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Nostalgia

Magical Ink

June 28, 2024 · Discuss on the GT Forum

https://media.blubrry.com/happypod/media.transistor.fm/ac5ab972/bbb486d9.mp3

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46: Ariel and Stef are joined by Dr. Jinxi Caddel for a heartfelt and art-filled dive into the world of tattoos, identity, and Disney fandom. From full Alice in Wonderland back pieces to tiny churro flash tats, this episode celebrates how ink becomes a personal archive of memory, culture, and connection.

Jinxi shares her journey from tattoo publishing to mental health, co-owning a tattoo shop, and running a private practice for those who color outside the lines. Together, they unpack stigma, nostalgia, and the healing power of self-expression—through Disney and beyond. Whether you’re tattooed, tattoo-curious, or just love a good Dole Whip, this one’s for you.

Summary

00:00 Hosts and guest introductions
02:00 Childhood Disney memories and first tattoos
04:00 Jinxi’s journey from tattoo publishing to psychology
08:00 Stigma, acceptance, and professional visibility
13:00 Tattoos in families and intergenerational storytelling
16:00 Favorite Disney tattoos—characters, quotes, and food!
20:00 Fandoms in ink: Star Wars, Marvel, and park icons
24:00 Flash tattoos and memory markers
28:00 Permanent makeup and cultural ties
32:00 Tattoos as affirmations and emotional touchstones
35:00 Therapeutic meaning behind body art
40:00 Building safe, expressive spaces in education and therapy
46:00 Final reflections and where to find Jinxi’s work

Transcription

00:00:03:20 – 00:00:05:01
Hello, everyone.

00:00:05:01 – 00:00:07:01
Welcome to the Happiest Pod on Earth.

00:00:07:01 – 00:00:07:18
I’m Stef

00:00:07:18 – 00:00:09:12
I’m an educator who uses passions

00:00:09:12 – 00:00:10:09
and fandoms to help

00:00:10:09 – 00:00:11:15
my students grow

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and learn about themselves

00:00:12:19 – 00:00:14:07
and the world around them.

00:00:14:07 – 00:00:16:01
And I’m Ariel, a licensed therapist

00:00:16:01 – 00:00:17:20
who uses clients passions and fandoms

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to help them grow

00:00:18:15 – 00:00:19:11
and heal from trauma

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and mental and wellness.

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And I am Jinxi

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and I’m a mental health therapist

00:00:25:19 – 00:00:27:12
and a book publisher.

00:00:27:12 – 00:00:29:10
And the tattoo shop owner,

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in Eugene, Oregon.

00:00:31:11 – 00:00:33:01
I have a practice called Black

00:00:33:01 – 00:00:33:20
Sleep Therapy,

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where, I like to help people who,

00:00:36:22 – 00:00:39:02
like to color outside the lines.

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That might be black sheep

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or unicorns themselves.

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So I’m happy to be here.

00:00:45:02 – 00:00:46:04
Wonderful.

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And here at Happiest Pod,

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we dissect Disney mediums

00:00:48:19 – 00:00:50:05
So the critical lens. Why?

00:00:50:05 – 00:00:51:15
Because we are more than just fans,

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and we expect more from the mediums

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we consume.

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So, what are we talking about today?

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Well, we have another very

00:00:59:09 – 00:01:01:04
special guest on our podcast.

00:01:01:04 – 00:01:03:04
Welcome, Dr. Jinxi Right?

00:01:03:04 – 00:01:04:05
It is.

00:01:04:05 – 00:01:05:17
Thank you so much.

00:01:05:17 – 00:01:06:11
I appreciate it,

00:01:06:11 – 00:01:08:09
but I’m so happy to be here.

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Yeah, absolutely.

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And we’re we have a really fun topic

00:01:11:22 – 00:01:12:15
to talk about.

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And,

00:01:13:18 – 00:01:16:11
we talk about Disney art on many levels,

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but I think this is a level of Disney

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art that we haven’t quite talked about,

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which is body art and tattoos.

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And,

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I think with the recent,

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I think resurgence of tattoos

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and the accessibility

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to getting tattoos

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has been widely seen and respected.

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And, we just love

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especially going to the parks

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and seeing different

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interpretations of Disney art.

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And also,

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you know,

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we were really curious for you,

00:01:42:17 – 00:01:44:02
Dr. Jinxi

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you’re kind of journey into your

00:01:47:02 – 00:01:49:17
amazing life, I think, as a therapist

00:01:49:17 – 00:01:51:02
and as an artist.

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I think it’s a very unique,

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perspective

00:01:54:01 – 00:01:55:10
that not many people know about.

00:01:55:10 – 00:01:57:11
Yeah. Well, thank you so much.

00:01:57:11 – 00:02:00:11
I, you know, it’s funny because

00:02:00:17 – 00:02:03:14
as a child, my very first experience

00:02:03:14 – 00:02:07:03
with a tattoo was at Disneyland,

00:02:07:03 – 00:02:10:05
and I was behind a girl in line

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who had a Cheshire

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cat tattoo on her back.

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And I thought it was like,

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the dreamiest thing I had ever seen,

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and I.

00:02:19:01 – 00:02:19:23
I can’t remember

00:02:19:23 – 00:02:22:05
how old I was, but I just

00:02:22:05 – 00:02:25:05
it was locked in and I just knew

00:02:25:05 – 00:02:27:05
someday I wanted tattoos to,

00:02:28:16 – 00:02:30:07
And, I

00:02:30:07 – 00:02:31:16
actually didn’t get

00:02:31:16 – 00:02:34:01
my first tattoo until,

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like,

00:02:34:08 – 00:02:35:13
my mid to late

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20s, after

00:02:36:22 – 00:02:38:17
I had had all of my kids

00:02:38:17 – 00:02:43:23
and, I was working as a, an editor

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and a writer

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for several,

00:02:45:18 – 00:02:48:18
tattoo magazines at the time.

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And so that just opened

00:02:51:04 – 00:02:51:19
my world

00:02:51:19 – 00:02:54:04
into all of these incredible artists.

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And,

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my very first tattoo

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was a tiny little cherry on my ankle.

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And,

00:03:01:00 – 00:03:04:03
and that has since grown into pretty much

00:03:04:03 – 00:03:05:06
I have my whole head

00:03:05:06 – 00:03:08:05
tattooed, down, down to my toes.

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Most of it’s covered.

00:03:09:08 – 00:03:10:21
I have a couple little spots

00:03:10:21 – 00:03:12:23
that I’m trying to hopefully

00:03:12:23 – 00:03:14:19
be conservative them with now,

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because I don’t

00:03:15:07 – 00:03:18:07
have much real estate left.

00:03:19:04 – 00:03:20:17
But, that’s a real thing.

00:03:20:17 – 00:03:21:09
That’s a real thing.

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The real estate is limited

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And, you know, I did it,

00:03:25:11 – 00:03:26:21
when I first started,

00:03:26:21 – 00:03:30:01
I was so into the art form

00:03:30:01 – 00:03:33:04
and the, the camaraderie

00:03:33:04 – 00:03:35:01
and just the whole experience

00:03:35:01 – 00:03:36:04
of getting tattooed

00:03:36:04 – 00:03:37:20
that I went full force,

00:03:37:20 – 00:03:38:17
you know, like, once

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I was ready to do it,

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I was like, just going.

00:03:43:06 – 00:03:44:06
So I.

00:03:44:06 – 00:03:45:14
I covered up a lot,

00:03:45:14 – 00:03:48:06
you know, my arms, pretty early on,

00:03:48:06 – 00:03:49:16
a lot of the precious

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real estate got taken up,

00:03:51:10 – 00:03:52:20
you know, in my early years.

00:03:52:20 – 00:03:55:12
But, now I’m much more,

00:03:55:12 – 00:03:57:08
you know, thoughtful. I think.

00:03:57:08 – 00:04:00:06
So I worked

00:04:00:06 – 00:04:01:20
in the publishing world

00:04:01:20 – 00:04:04:09
for a long time in the tattoo realm,

00:04:04:09 – 00:04:05:02
and,

00:04:05:02 – 00:04:06:00
eventually worked

00:04:06:00 – 00:04:08:11
for a publishing company in the,

00:04:08:11 – 00:04:10:09
where I kind of learn

00:04:10:09 – 00:04:13:03
the ropes of how to put books together.

00:04:13:03 – 00:04:14:12
And then my husband

00:04:14:12 – 00:04:17:12
and I, started Out of Step Books

00:04:17:13 – 00:04:20:13
in, 2010.

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And we made art and tattoo books.

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We still run it,

00:04:24:11 – 00:04:25:23
but we’re both pretty busy

00:04:25:23 – 00:04:26:22
with lots of things.

00:04:26:22 – 00:04:28:16
So we haven’t done a book

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for two years now,

00:04:29:23 – 00:04:32:23
but we did 28 publications,

00:04:32:23 – 00:04:35:20
including, two children’s books,

00:04:35:20 – 00:04:39:06
and they’re all somehow tattoo related.

00:04:39:15 – 00:04:40:02
What the

00:04:40:02 – 00:04:41:06
the kids book is

00:04:41:06 – 00:04:42:11
kind of a little dip

00:04:42:11 – 00:04:45:01
into positive psychology

00:04:45:01 – 00:04:47:19
about having a positive mental attitude,

00:04:47:19 – 00:04:49:09
and it was illustrated

00:04:49:09 – 00:04:51:05
by a tattoo artist.

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And then we have one of the other kids

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books is a little ABC book,

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and it was,

00:04:56:00 – 00:04:57:18
26 tattoo artists

00:04:57:18 – 00:05:00:14
each did a letter of the alphabet.

00:05:00:14 – 00:05:03:12
It’s super cute and…. That’s amazing!

00:05:03:12 – 00:05:04:03
Yeah,

00:05:04:03 – 00:05:04:21
it was fun

00:05:04:21 – 00:05:05:21
because we used to go

00:05:05:21 – 00:05:07:09
to a lot of conventions

00:05:07:09 – 00:05:08:07
to sell the books.

00:05:08:07 – 00:05:10:08
And, you know, a lot of tattoo

00:05:10:08 – 00:05:11:19
collectors have children.

00:05:11:19 – 00:05:13:03
Yeah.

00:05:13:03 – 00:05:13:21
It was just. Yeah.

00:05:13:21 – 00:05:16:00
You know, it was pretty awesome

00:05:16:00 – 00:05:17:17
to get to have that.

00:05:17:17 – 00:05:21:12
And then when we moved to,

00:05:21:12 – 00:05:23:03
Eugene, Oregon, we,

00:05:23:03 – 00:05:24:17
opened the, tattoo

00:05:24:17 – 00:05:26:23
shop, called Out of Step Tattoo.

00:05:26:23 – 00:05:28:03
And at this time,

00:05:28:03 – 00:05:30:01
I had gone back to school,

00:05:30:01 – 00:05:31:05
many years ago

00:05:31:05 – 00:05:33:11
to get my masters and my doctorate

00:05:33:11 – 00:05:35:05
in clinical psychology.

00:05:35:05 – 00:05:38:07
So I kind of, I still have

00:05:38:15 – 00:05:42:05
my artistic ties because obviously, it’s

00:05:42:05 – 00:05:43:11
my outlet,

00:05:43:11 – 00:05:45:12
you know, for the things today,

00:05:45:12 – 00:05:48:01
a part of my self-care.

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And, I need that in my life

00:05:51:02 – 00:05:52:21
to be able to handle the work

00:05:52:21 – 00:05:55:03
I do as a therapist.

00:05:55:03 – 00:05:57:15
So it’s been a very unique,

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but awesome balance for me.

00:06:01:01 – 00:06:03:08
Yes. Yeah, yeah.

00:06:03:08 – 00:06:04:13
So I’m, I’m hearing

00:06:04:13 – 00:06:05:14
that you got to

00:06:05:14 – 00:06:06:19
really meld together

00:06:06:19 – 00:06:08:02
different parts of yourself

00:06:08:02 – 00:06:09:09
for authenticity

00:06:09:09 – 00:06:11:04
And I’m hearing that as being

00:06:11:04 – 00:06:11:21
it feeds you.

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It continues to rejuvenate

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you and be a new experience.

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Absolutely.

00:06:16:22 – 00:06:18:19
And the tattoo community

00:06:18:19 – 00:06:21:19
became so important in my life, too.

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You know, they I feel like it’s family.

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And it gave me so much.

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And the artists

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I worked with were so important,

00:06:30:06 – 00:06:31:11
especially on the books.

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We would work with thousands of artists

00:06:33:22 – 00:06:34:23
from across the world.

00:06:34:23 – 00:06:36:06
So,

00:06:36:06 – 00:06:38:15
it just became such a part of my life,

00:06:38:15 – 00:06:39:01
you know?

00:06:39:01 – 00:06:40:19
And honestly,

00:06:40:19 – 00:06:42:17
shout out to the tattoo community,

00:06:42:17 – 00:06:43:23
because when we were low

00:06:43:23 – 00:06:46:23
on masks and gloves during the pandemic,

00:06:47:08 – 00:06:48:19
a lot of tattoo artists

00:06:48:19 – 00:06:50:20
donated those things to hospital.

00:06:50:20 – 00:06:52:08
Like it was vital for us

00:06:52:08 – 00:06:53:06
our ability

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to be able to move forward

00:06:54:19 – 00:06:57:09
and take care of our healing professions.

