this is the work of patriarchy, am I right?!). In the words of Maya Angelou, “I am a feminist. I’ve been female for a long time now. I’d be stupid not to be on my own side.” Say it! I care about me.