00:06:57:09 – 00:06:58:14
Absolutely

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I know it’s it’s

00:07:00:11 – 00:07:03:06
really is an incredible community

00:07:03:06 – 00:07:04:09
of people.

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And,

00:07:06:09 – 00:07:07:21
I, I still I’m

00:07:07:21 – 00:07:09:15
a co-owner of the tattoo shop.

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I don’t get to be

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there as much as I like

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because I’m always in my office.

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But, but my partner, runs it,

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and we have 12 amazing

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artists who are very, dedicated to

00:07:23:17 – 00:07:25:23
and inclusive environment that,

00:07:25:23 – 00:07:28:23
you know, that just delivers

00:07:28:23 – 00:07:32:05
special and wonderful art to collectors.

00:07:32:11 – 00:07:34:01
So it’s.

00:07:34:01 – 00:07:36:20
Yeah, it’s it’s been a it’s been a

00:07:36:20 – 00:07:38:04
I feel super lucky,

00:07:38:04 – 00:07:40:14
you know, to have been on this journey

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in this way.

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And, you know,

00:07:42:10 – 00:07:43:01
it’s funny

00:07:43:01 – 00:07:46:05
because when I first went back to school,

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I was really concerned about my tattoos

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because I had very visible,

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you know, head, neck and hand tattoos

00:07:53:14 – 00:07:57:11
and I didn’t know if, it would be okay.

00:07:57:11 – 00:07:59:20
You know, in my, in the profession

00:07:59:20 – 00:08:02:15
because I didn’t know if people would

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accept me and hire me.

00:08:05:23 – 00:08:08:19
But, you know, it’s it’s been,

00:08:08:19 – 00:08:10:11
I don’t feel like my tattoos

00:08:10:11 – 00:08:12:17
have ever held me back at all

00:08:12:17 – 00:08:14:20
in the mental health world. It’s been.

00:08:14:20 – 00:08:15:11
If anything,

00:08:15:11 – 00:08:16:03
I feel like

00:08:16:03 – 00:08:19:06
it helps me to connect to my clients.

00:08:19:13 – 00:08:19:17
Yeah.

00:08:19:17 – 00:08:20:12
And,

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I think a lot of people maybe seek me out

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because they,

00:08:24:08 – 00:08:25:10
they see things

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that they feel related to.

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So it’s it’s been it’s been cool.

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I’m curious.

00:08:33:10 – 00:08:35:16
I know that you have tattoos

00:08:35:16 – 00:08:37:21
all over your body with visible, Stef?

00:08:37:21 – 00:08:39:07
Do you have tattoos

00:08:39:07 – 00:08:41:10
because you’re in an education space?

00:08:41:10 – 00:08:44:06
And is that was there worry there or now?

00:08:44:06 – 00:08:45:14
Has the perception changed?

00:08:45:14 – 00:08:46:12
Because I know that

00:08:46:12 – 00:08:47:22
in the mental health field,

00:08:47:22 – 00:08:50:01
we’re allowing clinicians

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to be more authentic,

00:08:51:12 – 00:08:53:11
no longer the blank slate.

00:08:53:11 – 00:08:56:17
So has that, experience you’re having?

00:08:57:21 – 00:09:00:04
No, actually, when I

00:09:00:04 – 00:09:00:18
finish school,

00:09:00:18 – 00:09:01:16
because I finish school

00:09:01:16 – 00:09:02:10
a little bit later,

00:09:02:10 – 00:09:05:06
I got my teaching credential in Masters.

00:09:05:06 – 00:09:06:04
A little bit later.

00:09:06:04 – 00:09:06:16
Wasn’t left,

00:09:06:16 – 00:09:07:16
like, right out of high school.

00:09:07:16 – 00:09:09:11
I worked for a long time,

00:09:09:11 – 00:09:11:02
when I was doing my student teaching,

00:09:11:02 – 00:09:12:09
I met a lot of colleagues,

00:09:12:09 – 00:09:13:23
especially in the schools,

00:09:13:23 – 00:09:16:08
that I was doing my student teaching at,

00:09:16:08 – 00:09:17:20
that had visible tattoos.

00:09:17:20 – 00:09:20:04
Mainly they were on their arms.

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Sometimes they had them on their necks

00:09:21:12 – 00:09:22:08
and things like that.

00:09:22:08 – 00:09:24:21
But now being in Los Angeles, it’s

00:09:24:21 – 00:09:25:13
it was a little bit

00:09:25:13 – 00:09:26:09
more expected

00:09:26:09 – 00:09:28:00
because we are

00:09:28:00 – 00:09:28:06
we were

00:09:28:06 – 00:09:29:10
kind of going into the wave

00:09:29:10 – 00:09:30:13
of younger

00:09:30:13 – 00:09:31:20
educators now

00:09:31:20 – 00:09:32:19
because a lot of our

00:09:32:19 – 00:09:34:12
educators were retiring.

00:09:34:12 – 00:09:35:22
And some of my mentors,

00:09:35:22 – 00:09:37:21
one of my mentors in particular,

00:09:37:21 – 00:09:39:16
he was a musician as well,

00:09:39:16 – 00:09:40:22
but he had been teaching in the

00:09:40:22 – 00:09:43:23
LSD system for somewhat 20 years,

00:09:43:23 – 00:09:46:19
and he had tattoos only on his arms.

00:09:46:19 – 00:09:47:11
But,

00:09:47:11 – 00:09:49:00
it totally took that stigma

00:09:49:00 – 00:09:50:12
away from me immediately.

00:09:50:12 – 00:09:52:05
And then when I got hired

00:09:52:05 – 00:09:54:03
at the school that I’m currently in,

00:09:54:03 – 00:09:56:04
my coworkers, they had tattoos.

00:09:56:04 – 00:09:58:17
This one, they were female and nice.

00:09:58:17 – 00:09:59:20
You know, the kids love them

00:09:59:20 – 00:10:02:05
because they were colorful.

00:10:02:05 – 00:10:04:02
Know the parents that we serve.

00:10:04:02 – 00:10:05:22
They have tattoos, too.

00:10:05:22 – 00:10:07:09
And I think

00:10:07:09 – 00:10:08:10
now it’s it’s

00:10:08:10 – 00:10:10:14
more of an expression of their art

00:10:10:14 – 00:10:12:05
and things that they love

00:10:12:05 – 00:10:14:12
as opposed to an identity marker.

00:10:14:12 – 00:10:16:21
And, I know there was so many years

00:10:16:21 – 00:10:18:22
that it was a negative identity marker,

00:10:18:22 – 00:10:20:13
especially in certain areas of,

00:10:20:13 – 00:10:21:21
you know, Los Angeles

00:10:21:21 – 00:10:22:23
and other big cities.

00:10:22:23 – 00:10:25:21
But I think slowly that stigma

00:10:25:21 – 00:10:27:09
has kind of gone away now

00:10:27:09 – 00:10:29:17
because these people,

00:10:29:17 – 00:10:31:08
they’re just here with their families

00:10:31:08 – 00:10:32:08
and they just want their kids

00:10:32:08 – 00:10:33:09
to have a safe space

00:10:33:09 – 00:10:35:01
where they can be themselves.

00:10:35:01 – 00:10:36:23
So, I mean, I have

00:10:36:23 – 00:10:39:16
two visible tattoos, but I have,

00:10:39:16 – 00:10:41:03
you know, hope

00:10:41:03 – 00:10:42:05
I’ve been wanting to have more,

00:10:42:05 – 00:10:44:03
but having kids in the middle of it

00:10:44:03 – 00:10:45:18
got kind of hard.

00:10:45:18 – 00:10:47:19
But it’s true.

00:10:47:19 – 00:10:49:07
But my husband, he’s,

00:10:49:07 – 00:10:50:05
you know,

00:10:50:05 – 00:10:51:04
we’ve mentioned before

00:10:51:04 – 00:10:52:13
he’s enlisted in the military,

00:10:52:13 – 00:10:56:09
and he is all tatted up, but,

00:10:56:09 – 00:10:56:18
you know,

00:10:56:18 – 00:10:57:16
even though

00:10:57:16 – 00:10:59:15
they have certain regulations,

00:10:59:15 – 00:11:03:14
I think when he changes into his,

00:11:03:14 – 00:11:04:20
physical training clothes,

00:11:04:20 – 00:11:06:19
everyone’s like, oh, my gosh,

00:11:06:19 – 00:11:08:17
I didn’t know you were blasting

00:11:08:17 – 00:11:10:03
all your arms and legs.

00:11:10:03 – 00:11:13:03
And it’s a conversation piece.

00:11:13:05 – 00:11:14:14
And, yeah,

00:11:14:14 – 00:11:15:11
you know, for him,

00:11:15:11 – 00:11:18:08
we were just at Disney World recently,

00:11:18:08 – 00:11:20:20
and so many people come up to him

00:11:20:20 – 00:11:22:21
and ask him, hey, man, I love your ink.

00:11:22:21 – 00:11:24:09
Like I really love the art.

00:11:24:09 – 00:11:25:03
You know, like,

00:11:25:03 – 00:11:26:09
you know, just kudos to you.

00:11:26:09 – 00:11:27:12
And that’s how they strike

00:11:27:12 – 00:11:29:07
conversation and commonality.

00:11:29:07 – 00:11:30:07
And even though

00:11:30:07 – 00:11:31:13
they weren’t Disney tattoos,

00:11:31:13 – 00:11:34:00
they just admire the work of the artist.

00:11:34:00 – 00:11:35:18
And that in itself creates community.

00:11:35:18 – 00:11:38:08
And it’s so beautiful to see. Totally.

00:11:38:08 – 00:11:41:17
I, I love to hear that so many educators

00:11:41:20 – 00:11:43:11
have visible tattoos.

00:11:43:11 – 00:11:44:19
That makes me so happy.

00:11:44:19 – 00:11:46:23
It’s so, so awesome.

00:11:46:23 – 00:11:50:12
I, I worked for a short period of time

00:11:50:12 – 00:11:51:06
in high school

00:11:51:06 – 00:11:52:00
and middle school

00:11:52:00 – 00:11:53:01
as a therapist,

00:11:53:01 – 00:11:54:10
and I again,

00:11:54:10 – 00:11:55:16
I was worried,

00:11:55:16 – 00:11:57:00
you know, that it

00:11:57:00 – 00:11:59:20
it might not be cool with the parents and

00:11:59:20 – 00:12:01:06
but it just

00:12:01:06 – 00:12:03:14
I think as you said, the stigma

00:12:03:14 – 00:12:05:12
has changed

00:12:05:12 – 00:12:06:16
You know we are

00:12:06:16 – 00:12:08:01
we’re it’s just different.

00:12:08:01 – 00:12:08:14
And people

00:12:08:14 – 00:12:09:15
are accepting

00:12:09:15 – 00:12:12:13
and appreciating the art form.

00:12:12:13 – 00:12:15:16
And I love to hear that for myself.

00:12:15:16 – 00:12:17:09
I do not have any tattoos.

00:12:17:09 – 00:12:19:02
However,

00:12:19:02 – 00:12:20:15
my grandmother got her

00:12:20:15 – 00:12:22:08
first tattoo in her 60s

00:12:22:08 – 00:12:23:15
because she couldn’t

00:12:23:15 – 00:12:26:15
draw her eyeliner on.

00:12:27:00 – 00:12:28:23
It was because of her arthritis.

00:12:28:23 – 00:12:30:12
So she went to the doctor

00:12:30:12 – 00:12:32:19
and the doctor did a tattoo. Eyeliner.

00:12:32:19 – 00:12:34:21
Oh, that’s so cute.

00:12:34:21 – 00:12:38:05
I know my aunt in her 60s

00:12:38:05 – 00:12:39:11
got her first tattoo

00:12:39:11 – 00:12:41:04
and it was lip liner again

00:12:41:04 – 00:12:42:23
because she didn’t know the time.

00:12:42:23 – 00:12:45:11
So I think I have to uphold that

00:12:45:11 – 00:12:47:15
tradition to where my first tattoo

00:12:47:15 – 00:12:49:17
needs to be on my face. And my 60s.

00:12:49:17 – 00:12:52:07
That’s what I’ve decided.

00:12:52:07 – 00:12:53:16
That’s a big commitment.

00:12:54:22 – 00:12:56:02
Yeah.

00:12:56:02 – 00:12:56:20
You know,

00:12:56:20 – 00:12:57:23
permanent

00:12:57:23 – 00:12:59:20
makeup artists are incredible

00:12:59:20 – 00:13:03:07
to that whole that whole, craft has, has

00:13:03:07 – 00:13:06:15
just changed leaps and bounds as well.

00:13:06:15 – 00:13:08:12
And it’s it’s

00:13:08:12 – 00:13:09:07
how amazing

00:13:09:07 – 00:13:12:07
is it right to be able to have that that.

00:13:12:11 – 00:13:13:18
Yeah. Yeah.

00:13:13:18 – 00:13:14:23
And I think the first

00:13:14:23 – 00:13:16:18
like the first experience

00:13:16:18 – 00:13:17:12
that I had

00:13:17:12 – 00:13:18:17
with my family members

00:13:18:17 – 00:13:20:05
getting anything that resembled

00:13:20:05 – 00:13:22:10
a tattoo was permanent makeup

00:13:22:10 – 00:13:23:17
because I remember

00:13:23:17 – 00:13:26:01
my aunts would go back to the Philippines

00:13:26:01 – 00:13:28:05
and they would get permanent makeup done

00:13:28:05 – 00:13:29:11
because they simply just

00:13:29:11 – 00:13:30:19
didn’t want to do the routine

00:13:30:19 – 00:13:31:18
every single day.

00:13:31:18 – 00:13:32:02
Yeah.

00:13:32:02 – 00:13:32:18
And I was

00:13:32:18 – 00:13:33:13
and I know the ink

00:13:33:13 – 00:13:34:22
pattern was a little bit different

00:13:34:22 – 00:13:36:00
because it would like,

00:13:36:00 – 00:13:37:14
somehow fade to like blue

00:13:37:14 – 00:13:39:04
or purple after a while.

00:13:40:05 – 00:13:41:04
But now, I mean, the

00:13:41:04 – 00:13:42:14
technology has changed

00:13:42:14 – 00:13:43:09
because I was like,

00:13:43:09 – 00:13:45:03
I like, is that a rite of passage

00:13:45:03 – 00:13:46:05
that I have to do,

00:13:46:05 – 00:13:47:07
like one day

00:13:47:07 – 00:13:49:13
when I don’t have any eyebrows,

00:13:49:13 – 00:13:50:10
which is fine,

00:13:50:10 – 00:13:50:22
but I don’t know

00:13:50:22 – 00:13:53:01
if I like the color blue. Yeah.

00:13:53:01 – 00:13:55:05
But luckily,

00:13:55:05 – 00:13:56:17
you know, I’m smart enough to know

00:13:56:17 – 00:13:57:19
now that the technology

00:13:57:19 – 00:13:59:08
has changed to wear,

00:13:59:08 – 00:14:02:03
you know, stay the same color.

00:14:02:03 – 00:14:03:14
But, yeah,

00:14:03:14 – 00:14:04:18
I don’t have to live with myself.

00:14:04:18 – 00:14:07:17
The permanent eye makeup I love.

00:14:07:17 – 00:14:08:22
Yeah, the ink.

00:14:08:22 – 00:14:10:21
Companies have come

00:14:10:21 – 00:14:13:05
so far to everything.

00:14:13:05 – 00:14:13:21
Oh, man.

00:14:13:21 – 00:14:16:23
It compared to when we started,

00:14:17:14 – 00:14:21:06
you know, 25, almost 30 years ago,

00:14:21:19 – 00:14:22:20
getting tattooed, it’s

00:14:22:20 – 00:14:25:08
changed so, so significantly.

00:14:25:08 – 00:14:28:19
And it’s so exciting to see all of the,

00:14:30:10 – 00:14:31:23
Leaps and bounds

00:14:31:23 – 00:14:34:03
It’s it’s become. It’s pretty.

00:14:34:03 – 00:14:35:11
It’s pretty exciting.

00:14:35:11 – 00:14:36:18
Okay, well, as we know,

00:14:36:18 – 00:14:38:15
this is a Disney podcast.

00:14:38:15 – 00:14:41:15
So yeah, the fact that you own a tattoo

00:14:41:16 – 00:14:43:21
shop, what are the Disney tattoos

00:14:43:21 – 00:14:44:20
that you’ve seen?

00:14:44:20 – 00:14:48:13
I do know for us on episode 39,

00:14:48:13 – 00:14:49:18
The Battle of the Pumpkin King,

00:14:49:18 – 00:14:52:05
we had an author named Dan Conner on,

00:14:52:05 – 00:14:54:10
and he wrote a graphic novel,

00:14:54:10 – 00:14:56:06
oh, The Battle for Pumpkin King.

00:14:56:06 – 00:14:56:21
And he said he’s

00:14:56:21 – 00:14:58:04
seen so many Nightmare

00:14:58:04 – 00:15:01:02
Before Christmas tattoos at conventions

00:15:01:02 – 00:15:01:14
And that’s, like,

00:15:01:14 – 00:15:04:06
very popular characters to have.

00:15:04:06 – 00:15:05:02
So cool.

00:15:05:02 – 00:15:06:09
Well,

00:15:06:09 – 00:15:09:09
I mean, just because of the beloved

00:15:09:21 – 00:15:12:11
ness of Disney characters, it’s

00:15:12:11 – 00:15:14:10
it’s always going to be such

00:15:14:10 – 00:15:16:02
a popular thing.

00:15:16:02 – 00:15:16:16
You know,

00:15:16:16 – 00:15:17:09
I have,

00:15:17:09 – 00:15:21:11
the little oyster babies on my arm,

00:15:21:11 – 00:15:22:07
and my whole,

00:15:22:07 – 00:15:25:07
my whole back is, Alice in Wonderland.

00:15:25:10 – 00:15:27:02
Disney Alice

00:15:27:02 – 00:15:28:10
Yeah.

00:15:28:10 – 00:15:30:19
So, I love that.

00:15:30:19 – 00:15:32:13
I love them, too.

00:15:32:13 – 00:15:35:07
I oh, man, I can’t even

00:15:35:07 – 00:15:36:23
I don’t even know where to start with.

00:15:36:23 – 00:15:41:05
I think a lot of people do, quotes,

00:15:41:05 – 00:15:41:21
you know,

00:15:41:21 – 00:15:45:20
things like, like Hakuna matata or,

00:15:45:22 – 00:15:47:17
you know,

00:15:47:17 – 00:15:48:12
doing the,

00:15:48:12 – 00:15:51:12
To infinity and beyond things like that, you know,

00:15:51:12 – 00:15:54:09
but then the characters I, you see

00:15:54:09 – 00:15:55:05
such a huge,

00:15:56:04 – 00:15:58:10
array.

00:15:58:10 – 00:16:00:04
I think Tinkerbell has always

00:16:00:04 – 00:16:03:04
been very, popular.

00:16:03:06 – 00:16:06:09
She’s, you know, just the magical element

00:16:06:09 – 00:16:09:09
and, her feistiness and,

00:16:10:03 – 00:16:12:22
Alice in Wonderland does seem to be

00:16:12:22 – 00:16:14:14
still very popular.

00:16:14:14 – 00:16:17:16
You know, Lilo and Stitch,

00:16:17:17 – 00:16:19:21
I think we’ve seen a lot.

00:16:19:21 – 00:16:24:21
Ohana, just, you know, that

00:16:24:22 – 00:16:26:06
that whole

00:16:26:06 – 00:16:27:19
family,

00:16:27:19 – 00:16:31:03
anything that can tie things together

00:16:31:03 – 00:16:34:03
that you hold dear to yourself.

00:16:34:22 – 00:16:38:09
I see a lot of Disney theme park tattoos.

00:16:39:11 – 00:16:42:14
I recently saw a cool, on Instagram.

00:16:42:14 – 00:16:46:10
I saw a cool, Dole whip, tattoo.

00:16:46:16 – 00:16:48:01
That is so cute.

00:16:48:01 – 00:16:48:22
And,

00:16:48:22 – 00:16:53:22
just like the Mickey Mouse, ice cream bars

00:16:53:22 – 00:16:56:21
of course, the castle is huge.

00:16:56:21 – 00:16:58:10
And,

00:16:58:10 – 00:17:00:07
Oh, man, it’s endless, right?

00:17:00:07 – 00:17:01:12
Because everybody

00:17:01:12 – 00:17:05:03
has their special character or saying

00:17:05:08 – 00:17:06:21
or memory

00:17:06:21 – 00:17:09:05
that they want to keep with them.

00:17:09:05 – 00:17:10:06
And yeah,

00:17:10:06 – 00:17:14:01
I think that element of nostalgia, and,

00:17:14:01 – 00:17:17:14
and also just the, associations

00:17:17:14 – 00:17:20:09
that it can have for people is so,

00:17:20:09 – 00:17:22:15
so special. So yeah.

00:17:23:20 – 00:17:24:15
Yeah, yeah,

00:17:24:15 – 00:17:25:17
I definitely seen

00:17:25:17 – 00:17:27:05
a lot of the food items

00:17:27:05 – 00:17:29:02
as like flash tattoos

00:17:29:02 – 00:17:30:19
because they’re just so easy to do

00:17:30:19 – 00:17:31:21
and they’re very quick.

00:17:31:21 – 00:17:33:14
And it’s just a little trinket

00:17:33:14 – 00:17:35:16
of like a churro or like you say,

00:17:35:16 – 00:17:38:00
a Mickey pops or a Dole whip

00:17:38:00 – 00:17:39:14
or even like a popcorn bucket.

00:17:39:14 – 00:17:40:12
I’ve seen,

00:17:40:12 – 00:17:41:17
but yeah,

00:17:41:17 – 00:17:43:15
I it’s just as like, simple as,

00:17:43:15 – 00:17:45:06
you know, getting an enamel pin.

00:17:45:06 – 00:17:45:21
I feel like

00:17:45:21 – 00:17:48:01
it’s like you collect those things

00:17:48:01 – 00:17:49:23
to show on your body as opposed

00:17:49:23 – 00:17:51:17
to, like, your bag.

00:17:51:17 – 00:17:52:13
You know, it’s something

00:17:52:13 – 00:17:53:17
that you’re probably going to love

00:17:53:17 – 00:17:55:18
forever is tied to a special memory,

00:17:55:18 – 00:17:57:21
which is, you know, I think pretty cool.

00:17:57:21 – 00:17:58:21
Well,

00:17:58:21 – 00:17:59:19
Disney has, like,

00:17:59:19 – 00:18:01:13
Marvel and Star Wars like.

00:18:01:13 – 00:18:02:15
And that franchise.

00:18:02:15 – 00:18:05:18
Oh, more and more of those tattoos.

00:18:05:18 – 00:18:08:06
Lots of, like, Captain America’s shield.

00:18:08:06 – 00:18:11:06
So lots of like Wakanda Forever.

00:18:11:06 – 00:18:13:16
I, I’ve seen a numerous amount of those.

00:18:13:16 – 00:18:15:10
And then every kind of lightsaber.

00:18:15:10 – 00:18:18:18
Imagine light side, dark side rebels.

00:18:18:18 – 00:18:19:13
Yeah.

00:18:19:13 – 00:18:22:08
I wasn’t even thinking of the Star Wars

00:18:22:08 – 00:18:23:12
part of it because,

00:18:23:12 – 00:18:26:12
as you know, that is just

00:18:26:15 – 00:18:28:05
an incredibly huge

00:18:28:05 – 00:18:30:10
genre of tattoos in itself.

00:18:30:10 – 00:18:32:18
There are some tattoo artists who

00:18:32:18 – 00:18:33:19
that’s all they do

00:18:33:19 – 00:18:35:07
because they have such

00:18:35:07 – 00:18:36:08
a demand for it

00:18:36:08 – 00:18:38:20
that that’s all they could keep up,

00:18:38:20 – 00:18:39:18
you know?

00:18:39:18 – 00:18:41:20
And same with Disney.

00:18:41:20 – 00:18:43:21
There are so many tattoo artists

00:18:43:21 – 00:18:47:20
who specialize in Disney themed tattoos,

00:18:47:20 – 00:18:49:05
and they have such huge

00:18:49:05 – 00:18:50:04
waiting lists

00:18:50:04 – 00:18:53:02
that they don’t need to do anything else,

00:18:53:02 – 00:18:54:04
you know?

00:18:54:04 – 00:18:54:22
Oh,

00:18:54:22 – 00:18:58:01
I was thinking to like the glass slipper.

00:18:58:15 – 00:19:00:22
The apple from Snow White

00:19:00:22 – 00:19:03:14
You know, just all those iconic

00:19:03:14 – 00:19:06:00
things that that, you know,

00:19:06:00 – 00:19:07:07
as soon as you look at it.

00:19:07:07 – 00:19:09:16
What it is, Yes.

00:19:09:16 – 00:19:11:17
And same with the food.

00:19:11:17 – 00:19:15:17
Those things are so memorable.

00:19:15:22 – 00:19:16:13
You know,

00:19:16:13 – 00:19:18:23
we we all know exactly what it is

00:19:18:23 – 00:19:20:12
as soon as you see it.

00:19:20:12 – 00:19:22:21
So. Yeah, like you said, like iconic.

00:19:24:06 – 00:19:25:03
Yes.

00:19:25:03 – 00:19:27:02
It. And

00:19:27:02 – 00:19:30:05
like nobody else can do it like Disney.

00:19:30:08 – 00:19:30:19
Right.

00:19:30:19 – 00:19:33:21
So I feel like it’s just it

00:19:34:06 – 00:19:37:12
you see it and you know and it’s also has

00:19:37:18 – 00:19:39:16
a special meaning to the,

00:19:39:16 – 00:19:42:05
the person who’s wearing it.

00:19:42:05 – 00:19:43:00
Yeah.

00:19:43:00 – 00:19:45:01
I’m curious to know, are there

00:19:45:01 – 00:19:47:16
people still a little embarrassed

00:19:47:16 – 00:19:49:14
that they’re getting a Disney tattoo

00:19:49:14 – 00:19:50:09
that you’ve seen?

00:19:50:09 – 00:19:51:19
Because, you know,

00:19:51:19 – 00:19:54:04
there’s talk about Disney adults

00:19:54:04 – 00:19:55:02
and, you know, like, oh,

00:19:55:02 – 00:19:56:03
that’s so childish.

00:19:56:03 – 00:19:57:15
And I know that some

00:19:57:15 – 00:19:58:07
sometimes, I mean,

00:19:58:07 – 00:20:00:03
usually a tattoo is symbolize,

00:20:00:03 – 00:20:00:19
you know, to

00:20:00:19 – 00:20:02:19
to make you appear a certain way,

00:20:02:19 – 00:20:04:20
maybe intimidating or what have you.

00:20:04:20 – 00:20:07:01
But has there people been you know,

00:20:07:01 – 00:20:08:09
I do want to get this tattoo,

00:20:08:09 – 00:20:12:01
but I’m a little embarrassed, you know,

00:20:12:13 – 00:20:13:08
I can’t

00:20:13:08 – 00:20:16:01
I can’t recall anything like that.

00:20:16:01 – 00:20:18:06
I’m sure that that happens.

00:20:18:06 – 00:20:19:20
But I feel like

00:20:19:20 – 00:20:20:22
getting tattooed

00:20:20:22 – 00:20:23:19
is such an empowering thing

00:20:23:19 – 00:20:25:19
that when you decide

00:20:25:19 – 00:20:26:06
that you’re

00:20:26:06 – 00:20:27:19
dedicating this space

00:20:27:19 – 00:20:29:07
on your body to something,

00:20:30:06 – 00:20:31:22
if that’s what you love and

00:20:31:22 – 00:20:32:17
care about,

00:20:32:17 – 00:20:35:17
you’re probably really proud to wear it.

00:20:35:17 – 00:20:36:08
You know,

00:20:36:08 – 00:20:37:09
regardless of how

00:20:37:09 – 00:20:39:08
the rest of the world sees you.

00:20:39:08 – 00:20:42:11
And I think that Disney,

00:20:42:19 – 00:20:45:23
Disney adults, Disney fans like that.

00:20:45:23 – 00:20:48:11
They love it, right? That’s true.

00:20:48:11 – 00:20:48:18
It.

00:20:48:18 – 00:20:51:21
Yeah, but I’m sure that that’s there.

00:20:52:07 – 00:20:54:15
I, I can’t think of an instance

00:20:54:15 – 00:20:56:07
where I have seen that,

00:20:56:07 – 00:20:58:23
but I’m sure that, you know,

00:20:58:23 – 00:21:01:23
people who observe of them might still

00:21:02:17 – 00:21:05:15
say that talking about the empowerment

00:21:05:15 – 00:21:06:04
for you,

00:21:06:04 – 00:21:07:01
what have you noticed

00:21:07:01 – 00:21:08:08
as the benefits

00:21:08:08 – 00:21:09:14
of tattooing,

00:21:09:14 – 00:21:12:08
the benefits of getting a tattoo

00:21:12:08 – 00:21:13:04
on the end?

00:21:13:04 – 00:21:16:08
I feel like it’s such an endless list.

00:21:16:13 – 00:21:19:04
You know,

00:21:19:04 – 00:21:21:01
I think it’s so it can become

00:21:21:01 – 00:21:24:01
so connected to a person’s identity

00:21:24:03 – 00:21:26:05
and what they hold,

00:21:26:05 – 00:21:28:07
important to themselves.

00:21:28:07 – 00:21:29:01
It can

00:21:29:01 – 00:21:32:20
and it can encompass past memories,

00:21:32:22 – 00:21:35:08
things that have happened in your life

00:21:35:08 – 00:21:38:04
as well as dreams for your future.

00:21:38:04 – 00:21:42:06
And, I think, like we talked about

00:21:42:06 – 00:21:44:05
with the nostalgia,

00:21:44:05 – 00:21:45:04
things that

00:21:45:04 – 00:21:47:07
have been important to you

00:21:47:07 – 00:21:51:04
in your childhood that you want to relive

00:21:51:04 – 00:21:55:19
and remember, I think a really big thing

00:21:55:19 – 00:21:56:10
I’ve seen

00:21:56:10 – 00:21:58:05
is that community,

00:21:58:05 – 00:22:00:11
sense of belongingness

00:22:00:11 – 00:22:02:16
that can be so important

00:22:02:16 – 00:22:04:23
to our mental health and well-being.

00:22:04:23 – 00:22:06:02
You know, having

00:22:06:02 – 00:22:08:20
those social identities that,

00:22:08:20 – 00:22:12:01
that, you know, you belong somewhere.

00:22:12:04 – 00:22:15:04
It can be so empowering for somebody.

00:22:15:15 – 00:22:18:15
And is that form of expression

00:22:18:18 – 00:22:20:11
because that as we know

00:22:20:11 – 00:22:23:12
that when you decide to take that on,

00:22:23:18 – 00:22:25:18
to wear it on your body,

00:22:25:18 – 00:22:28:08
you’re giving a bold statement

00:22:28:08 – 00:22:32:02
about, about yourself and, yeah,

00:22:32:04 – 00:22:34:06
what you’re willing to,

00:22:34:06 – 00:22:36:09
portray to the world.

00:22:37:20 – 00:22:39:01
I see

00:22:39:01 – 00:22:39:16
a lot

00:22:39:16 – 00:22:43:05
of my clients do I see wear tattoos,

00:22:43:10 – 00:22:46:17
and we use it so often in the work

00:22:46:17 – 00:22:49:17
just because it can be,

00:22:49:18 – 00:22:51:22
such a form of healing.

00:22:51:22 – 00:22:54:22
If you’re overcoming trauma

00:22:55:00 – 00:22:56:10
and you want to

00:22:56:10 – 00:22:59:01
learn how to take that power back,

00:22:59:01 – 00:23:01:18
it can be just great reminders

00:23:01:18 – 00:23:02:22
to look down

00:23:02:22 – 00:23:03:20
at something

00:23:03:20 – 00:23:09:04
that helps you to stay strong or a, or,

00:23:09:06 – 00:23:12:04
a quote or something that

00:23:12:04 – 00:23:13:16
that it has been

00:23:13:16 – 00:23:15:22
important in your healing.

00:23:15:22 – 00:23:17:02
Yeah. Yeah.

00:23:17:02 – 00:23:19:19
I, I for me, it

00:23:19:19 – 00:23:21:16
it has become a very important

00:23:21:16 – 00:23:23:19
part of my identity.

00:23:23:19 – 00:23:26:15
I think it helped me to become,

00:23:26:15 – 00:23:29:19
to step outside of

00:23:31:02 – 00:23:33:07
barriers that were created for me

00:23:33:07 – 00:23:35:04
as a child and,

00:23:35:04 – 00:23:38:02
and be able to kind of become

00:23:38:02 – 00:23:39:11
my own person.

00:23:39:11 – 00:23:42:08
And as you, as you weave them

00:23:42:08 – 00:23:43:12
all together,

00:23:43:12 – 00:23:45:14
that becomes stronger and stronger.

00:23:45:14 – 00:23:48:02
It did for me. Yeah.

00:23:48:02 – 00:23:51:01
So it it’s, I don’t know, I,

00:23:51:01 – 00:23:52:21
I just for me, it’s

00:23:52:21 – 00:23:55:08
been such an incredible part

00:23:55:08 – 00:23:56:14
of my own journey

00:23:56:14 – 00:23:58:04
and tool to use

00:23:58:04 – 00:23:59:17
with people that I work with.

00:24:01:10 – 00:24:03:01
I think it really gives another meaning

00:24:03:01 – 00:24:05:09
to being comfortable in your skin. Right?

00:24:05:09 – 00:24:05:23
Because I think

00:24:05:23 – 00:24:08:02
once you get past that barrier of,

00:24:08:02 – 00:24:09:09
hey, this is me,

00:24:09:09 – 00:24:10:04
I’m just going to wear it

00:24:10:04 – 00:24:12:14
proudly on my body.

00:24:12:14 – 00:24:13:21
That you don’t have to think about it

00:24:13:21 – 00:24:14:20
consciously anymore.

00:24:14:20 – 00:24:16:07
You’re not so much in your head

00:24:16:07 – 00:24:17:12
and you’re just like, hey,

00:24:17:12 – 00:24:18:14
and this is it.

00:24:18:14 – 00:24:20:18
Just accept me as I am or,

00:24:20:18 – 00:24:22:21
you know, move along. You sort of thing.

00:24:22:21 – 00:24:24:06
It totally.

00:24:24:06 – 00:24:26:02
And and that, you know,

00:24:26:02 – 00:24:27:09
when people have been

00:24:27:09 – 00:24:28:23
through really hard things,

00:24:28:23 – 00:24:31:12
in their lives, sometimes you,

00:24:31:12 – 00:24:33:05
you need that.

00:24:33:05 – 00:24:35:06
You just need

00:24:35:06 – 00:24:37:06
whatever tool that is.

00:24:37:06 – 00:24:37:18
And,

00:24:37:18 – 00:24:40:18
and sometimes tattoos can just be such,

00:24:40:19 – 00:24:43:09
helpful part of that,

00:24:43:09 – 00:24:44:12
I think, to,

00:24:44:12 – 00:24:46:21
to help somebody to make those decisions,

00:24:46:21 – 00:24:49:06
make those commitments and,

00:24:49:06 – 00:24:51:09
and then proudly wear it.

00:24:51:09 – 00:24:51:17
Is it

00:24:51:17 – 00:24:53:02
something that you

00:24:53:02 – 00:24:55:03
hold with you every day?

00:24:55:03 – 00:24:58:03
And that can be such a great reminder?

00:24:58:09 – 00:25:02:05
Yeah, I noticed in my practice,

00:25:02:05 – 00:25:04:06
when we are talking about tattoos,

00:25:04:06 – 00:25:05:20
it often aligns with someone’s

00:25:05:20 – 00:25:07:23
grief experience. Right? With them.

00:25:07:23 – 00:25:08:06
Yeah.

00:25:08:06 – 00:25:11:09
Or a date, or an image.

00:25:11:18 – 00:25:13:15
And the really beautiful thing about

00:25:13:15 – 00:25:15:19
it is not only does it honor that loss,

00:25:15:19 – 00:25:17:10
but it opens the door

00:25:17:10 – 00:25:19:07
to be able to talk about this person.

00:25:19:07 – 00:25:20:04
And I know for

00:25:20:04 – 00:25:20:18
my clients

00:25:20:18 – 00:25:21:21
recovering from grief,

00:25:21:21 – 00:25:24:21
everyone’s afraid to like, make them sad.

00:25:25:02 – 00:25:26:01
Oh, we don’t mention it.

00:25:26:01 – 00:25:27:02
We don’t say anything

00:25:27:02 – 00:25:28:07
because we don’t want to.

00:25:28:07 – 00:25:30:01
We don’t want to bring stuff up.

00:25:30:01 – 00:25:31:08
And they want to talk

00:25:31:08 – 00:25:32:18
about the person they lost.

00:25:32:18 – 00:25:34:06
They want to celebrate them

00:25:34:06 – 00:25:35:22
It doesn’t just bring sadness, it

00:25:35:22 – 00:25:37:18
brings joy and lots of nostalgia,

00:25:37:18 – 00:25:39:09
lots of loving memories.

00:25:39:09 – 00:25:41:18
And with a tattoo with a beautiful image,

00:25:41:18 – 00:25:43:02
someone will ask about it

00:25:43:02 – 00:25:44:08
and it opens up the door

00:25:44:08 – 00:25:45:15
to have the conversation.

00:25:45:15 – 00:25:47:23
And it didn’t start from them

00:25:47:23 – 00:25:49:05
asking out of fear.

00:25:49:05 – 00:25:51:05
Was curiosity right?

00:25:51:05 – 00:25:53:07
That oh, that you nailed it.

00:25:53:07 – 00:25:57:00
That’s that’s so, so powerful, isn’t it?

00:25:57:00 – 00:26:00:00
Because memorial tattoos,

00:26:00:03 – 00:26:02:06
they can mean so much to people

00:26:02:06 – 00:26:04:19
and as you said, opening that door

00:26:04:19 – 00:26:07:20
and being able to have a conversation

00:26:07:20 – 00:26:10:23
starter that, in fact, it’s funny,

00:26:10:23 – 00:26:14:10
is that because I do have a client who,

00:26:14:21 – 00:26:18:03
his father passed away and

00:26:18:11 – 00:26:20:05
was a guitar player

00:26:20:05 – 00:26:23:05
and got a tattoo of a guitar,

00:26:23:05 – 00:26:26:05
with, like, the banner that says Dad

00:26:26:07 – 00:26:28:03
And,

00:26:28:03 – 00:26:31:00
that has happened so many times for them

00:26:31:00 – 00:26:32:08
where you know,

00:26:32:08 – 00:26:34:03
somebody comments on the tattoo,

00:26:34:03 – 00:26:34:21
and then

00:26:34:21 – 00:26:38:10
they get to explain how important

00:26:38:10 – 00:26:39:04
and meaningful

00:26:39:04 – 00:26:42:16
that is without, as you said, making,

00:26:42:16 – 00:26:43:05
you know,

00:26:43:05 – 00:26:45:04
that helps them to open the door

00:26:45:04 – 00:26:46:01
to talk about it

00:26:46:01 – 00:26:47:11
so that they’re

00:26:47:11 – 00:26:49:01
the person on the receiving end

00:26:49:01 – 00:26:50:12
doesn’t feel

00:26:50:12 – 00:26:52:10
bad or wonder about

00:26:52:10 – 00:26:54:22
when it’s appropriate to talk.

00:26:54:22 – 00:26:58:14
And memorial tattoos are so special.

00:26:58:14 – 00:27:01:14
And whether it’s it’s a portrait of a

00:27:02:03 – 00:27:05:22
loved one or a date or name or a pet,

00:27:05:22 – 00:27:10:08
I have a tattoo of a special little kitty

00:27:10:08 – 00:27:13:11
that we lost a few years ago that I see

00:27:13:11 – 00:27:16:11
every day, and I it means so much to me.

00:27:16:18 – 00:27:19:20
And yeah, I, I agree, memorial

00:27:19:20 – 00:27:22:21
tattoos are such a gift, you know,

00:27:23:02 – 00:27:26:07
because it it helps a person to heal

00:27:26:07 – 00:27:29:11
and keep that with them in a positive way

00:27:30:01 – 00:27:31:21
and, and help the world

00:27:31:21 – 00:27:34:14
around them to also feel comfortable.

00:27:34:21 – 00:27:35:18
Yeah, definitely.

00:27:35:18 – 00:27:36:23
And you know, on the note

00:27:36:23 – 00:27:38:06
of telling a story,

00:27:38:06 – 00:27:39:14
whether it’s a story of grief

00:27:39:14 – 00:27:41:00
or a story of love,

00:27:41:00 – 00:27:43:13
we also know that tattoos are a symbol

00:27:43:13 – 00:27:45:15
of cultural expression as well.

00:27:45:15 – 00:27:46:21
So I know that,

00:27:46:21 – 00:27:47:06
you know,

00:27:47:06 – 00:27:49:04
many more people are honing in

00:27:49:04 – 00:27:51:10
on their cultural expression.

00:27:51:10 – 00:27:52:13
I know for myself,

00:27:52:13 – 00:27:54:10
and I know we’re Filipina Americans,

00:27:54:10 – 00:27:56:06
and so many Filipinos

00:27:56:06 – 00:27:58:08
are tapping into that,

00:27:58:08 – 00:28:01:14
sense of, you know, tribe and family

00:28:01:14 – 00:28:03:02
to an ancient place

00:28:03:02 – 00:28:04:07
that we we’ve never

00:28:04:07 – 00:28:06:04
experienced will want to grow,

00:28:06:04 – 00:28:06:21
you know, closer

00:28:06:21 – 00:28:08:16
to where I know

00:28:08:16 – 00:28:10:07
that, you know, for Disney fans,

00:28:10:07 – 00:28:11:09
they want to be connected

00:28:11:09 – 00:28:12:07
to certain cultures

00:28:12:07 – 00:28:14:09
that they might not be connected to.

00:28:14:09 – 00:28:17:21
But to use tattoos is a bridge to

00:28:17:21 – 00:28:19:04
something like that.

00:28:19:04 – 00:28:22:14
So for have you seen like, certain ways

00:28:22:14 – 00:28:24:18
that people have embraced kind of,

00:28:24:18 – 00:28:27:00
you know, that culture in that way?

00:28:27:00 – 00:28:28:18
Oh for sure. I mean,

00:28:30:03 – 00:28:33:08
first, it’s so it’s so special

00:28:33:08 – 00:28:34:00
to be able

00:28:34:00 – 00:28:35:01
to understand

00:28:35:01 – 00:28:37:08
some of the roots of tattooing.

00:28:37:08 – 00:28:39:17
Like the Tā Moko,

00:28:39:17 – 00:28:42:23
with indigenous, people in New Zealand

00:28:43:09 – 00:28:48:16
and, Irezumi is the tattoo in, Japan.

00:28:49:04 – 00:28:50:20
And to be able to

00:28:50:20 – 00:28:53:17
look at some of the origins of that,

00:28:53:17 – 00:28:57:15
because you do see how essential

00:28:57:15 – 00:29:00:21
that is in, in their community,

00:29:01:02 – 00:29:04:15
you know, women who receive the,

00:29:04:15 – 00:29:07:13
the chin tattoos in New Zealand.

00:29:07:13 – 00:29:10:19
A few years ago, there was a,

00:29:11:07 – 00:29:14:20
newscaster there who, proudly

00:29:14:20 – 00:29:19:01
wears hers and, and it was, on the news.

00:29:19:01 – 00:29:23:16
And it was such a amazing step for,

00:29:24:20 – 00:29:27:20
allowing that to be normalized.

00:29:28:17 – 00:29:30:09
And I,

00:29:30:09 – 00:29:34:07
I love to see how all of that comes back

00:29:35:01 – 00:29:36:15
around when people come in

00:29:36:15 – 00:29:37:14
and want something

00:29:37:14 – 00:29:39:20
connected to their cultural

00:29:39:20 – 00:29:40:21
and their heritage.

00:29:40:21 – 00:29:43:21
It’s because those are the the roots.

00:29:43:21 – 00:29:44:10
You know,

00:29:44:10 – 00:29:46:05
tattooing is so rich in

00:29:46:05 – 00:29:48:20
in this historical

00:29:48:20 – 00:29:51:02
form of storytelling and,

00:29:51:02 – 00:29:54:04
and that’s your way to also carry that.

00:29:55:09 – 00:29:58:21
I am so happy that, Disney has,

00:29:59:06 – 00:30:00:18
Moana

00:30:00:18 – 00:30:03:18
we were able to see a tattooed character.

00:30:03:19 – 00:30:06:16
I, I would love to see them

00:30:06:16 – 00:30:09:12
continue this,

00:30:09:12 – 00:30:13:15
maybe to even work with, tattoo

00:30:13:15 – 00:30:14:18
artists, indigenous

00:30:14:18 – 00:30:17:21
tattoo artists to be able to incorporate

00:30:18:23 – 00:30:21:15
true forms of,

00:30:21:15 – 00:30:23:23
into other character development.

00:30:23:23 – 00:30:26:21
That would be so exciting to see.

00:30:26:21 – 00:30:29:01
And, and wouldn’t

00:30:29:01 – 00:30:31:05
it be great to see more tattoo

00:30:31:05 – 00:30:33:23
characters, you know, just in general,

00:30:33:23 – 00:30:36:01
because as we’ve talked about

00:30:36:01 – 00:30:36:22
this is

00:30:36:22 – 00:30:39:18
a very normal part of our culture.

00:30:39:18 – 00:30:42:21
Now, a lot of people wear tattoos.

00:30:42:21 – 00:30:43:21
And I

00:30:43:21 – 00:30:45:19
think, if I’m not mistaken,

00:30:45:19 – 00:30:48:00
we only have one

00:30:48:00 – 00:30:50:20
Disney character with tattoos right now.

00:30:50:20 – 00:30:51:23
We have Maui.

00:30:51:23 – 00:30:52:19
Maui.

00:30:52:19 – 00:30:55:05
Moana doesn’t get it.

00:30:55:05 – 00:30:57:15
Looks like Moana gets hers right.

00:30:57:15 – 00:30:58:16
In the next movie,

00:30:58:16 – 00:31:01:16
we saw a trailer and then Pocahontas.

00:31:02:03 – 00:31:03:10
Oh you’re right.

00:31:03:10 – 00:31:06:16
Oh of course, yeah, but unfortunately,

00:31:07:01 – 00:31:07:22
you know, Pocahontas

00:31:07:22 – 00:31:09:13
is based off of a real person,

00:31:09:13 – 00:31:10:12
and her tattoos

00:31:10:12 – 00:31:11:20
are actually very intricate.

00:31:11:20 – 00:31:12:18
According to, like,

00:31:12:18 – 00:31:14:02
what some of the imagery was.

00:31:14:02 – 00:31:15:05
So what they have,

00:31:15:05 – 00:31:16:10
I think that they show her

00:31:16:10 – 00:31:17:19
having is very,

00:31:17:19 – 00:31:21:03
very basic as the youths say right.

00:31:21:11 – 00:31:22:23
I was the band and then.

00:31:22:23 – 00:31:23:13
Yeah,

00:31:23:13 – 00:31:24:00
if you

00:31:24:00 – 00:31:25:00
if you want to

00:31:25:00 – 00:31:28:02
maybe argue it does you know

00:31:28:02 – 00:31:31:02
Andy writing his name on his toys

00:31:31:02 – 00:31:32:03
is that tattooing

00:31:34:17 – 00:31:35:18
I would

00:31:35:18 – 00:31:36:15
I like to

00:31:36:15 – 00:31:37:22
think it’s

00:31:37:22 – 00:31:40:12
well it’s a form of of marking.

00:31:40:12 – 00:31:41:00
Right.

00:31:41:00 – 00:31:44:19
Which a tattoo is an obviously becomes

00:31:44:19 – 00:31:48:03
so essential to the story when,

00:31:48:14 – 00:31:52:14
when he’s questioning his value

00:31:52:14 – 00:31:53:15
to Andy

00:31:53:15 – 00:31:55:09
when Woody is questioning his value.

00:31:55:09 – 00:31:59:01
And that kind of connects that to

00:31:59:05 – 00:32:02:04
because, sometimes getting tattoo

00:32:02:04 – 00:32:05:15
can help us to establish or identity.

00:32:06:08 – 00:32:08:15
So I would love to think

00:32:08:15 – 00:32:10:02
that they’re going for that.

00:32:10:02 – 00:32:12:10
But what do you guys think?

00:32:12:10 – 00:32:13:00
I mean,

00:32:13:00 – 00:32:16:02
we it’s still a form of marking though.

00:32:16:02 – 00:32:18:13
And,

00:32:18:13 – 00:32:20:15
and, you know, just

00:32:20:15 – 00:32:23:15
the importance of him

00:32:24:05 – 00:32:27:00
or the two characters to each other,

00:32:27:00 – 00:32:28:09
you know, yeah,

00:32:28:09 – 00:32:30:09
it’s funny that you mentioned Andy

00:32:30:09 – 00:32:32:08
questioning his, like,

00:32:32:08 – 00:32:33:21
I guess, allegiance to whoever

00:32:33:21 – 00:32:35:14
it was his owner at the time,

00:32:35:14 – 00:32:37:20
because I was thinking, you know, if he,

00:32:37:20 – 00:32:39:10
you know, had any contemplation

00:32:39:10 – 00:32:41:01
on taking that away,

00:32:41:01 – 00:32:42:15
it was like as if he was breaking up

00:32:42:15 – 00:32:44:03
with Andy.

00:32:44:03 – 00:32:44:15
Like, you know,

00:32:44:15 – 00:32:46:02
when somebody gets a tattoo of,

00:32:46:02 – 00:32:46:20
like, a form or,

00:32:46:20 – 00:32:48:19
you know, like, significant other

00:32:48:19 – 00:32:49:20
and they don’t want to remember

00:32:49:20 – 00:32:50:19
that anymore.

00:32:50:19 – 00:32:51:03
I was like,

00:32:51:03 – 00:32:53:00
is he technically lasering this away?

00:32:53:00 – 00:32:54:00
Like, yeah,

00:32:54:00 – 00:32:54:08
you know,

00:32:54:08 – 00:32:54:20
because he doesn’t

00:32:54:20 – 00:32:55:17
want anything to do with

00:32:55:17 – 00:32:56:22
but you,

00:32:56:22 – 00:32:59:19
you know, only go during that parallel.

00:32:59:19 – 00:33:01:08
Yeah. Yeah.

00:33:01:08 – 00:33:01:17
Yeah.

00:33:01:17 – 00:33:04:05
I would love to see more of that.

00:33:04:05 – 00:33:05:21
I know, I know, yeah.

00:33:05:21 – 00:33:06:05
Go ahead.

00:33:06:05 – 00:33:06:13
Well,

00:33:06:13 – 00:33:07:04
when I think of

00:33:07:04 – 00:33:08:19
representation of tattoos,

00:33:08:19 – 00:33:10:02
aside from those characters,

00:33:10:02 – 00:33:12:03
we have like what Jack Sparrow

00:33:12:03 – 00:33:13:16
and anybody who is a pirate.

00:33:13:16 – 00:33:15:18
Yeah. True.

00:33:15:18 – 00:33:17:11
And that which,

00:33:17:11 – 00:33:19:07
which kind of hearkens back

00:33:19:07 – 00:33:22:04
more to the stigmatized way

00:33:22:04 – 00:33:23:16
of seeing that. Right.

00:33:23:16 – 00:33:27:12
Because but wouldn’t

00:33:27:12 – 00:33:31:01
it be an amazing opportunity to teach

00:33:31:09 – 00:33:34:02
about cultural heritage

00:33:34:02 – 00:33:35:11
and the connection

00:33:35:11 – 00:33:36:21
of, of those characters

00:33:36:21 – 00:33:39:10
and to do their part

00:33:39:10 – 00:33:42:05
with normalizing tattoos?

00:33:42:05 – 00:33:44:21
Because I mean it

00:33:44:21 – 00:33:46:12
I understand needing

00:33:46:12 – 00:33:48:04
to keep the balance for children.

00:33:48:04 – 00:33:50:15
However, children are exposed

00:33:50:15 – 00:33:52:23
to tattoo people all the time. Yes.

00:33:52:23 – 00:33:55:16
And I, you know, growing.

00:33:55:16 – 00:33:57:05
When my kids grew up,

00:33:57:05 – 00:33:59:13
we obviously were tattooed

00:33:59:13 – 00:34:01:07
and we tried to incorporate

00:34:01:07 – 00:34:03:10
lots of different art into the house.

00:34:03:10 – 00:34:05:14
And I really find that

00:34:05:14 – 00:34:07:12
when when you normalize

00:34:07:12 – 00:34:09:14
something, they’re not scared of it

00:34:09:14 – 00:34:11:21
and they don’t think it’s taboo

00:34:11:21 – 00:34:12:14
and, and like,

00:34:12:14 – 00:34:15:18
they don’t want to rebel back to it

00:34:15:18 – 00:34:19:18
as much as when you, repress it

00:34:19:18 – 00:34:21:19
and teach them that it’s scary.

00:34:22:18 – 00:34:24:13
So I would just love to

00:34:24:13 – 00:34:25:01
see them

00:34:25:01 – 00:34:25:22
just, you know,

00:34:25:22 – 00:34:27:16
not know that they think,

00:34:27:16 – 00:34:28:07
yeah,

00:34:28:07 – 00:34:29:09
we have to get

00:34:29:09 – 00:34:31:09
them head tattoos or facial,

00:34:31:09 – 00:34:32:16
but just easy. Cool.

00:34:32:16 – 00:34:34:12
They have a few new characters

00:34:34:12 – 00:34:38:00
that just sported something, you know.

00:34:38:04 – 00:34:38:21
So, you know,

00:34:38:21 – 00:34:40:11
I always thought that,

00:34:40:11 – 00:34:40:19
you know,

00:34:40:19 – 00:34:42:22
we didn’t get tattoos on characters

00:34:42:22 – 00:34:44:03
because I thought it was difficult

00:34:44:03 – 00:34:47:16
for the animators to like, portray

00:34:48:03 – 00:34:49:22
like a really good piece of art

00:34:49:22 – 00:34:52:12
because sometimes it can get so intricate

00:34:52:12 – 00:34:53:23
and you don’t want to,

00:34:53:23 – 00:34:55:15
you know, make that dull

00:34:55:15 – 00:34:56:20
and you don’t want it to be a bad

00:34:56:20 – 00:34:58:15
looking tattoo.

00:34:58:15 – 00:35:00:05
But I mean, when they did Maui,

00:35:00:05 – 00:35:03:02
I think the CGI and also

00:35:03:02 – 00:35:04:19
the animation has gone so far

00:35:04:19 – 00:35:06:08
that maybe there’s a little bit

00:35:06:08 – 00:35:07:18
easier for, you know, digital

00:35:07:18 – 00:35:09:05
animators to do that.

00:35:09:05 – 00:35:11:06
Because when I saw Maui’s

00:35:11:06 – 00:35:12:09
I was like, these are good.

00:35:12:09 – 00:35:14:15
Look, you know, they’re accurate, right?

00:35:14:15 – 00:35:15:10
Portrayed

00:35:15:10 – 00:35:16:17
and they don’t look weird

00:35:16:17 – 00:35:18:14
and they look great on the skin.

00:35:18:14 – 00:35:19:10
But, you know,

00:35:19:10 – 00:35:20:21
I can imagine if that was harder

00:35:20:21 – 00:35:23:09
for like a 2D animation to do that.

00:35:23:09 – 00:35:24:12
So, you know,

00:35:24:12 – 00:35:25:07
I don’t know if you guys

00:35:25:07 – 00:35:26:16
had a thought about that

00:35:26:16 – 00:35:28:19
because he does move

00:35:28:19 – 00:35:31:17
and they flow with the movements

00:35:31:17 – 00:35:32:15
really well.

00:35:32:15 – 00:35:35:05
That’s a that’s a great point.

00:35:35:05 – 00:35:36:08
Yeah.

00:35:36:08 – 00:35:39:08
But that they can do it I know they can.

00:35:39:11 – 00:35:40:10
Yeah, I could do it.

00:35:40:10 – 00:35:41:17
I have a feeling we can

00:35:41:17 – 00:35:42:19
if we believe in you,

00:35:42:19 – 00:35:45:18
get more tattooed individuals in Disney.

00:35:45:18 – 00:35:47:03
It’s going to come from Pixar.

00:35:48:07 – 00:35:50:11
Oh I get it’s for the money.

00:35:50:11 – 00:35:50:22
Right.

00:35:50:22 – 00:35:53:22
So yeah that’s for the money.

00:35:56:12 – 00:35:58:12
I going back to the cultural

00:35:58:12 – 00:35:59:06
element though,

00:35:59:06 – 00:36:00:13
I, I just,

00:36:00:13 – 00:36:03:03
I think that’s such a great opportunity

00:36:03:03 – 00:36:05:16
to really have those accurate,

00:36:05:16 – 00:36:08:19
you know, depictions of something

00:36:08:19 – 00:36:11:19
that can be so important.

00:36:12:03 – 00:36:13:02
And, and I know

00:36:13:02 – 00:36:15:05
we saw the one part of the song

00:36:15:05 – 00:36:17:12
where the one guy was getting his tattoo.

00:36:17:12 – 00:36:20:00
That’s how that’s that’s true.

00:36:20:00 – 00:36:22:19
So so kudos to that.

00:36:22:19 – 00:36:23:21
Yeah.

00:36:23:21 – 00:36:26:02
So I and I would like to think

00:36:26:02 – 00:36:28:04
that as we progress

00:36:28:04 – 00:36:30:18
that that will change to. Right.

00:36:30:18 – 00:36:33:01
Because things that,

00:36:33:01 – 00:36:35:16
that they incorporated years ago

00:36:35:16 – 00:36:37:02
have certainly changed

00:36:37:02 – 00:36:40:02
with women’s roles and

00:36:40:02 – 00:36:42:15
and just progress in general.

00:36:42:15 – 00:36:45:00
So fingers crossed.

00:36:45:00 – 00:36:45:06
Well,

00:36:45:06 – 00:36:46:05
and then speaking

00:36:46:05 – 00:36:47:17
in the cultural component Stef

00:36:47:17 – 00:36:48:23
I think when your husband

00:36:48:23 – 00:36:50:16
had to get one of his tattoos, didn’t

00:36:50:16 – 00:36:51:21
he have to like, answer

00:36:51:21 – 00:36:52:19
this questionnaire

00:36:52:19 – 00:36:54:23
for lineage, for certain imagery

00:36:54:23 – 00:36:56:17
and things that could be used

00:36:56:17 – 00:36:58:02
that were like that

00:36:58:02 – 00:36:59:08
historically represents

00:36:59:08 – 00:37:00:16
a certain tribe of people?

00:37:01:15 – 00:37:02:00
Yeah.

00:37:02:00 – 00:37:03:06
So there’s a place here

00:37:03:06 – 00:37:04:01
in Orange County,

00:37:04:01 – 00:37:05:13
actually, that specializes

00:37:05:13 – 00:37:07:07
in tribal Filipino tattoos.

00:37:07:07 – 00:37:08:09
Oh, okay.

00:37:08:09 – 00:37:10:04
So it was like a lengthy,

00:37:10:04 – 00:37:13:08
like, multi-month process where we had to

00:37:13:22 – 00:37:15:01
we had to like,

00:37:15:01 – 00:37:15:21
kind of dig deep

00:37:15:21 – 00:37:17:00
and see what his grandmother

00:37:17:00 – 00:37:17:23
did for living,

00:37:17:23 – 00:37:18:21
what his grandfather

00:37:18:21 – 00:37:21:05
did on both sides of his family, kind of,

00:37:21:05 – 00:37:22:18
you know, like what their,

00:37:22:18 – 00:37:25:02
what their role was in the family

00:37:25:02 – 00:37:25:09
and like,

00:37:25:09 – 00:37:27:05
what industry that they worked in.

00:37:27:05 – 00:37:29:21
And they work that into his entire sleeve

00:37:29:21 – 00:37:30:18
and his sleeve

00:37:30:18 – 00:37:33:15
basically tells the story of his family,

00:37:33:15 – 00:37:34:21
what he does for a living.

00:37:34:21 – 00:37:36:01
He’s in communication.

00:37:36:01 – 00:37:38:05
So he had, like little lightning bolts

00:37:38:05 – 00:37:39:06
that like, symbolize,

00:37:39:06 – 00:37:39:19
you know,

00:37:39:19 – 00:37:41:20
the transfer of like, information

00:37:41:20 – 00:37:42:15
and things like that.

00:37:42:15 – 00:37:44:20
So yeah, it was it was really great.

00:37:44:20 – 00:37:45:14
And it helped us

00:37:45:14 – 00:37:47:02
learn more about his lineage,

00:37:47:02 – 00:37:48:11
which we wouldn’t have known

00:37:48:11 – 00:37:50:19
if he didn’t decide to do that.

00:37:50:19 – 00:37:51:05
Wow.

00:37:51:05 – 00:37:52:09
So is this

00:37:52:09 – 00:37:55:07
are these things that the tattoo

00:37:55:07 – 00:37:55:20
you artist

00:37:55:20 – 00:38:00:02
or the shop did research on to wow.

00:38:00:08 – 00:38:01:03
That is it is.

00:38:02:07 – 00:38:03:10
And then the next part of it

00:38:03:10 – 00:38:05:06
is the actual work, the

00:38:05:06 – 00:38:07:20
oh my gosh, that’s amazing process.

00:38:07:20 – 00:38:10:15
What it’s like a genealogy project

00:38:10:15 – 00:38:12:06
that comes to life on skin.

00:38:12:06 – 00:38:15:15
And that’s really amazing and so special.

00:38:15:15 – 00:38:17:19
That just makes it so special.

00:38:17:19 – 00:38:18:15
You know,

00:38:18:15 – 00:38:19:08
any time

00:38:19:08 – 00:38:20:09
you have an artist

00:38:20:09 – 00:38:24:04
that goes to those lengths and really cares

00:38:24:04 – 00:38:26:12
about the final product,

00:38:26:12 – 00:38:28:12
that’s that’s magic.

00:38:28:12 – 00:38:31:14
You know, that’s that’s so amazing.

00:38:32:02 – 00:38:34:13
And he must be so proud to wear it

00:38:34:13 – 00:38:36:08
and to tell the story. Right.

00:38:36:08 – 00:38:38:09
Because the story

00:38:38:09 – 00:38:39:19
he has to like kind of figure out

00:38:39:19 – 00:38:41:00
how he’s going to say it

00:38:41:00 – 00:38:42:21
because there’s so much to talk about.

00:38:42:21 – 00:38:44:05
But sometimes somebody asks him,

00:38:44:05 – 00:38:45:21
like in line at Disneyland.

00:38:45:21 – 00:38:47:18
So he has like two seconds to like

00:38:47:18 – 00:38:48:08
this background.

00:38:49:11 – 00:38:51:03
My mom said, okay, bye.

00:38:51:03 – 00:38:51:15
See you later.

00:38:51:15 – 00:38:52:03
Thank you.

00:38:52:03 – 00:38:53:17
Oh, that’s so cute.

00:38:53:17 – 00:38:55:11
Or hours in line.

00:38:55:11 – 00:38:57:03
I mean, you get maybe.

00:38:57:03 – 00:38:58:13
No, I’m just kidding. What?

00:38:58:13 – 00:38:59:16
When you don’t have Genie+

00:38:59:16 – 00:39:02:02
When we don’t have lightning lane, Right.

00:39:02:02 – 00:39:02:21
Nope.

00:39:02:21 – 00:39:06:20
So we have been in Oregon since 2015,

00:39:07:07 – 00:39:09:09
but we used to be annual passholders,

00:39:09:09 – 00:39:12:09
so we lived in, we I was telling Ariel that,

00:39:12:12 – 00:39:15:05
I lived in Riverside most of my life

00:39:15:05 – 00:39:16:05
growing up.

00:39:16:05 – 00:39:17:16
So I used to go all the time.

00:39:17:16 – 00:39:18:05
I mean, I know

00:39:18:05 – 00:39:21:05
things have changed so much, so I don’t

00:39:21:05 – 00:39:22:17
I don’t fully understand

00:39:22:17 – 00:39:25:22
all of the new rules, with lines and all.

00:39:25:22 – 00:39:27:05
There’s a lot to know.

00:39:27:05 – 00:39:28:11
And you know what?

00:39:28:11 – 00:39:29:21
We’ll save that for another podcast.

00:39:29:21 – 00:39:31:09
Okay, there we go.

00:39:33:06 – 00:39:33:16
That’s

00:39:33:16 – 00:39:34:11
really, really

00:39:34:11 – 00:39:35:16
cool about your husband’s

00:39:35:16 – 00:39:36:18
tattoo, though,

00:39:36:18 – 00:39:39:13
I, I think it’s amazing

00:39:39:13 – 00:39:42:07
that there is a shop that can

00:39:42:07 – 00:39:43:14
isn’t that cool, that

00:39:43:14 – 00:39:47:10
there can be a shop that is so focused on

00:39:48:05 – 00:39:52:06
such a particular community, so amazing.

00:39:52:06 – 00:39:53:03
It’s really.

00:39:53:03 – 00:39:53:12
Yeah.

00:39:53:12 – 00:39:55:13
And knowing that there, you know,

00:39:55:13 – 00:39:57:23
we do have like a cultural history

00:39:57:23 – 00:39:59:08
of that being, you know,

00:39:59:08 – 00:40:00:09
you know, attached to us.

00:40:00:09 – 00:40:02:09
I think it’s great that there’s people

00:40:02:09 – 00:40:04:04
who do their research and continue

00:40:04:04 – 00:40:05:20
on that tradition for,

00:40:05:20 – 00:40:06:14
you know, those,

00:40:06:14 – 00:40:08:06
you know, us in the diaspora

00:40:08:06 – 00:40:11:05
that don’t have access to it because,

00:40:11:05 – 00:40:11:13
all right,

00:40:11:13 – 00:40:12:23
you know, our country so far away.

00:40:12:23 – 00:40:14:15
So it was really, really great.

00:40:14:15 – 00:40:16:01
So cool.

00:40:16:01 – 00:40:19:01
And yeah, I love that.

00:40:19:02 – 00:40:21:08
And you know, that really sets artists

00:40:21:08 – 00:40:21:23
apart too,

00:40:21:23 – 00:40:23:19
because there are a lot of

00:40:23:19 – 00:40:25:14
tattoo artists in the world nowadays.

00:40:25:14 – 00:40:26:04
And when you

00:40:26:04 – 00:40:27:09
when you have something

00:40:27:09 – 00:40:31:04
so niche like that but and special it’s

00:40:31:12 – 00:40:33:08
it’s brilliant honestly.

00:40:33:08 – 00:40:35:03
So super cool.

00:40:35:03 – 00:40:36:01
Yeah.

00:40:36:01 – 00:40:36:15
I’m, I’m

00:40:36:15 – 00:40:39:00
curious do with the tattoo artists

00:40:39:00 – 00:40:39:21
that you’ve worked with

00:40:39:21 – 00:40:42:23
or talked to when you have already iconic

00:40:42:23 – 00:40:45:23
imagery like Disney imagery does that

00:40:46:22 – 00:40:47:09
bring more

00:40:47:09 – 00:40:50:19
challenge to how they create the art,

00:40:50:19 – 00:40:51:19
or does it

00:40:51:19 – 00:40:52:18
like having that

00:40:52:18 – 00:40:54:12
that already iconic imagery

00:40:54:12 – 00:40:55:12
make it easier?

00:40:55:12 – 00:40:57:03
Like what is that like for them

00:40:57:03 – 00:40:59:19
creative wise?

00:40:59:19 – 00:41:02:01
I, I think it’s it’s

00:41:02:01 – 00:41:04:15
probably changed a lot over the years.

00:41:04:15 – 00:41:06:03
I it’s funny,

00:41:06:03 – 00:41:06:20
I remember

00:41:06:20 – 00:41:10:06
when, I first started getting tattooed

00:41:10:20 – 00:41:13:10
it was still a little risky

00:41:13:10 – 00:41:16:15
to actually get an accurate,

00:41:16:16 – 00:41:18:15
replica

00:41:18:15 – 00:41:20:23
of a tattoo of a Disney character.

00:41:20:23 – 00:41:22:22
I, I know this is wild,

00:41:22:22 – 00:41:25:00
but there were stories back

00:41:25:00 – 00:41:27:13
then where they would, sue people,

00:41:27:13 – 00:41:29:14
you know, for having

00:41:29:14 – 00:41:32:15
or having Disney images on that

00:41:32:15 – 00:41:35:15
that weren’t changed.

00:41:35:17 – 00:41:36:22
Which is

00:41:36:22 – 00:41:38:13
I mean, this is a long time ago, but,

00:41:38:13 – 00:41:39:08
yeah, obviously

00:41:39:08 – 00:41:42:08
things have changed drastically.

00:41:42:08 – 00:41:44:19
So I think in those times,

00:41:44:19 – 00:41:48:10
artists had to make some alterations

00:41:48:10 – 00:41:48:18
to it.

00:41:48:18 – 00:41:50:06
So, you know,

00:41:50:06 – 00:41:52:04
I mean, you can still hide it,

00:41:52:04 – 00:41:56:03
I’m sure, but but just to be in alignment

00:41:56:06 – 00:41:57:16
with their

00:41:57:16 – 00:42:00:00
what they were requiring at the time.

00:42:00:00 – 00:42:03:01
But, I think now

00:42:03:13 – 00:42:07:12
it’s probably such a benefit to have

00:42:08:03 – 00:42:10:22
that,

00:42:10:22 – 00:42:12:20
you know, that core imagery

00:42:12:20 – 00:42:15:21
because it, it it’s, you know, it’s so

00:42:15:21 – 00:42:19:07
well done and so, memorable,

00:42:19:17 – 00:42:21:00
and then adding

00:42:21:00 – 00:42:22:18
those little touches to it

00:42:22:18 – 00:42:26:05
and your style, because everybody’s

00:42:26:05 – 00:42:29:23
got a little flair that makes their stuff

00:42:30:18 – 00:42:34:15
pop, you know, and whether it’s like,

00:42:34:15 – 00:42:36:11
watercolor version

00:42:36:11 – 00:42:39:09
or maybe just black and gray,

00:42:39:09 – 00:42:40:23
you know, taking a taking

00:42:40:23 – 00:42:42:13
a very colorful character,

00:42:42:13 – 00:42:43:20
but just doing know, cool

00:42:43:20 – 00:42:47:02
black and gray imagery or adding

00:42:47:07 – 00:42:48:16
something behind it

00:42:48:16 – 00:42:50:18
that means something to the person.

00:42:52:03 – 00:42:53:22
I’m sure it.

00:42:53:22 – 00:42:54:08
Mr..

00:42:54:08 – 00:42:54:20
It’s probably

00:42:54:20 – 00:42:57:21
a different answer for tattoo artist.

00:42:57:21 – 00:43:00:21
Right. There’s just

00:43:01:09 – 00:43:03:09
sometimes just taking an image

00:43:03:09 – 00:43:07:02
and making a stencil of it and pop,

00:43:07:08 – 00:43:08:09
you know, you’re done.

00:43:08:09 – 00:43:11:05
That’s that’s super easy.

00:43:11:05 – 00:43:12:12
And and so

00:43:12:12 – 00:43:14:16
but putting all that extra into

00:43:14:16 – 00:43:17:16
it is makes it special and.

00:43:18:01 – 00:43:18:15
Yeah.

00:43:18:15 – 00:43:20:12
Yeah, that’s a good question though

00:43:20:12 – 00:43:22:20
I know I want to ask all these artists

00:43:22:20 – 00:43:25:15
what they think. Yeah.

00:43:25:15 – 00:43:28:00
Well and I know you had a presentation

00:43:28:00 – 00:43:31:07
at tag’s 2022 where you highlighted

00:43:31:07 – 00:43:32:13
a lot of the benefits,

00:43:32:13 – 00:43:34:07
the therapeutic benefits of tattooing.

00:43:34:07 – 00:43:36:21
And we have discussed some things,

00:43:36:21 – 00:43:38:12
but I’m curious for you,

00:43:38:12 – 00:43:40:02
for newer clinicians,

00:43:40:02 – 00:43:41:18
how can they bring up the subject

00:43:41:18 – 00:43:42:22
of someone’s tattoos?

00:43:42:22 – 00:43:43:17
You just straight up

00:43:43:17 – 00:43:44:16
ask them, like, what?

00:43:44:16 – 00:43:46:23
What have you noticed about the waves

00:43:46:23 – 00:43:48:21
and what have you noticed?

00:43:48:21 – 00:43:50:23
Has been therapeutic conversations

00:43:50:23 – 00:43:52:07
about it.

00:43:52:07 – 00:43:52:22
Well,

00:43:52:22 – 00:43:56:09
I first, as I mentioned earlier, I,

00:43:56:17 – 00:44:00:20
I always embrace that when I see people

00:44:01:05 – 00:44:02:01
who are tattoo

00:44:02:01 – 00:44:03:13
because I know

00:44:03:13 – 00:44:04:17
from my own experience

00:44:04:17 – 00:44:07:01
that you have so many stories

00:44:07:01 – 00:44:08:06
to tell through it.

00:44:08:06 – 00:44:09:23
So if somebody know

00:44:09:23 – 00:44:11:07
this is and

00:44:11:07 – 00:44:14:00
and wants to talk about it, it’s,

00:44:14:00 – 00:44:14:19
you know, it’s

00:44:14:19 – 00:44:17:03
it’s usually this open door

00:44:17:03 – 00:44:18:14
that lets you.

00:44:18:14 – 00:44:21:05
Yeah, open up all kinds of things.

00:44:21:05 – 00:44:24:14
I think the main thing that I have found

00:44:24:14 – 00:44:25:05
has been so

00:44:25:05 – 00:44:28:05
valuable is through narrative therapy,

00:44:28:06 – 00:44:32:09
because tattoos are your storybook,

00:44:32:14 – 00:44:32:23
you know,

00:44:32:23 – 00:44:35:19
they are your way of telling your journey

00:44:35:19 – 00:44:37:03
and your story.

00:44:37:03 – 00:44:38:01
And a lot of times

00:44:38:01 – 00:44:40:09
when people are, do it

00:44:40:09 – 00:44:42:04
when we’re doing trauma work,

00:44:42:04 – 00:44:45:17
the whole goal is to rewrite that story

00:44:45:17 – 00:44:48:22
in a powerful, new, positive way.

00:44:49:12 – 00:44:52:18
And tattoos can be that stepping stone

00:44:52:20 – 00:44:53:14
for that.

00:44:55:07 – 00:44:57:16
It’s, I

00:44:57:16 – 00:45:00:18
had a client a while ago who was in a

00:45:01:07 – 00:45:03:19
really, bad car accident

00:45:03:19 – 00:45:06:14
and had a few tattoos, but,

00:45:06:14 – 00:45:10:09
through the work, she decided

00:45:10:09 – 00:45:13:09
to get a Phoenix tattoo,

00:45:13:11 – 00:45:16:11
because it represents rebirth.

00:45:16:16 – 00:45:18:15
And it was strength.

00:45:18:15 – 00:45:20:02
And,

00:45:20:02 – 00:45:23:01
it was such the incredible experience

00:45:23:01 – 00:45:23:12
for her

00:45:23:12 – 00:45:27:00
to even just making the appointment

00:45:27:00 – 00:45:28:21
because this was,

00:45:28:21 – 00:45:29:12
this started

00:45:29:12 – 00:45:30:18
this whole new story

00:45:30:18 – 00:45:31:05
that now

00:45:31:05 – 00:45:34:08
she gets to tell as she’s healing

00:45:34:08 – 00:45:35:16
both physically

00:45:35:16 – 00:45:37:20
and mentally and emotionally.

00:45:37:20 – 00:45:41:10
And each, tattoo session

00:45:41:21 – 00:45:45:08
just brought so much for her as she was

00:45:45:08 – 00:45:46:15
coming out of something

00:45:46:15 – 00:45:49:15
very traumatic into this beautiful

00:45:50:09 – 00:45:51:01
phoenix,

00:45:51:01 – 00:45:54:08
you know, that actually represents that,

00:45:55:01 – 00:45:58:11
another way of seeing it work

00:45:58:21 – 00:46:02:09
very powerfully is, and just

00:46:02:20 – 00:46:03:20
trigger warning

00:46:03:20 – 00:46:06:03
in case anybody, struggles

00:46:06:03 – 00:46:07:01
with self-harm,

00:46:07:01 – 00:46:11:17
but, through self-harm scars,

00:46:11:20 – 00:46:12:21
this

00:46:12:21 – 00:46:15:04
this has become a really beautiful thing

00:46:15:04 – 00:46:16:16
that a lot of tattoo artists do

00:46:16:16 – 00:46:21:00
now to tattoo over and kind of with

00:46:21:05 – 00:46:22:15
the, the scars.

00:46:23:21 – 00:46:24:21
It’s so

00:46:24:21 – 00:46:25:18
powerful and

00:46:25:18 – 00:46:26:10
healing

00:46:26:10 – 00:46:29:10
to be able to take something so painful

00:46:29:16 – 00:46:33:16
that you are want to grow and

00:46:33:16 – 00:46:35:14
and change from

00:46:35:14 – 00:46:38:12
and cover it up with something beautiful

00:46:38:12 – 00:46:40:12
and where you used to look down

00:46:40:12 – 00:46:42:15
and see something,

00:46:42:15 – 00:46:44:15
you know, very hard

00:46:44:15 – 00:46:46:04
And, now

00:46:46:04 – 00:46:46:18
you have

00:46:46:18 – 00:46:49:09
this whole new way of seeing that.

00:46:49:09 – 00:46:51:21
So that’s

00:46:51:21 – 00:46:54:01
that is a really incredible,

00:46:54:01 – 00:46:57:10
direction that a lot of artists do now.

00:46:58:07 – 00:47:00:23
Also, mastectomy

00:47:00:23 – 00:47:04:19
tattoo is can be incredible

00:47:04:20 – 00:47:07:03
new journey into again

00:47:07:03 – 00:47:08:21
something that we have been difficult

00:47:08:21 – 00:47:10:13
to get through you

00:47:10:13 – 00:47:11:14
Oh my gosh,

00:47:11:14 – 00:47:13:06
some of the mastectomy

00:47:13:06 – 00:47:14:22
artists are so incredible.

00:47:14:22 – 00:47:17:08
Not only with 3D nipple tattoos,

00:47:17:08 – 00:47:20:09
but also, just adorning it

00:47:20:09 – 00:47:23:11
with flowers or octopus

00:47:23:11 – 00:47:24:15
or whatever,

00:47:24:15 – 00:47:25:19
whatever it is

00:47:25:19 – 00:47:27:05
that you guys came up with,

00:47:27:05 – 00:47:30:04
and now you’ve transformed something

00:47:30:04 – 00:47:33:16
into this very proud part of you.

00:47:34:06 – 00:47:35:09
Yeah.

00:47:35:09 – 00:47:38:12
Same same for, the top surgery.

00:47:39:00 – 00:47:40:09
People

00:47:40:09 – 00:47:41:18
that go through top surgery

00:47:41:18 – 00:47:45:07
that want to have a 3D nipple tattooed,

00:47:45:14 – 00:47:48:04
I, I’m sure you guys have seen the work.

00:47:48:04 – 00:47:50:19
It’s absolutely mind blowing.

00:47:50:19 – 00:47:53:16
It looks so, so real.

00:47:53:16 – 00:47:55:03
And. And how,

00:47:57:05 – 00:47:59:01
how wonderful.

00:47:59:01 – 00:47:59:10
Right.

00:47:59:10 – 00:48:00:03
For somebody

00:48:00:03 – 00:48:03:06
to be able to have the opportunity

00:48:03:06 – 00:48:07:02
to feel whole and and as themself.

00:48:07:12 – 00:48:09:16
So I know, something else

00:48:09:16 – 00:48:12:02
I’ve seen with tattoos in my practice,

00:48:12:02 – 00:48:13:22
as the audience might remember,

00:48:13:22 – 00:48:14:19
I specialize

00:48:14:19 – 00:48:15:18
with survivors

00:48:15:18 – 00:48:18:18
of child sexual abuse or sexual abuse

00:48:18:22 – 00:48:21:05
And so

00:48:21:05 – 00:48:22:15
getting any tattoo

00:48:22:15 – 00:48:25:04
feels like a reclaim of the body.

00:48:25:04 – 00:48:27:16
That right is like,

00:48:27:16 – 00:48:29:16
I can mark a moment of,

00:48:29:16 – 00:48:31:21
this moving forward is me,

00:48:31:21 – 00:48:33:23
like in my post-traumatic growth or,

00:48:33:23 – 00:48:35:05
exactly

00:48:35:05 – 00:48:38:03
like owning all parts of myself again.

00:48:38:03 – 00:48:38:10
Yeah.

00:48:38:10 – 00:48:41:18
And it could be as as simple as,

00:48:41:18 – 00:48:43:02
you know, some dots on the hand

00:48:43:02 – 00:48:44:19
or a little flower or on the hand right.

00:48:44:19 – 00:48:46:13
It can be very immaculate

00:48:46:13 – 00:48:49:22
It, and I know that,

00:48:50:14 – 00:48:52:02
that was the only way

00:48:52:02 – 00:48:53:19
that healing moving forward

00:48:53:19 – 00:48:55:09
was going to happen was

00:48:55:09 – 00:48:56:19
if my client could feel like

00:48:56:19 – 00:48:59:00
they owned their body again.

00:48:59:00 – 00:49:00:08
Right?

00:49:00:08 – 00:49:01:02
Yes.

00:49:01:02 – 00:49:03:20
It’s it’s so powerful.

00:49:03:20 – 00:49:05:10
It really is. It’s like

00:49:06:13 – 00:49:09:18
deciding to make that step

00:49:10:05 – 00:49:13:07
and using your own body as that,

00:49:13:20 – 00:49:17:16
that catalyst to be able to reclaim that.

00:49:17:16 – 00:49:19:12
Oh my gosh, it’s huge.

00:49:19:12 – 00:49:22:05
And I also always love

00:49:22:05 – 00:49:23:01
that you get to

00:49:23:01 – 00:49:25:07
where you get to hold it with you always.

00:49:25:07 – 00:49:26:06
You know,

00:49:26:06 – 00:49:29:07
because it’s not even like a moment

00:49:29:07 – 00:49:30:06
or a day

00:49:30:06 – 00:49:32:14
where you’re having this ceremony

00:49:32:14 – 00:49:33:21
or special thing.

00:49:33:21 – 00:49:36:21
It’s like something that you get to turn to

00:49:37:03 – 00:49:39:11
when you need to do to reminds you

00:49:39:11 – 00:49:40:16
that you did that.

00:49:40:16 – 00:49:42:09
You took back that power.

00:49:42:09 – 00:49:46:21
So I, I see it so often and I, I just

00:49:46:21 – 00:49:47:16
I love that

00:49:47:16 – 00:49:50:03
that’s something that is available

00:49:50:03 – 00:49:53:03
in in trauma work

00:49:53:03 – 00:49:55:21
and rewriting your story

00:49:55:21 – 00:49:57:08
with narrative therapy.

00:49:57:08 – 00:49:59:14
So yeah. Thank you.

00:49:59:14 – 00:50:00:02
You guys did

00:50:00:02 – 00:50:03:04
ask the question about, educational,

00:50:03:09 – 00:50:04:14
tools

00:50:04:14 – 00:50:07:00
that that teachers might be able to.

00:50:07:00 – 00:50:10:00
And I know we, we talked a lot about how

00:50:10:00 – 00:50:13:03
that is kind of a part of school now,

00:50:13:03 – 00:50:14:21
which makes me so happy.

00:50:14:21 – 00:50:16:21
But I did make a couple little notes

00:50:16:21 – 00:50:20:17
about, I thought, integrating tattoos

00:50:20:17 – 00:50:23:22
into curriculum in the cultural sense,

00:50:24:07 – 00:50:25:23
you know, is amazing

00:50:25:23 – 00:50:29:18
way to teach historical and

00:50:29:18 – 00:50:31:11
cultural significance

00:50:31:11 – 00:50:36:01
Introducing some of, like the

00:50:36:04 – 00:50:39:04
the Māori Tā moko or

00:50:39:06 – 00:50:42:00
Japanese Irezumi things

00:50:42:00 – 00:50:44:17
maybe having a guest speaker,

00:50:44:17 – 00:50:47:17
a, teacher could do either

00:50:47:17 – 00:50:48:21
a tattoo artist

00:50:48:21 – 00:50:51:06
or somebody who was very,

00:50:51:06 – 00:50:53:13
knowledgeable about tattoo history.

00:50:53:13 – 00:50:55:18
I think kids would love that.

00:50:55:18 – 00:50:57:11
And and maybe things

00:50:57:11 – 00:50:59:14
that they might be scared about asking.

00:50:59:14 – 00:51:02:04
They could feel comfortable with.

00:51:02:04 – 00:51:03:21
Yeah.

00:51:03:21 – 00:51:06:11
Obviously art in art class.

00:51:06:11 – 00:51:08:10
Just asking kids

00:51:08:10 – 00:51:09:14
to design their own

00:51:09:14 – 00:51:11:07
tattoo and, like, what?

00:51:11:07 – 00:51:14:03
Personal meaning that you have to them.

00:51:14:03 – 00:51:18:06
And just being able to explore symbolism

00:51:18:06 – 00:51:20:06
and the design elements

00:51:20:06 – 00:51:21:16
and all the cool things

00:51:21:16 – 00:51:23:22
you could do with art, of course.

00:51:23:22 – 00:51:26:16
And then had, Oh, I also see,

00:51:26:16 – 00:51:28:11
with literature,

00:51:28:11 – 00:51:29:20
creative writing

00:51:29:20 – 00:51:32:12
lady using tattoos as a motif

00:51:32:12 – 00:51:36:10
or a symbol for a creative writing.

00:51:36:10 – 00:51:40:07
Exercise to, like, analyze

00:51:40:15 – 00:51:43:13
characters or themes or plots or,

00:51:43:13 – 00:51:44:21
you know, just,

00:51:44:21 – 00:51:45:18
I guess

00:51:45:18 – 00:51:47:12
another big part of that to me

00:51:47:12 – 00:51:49:06
is normalizing it.

00:51:49:06 – 00:51:52:17
So it’s not something that feels so

00:51:53:09 – 00:51:54:06
taboo.

00:51:54:06 – 00:51:55:11
You know, I just

00:51:55:11 – 00:51:56:10
I really like that

00:51:56:10 – 00:51:58:03
because I did see online

00:51:58:03 – 00:52:00:06
somebody do a book writing assignment

00:52:00:06 – 00:52:00:19
where instead of

00:52:00:19 – 00:52:02:22
just writing like a book report,

00:52:02:22 – 00:52:05:05
they had to pick, like is

00:52:05:05 – 00:52:07:12
are they called jibbitz on the Crocs

00:52:07:12 – 00:52:10:02
widget? Yes. Yeah.

00:52:10:02 – 00:52:13:00
They had to make a Croc for the character

00:52:13:00 – 00:52:15:00
and put jibbitz on there.

00:52:15:00 – 00:52:17:19
So it’s like the character in your book.

00:52:17:19 – 00:52:19:15
Like what tattoos would they have?

00:52:19:15 – 00:52:20:04
Like,

00:52:20:04 – 00:52:22:02
would Ponyboy from The Outsiders

00:52:22:02 – 00:52:23:17
be wearing?

00:52:23:17 – 00:52:24:13
Exactly.

00:52:24:13 – 00:52:26:19
Like, there’s endless things, right,

00:52:26:19 – 00:52:28:10
that you could do.

00:52:28:10 – 00:52:30:10
I think that’s so cool.

00:52:30:10 – 00:52:30:20
That’s

00:52:30:20 – 00:52:34:14
that’s a great little, little assignment

00:52:34:20 – 00:52:36:01
that teacher do that would

00:52:37:13 – 00:52:40:01
Do you have any like, advice for anybody

00:52:40:01 – 00:52:41:01
who’s an aspiring

00:52:41:01 – 00:52:43:04
tattoo artist that you know,

00:52:43:04 – 00:52:44:09
wants to hone in on something

00:52:44:09 – 00:52:46:12
because there’s so many out there, but,

00:52:46:12 – 00:52:47:00
you know,

00:52:47:00 – 00:52:48:10
is there any advice that you would give

00:52:48:10 – 00:52:49:00
for somebody

00:52:49:00 – 00:52:52:00
to just believe in what they can do?

00:52:52:16 – 00:52:53:01
Yeah.

00:52:53:01 – 00:52:53:19
Well,

00:52:53:19 – 00:52:56:14
the best thing any aspiring tattoo

00:52:56:14 – 00:52:58:15
artist can do is to draw.

00:52:58:15 – 00:53:00:23
Draw a draw

00:53:00:23 – 00:53:03:11
Just like live.

00:53:03:11 – 00:53:05:07
Breathe. Practicing.

00:53:05:07 – 00:53:06:00
You know,

00:53:06:00 – 00:53:08:17
because it’s muscle memory, right?

00:53:08:17 – 00:53:10:11
So if you’ve done it

00:53:10:11 – 00:53:13:11
over and over on your iPad or your paper,

00:53:13:12 – 00:53:15:18
obviously going into to do that,

00:53:15:18 – 00:53:18:16
On skin is going to feel normal.

00:53:18:16 – 00:53:21:02
Interestingly enough,

00:53:21:02 – 00:53:23:16
because I lived in California and Oregon,

00:53:23:16 – 00:53:26:14
in Oregon, we’re one of the few states

00:53:26:14 – 00:53:29:23
that required tattoo school

00:53:29:23 – 00:53:33:20
a person has to go to tattoo school and,

00:53:33:20 – 00:53:35:05
finish a program

00:53:35:05 – 00:53:38:01
and take a test to be licensed.

00:53:38:01 – 00:53:40:22
So it’s a little bit different experience

00:53:40:22 – 00:53:42:12
here than what

00:53:42:12 – 00:53:44:09
I was used to coming from California,

00:53:44:09 – 00:53:48:04
where basically, you know, you can

00:53:48:13 – 00:53:50:13
you can hone your skills

00:53:50:13 – 00:53:52:20
and opening up shop basically, you know,

00:53:52:20 – 00:53:55:17
there are some, important,

00:53:55:17 – 00:53:57:04
like bloodborne pathogens

00:53:57:04 – 00:53:59:17
and things that you need to be.

00:53:59:17 – 00:54:00:15
Yeah.

00:54:00:15 – 00:54:03:21
But in Oregon, they’re a little bit,

00:54:04:03 – 00:54:05:19
more strict with,

00:54:05:19 – 00:54:07:23
who could get into the field,

00:54:07:23 – 00:54:10:10
which there’s a lot of debate

00:54:10:10 – 00:54:13:15
in the tattoo world on tattoo schools.

00:54:13:15 – 00:54:14:01
There’s

00:54:14:01 – 00:54:15:20
kind of the old school way

00:54:15:20 – 00:54:19:02
of doing an apprentice ship, earning

00:54:19:03 – 00:54:20:00
your way,

00:54:20:00 – 00:54:20:09
you know,

00:54:20:09 – 00:54:21:21
which used to be

00:54:21:21 – 00:54:23:22
the way that things were done.

00:54:23:22 – 00:54:26:12
And, So.

00:54:26:12 – 00:54:27:23
But in Oregon, you just

00:54:27:23 – 00:54:30:06
you don’t have a choice.

00:54:30:06 – 00:54:32:08
You know, even with the even though

00:54:32:08 – 00:54:33:14
people, you know,

00:54:33:14 – 00:54:35:01
want them to earn it

00:54:35:01 – 00:54:36:03
and go through the old school

00:54:36:03 – 00:54:38:05
boy, you just have to go to school.

00:54:38:05 – 00:54:42:17
So, but I, I say just draw,

00:54:42:17 – 00:54:46:12
live it, breathe it, do your research.

00:54:46:12 – 00:54:48:17
Follow amazing tattoo artists.

00:54:48:17 – 00:54:51:20
That inspiration is so huge.

00:54:52:05 – 00:54:54:20
One of the things that our books

00:54:54:20 – 00:54:55:12
that we used to

00:54:55:12 – 00:54:58:14
make, were made for that purpose.

00:54:58:14 – 00:55:01:00
They were inspirational books

00:55:01:00 – 00:55:04:00
to get people to give ideas and stuff

00:55:04:00 – 00:55:04:14
for others.

00:55:04:14 – 00:55:06:03
And the way we would do

00:55:06:03 – 00:55:08:21
it is we would have a theme

00:55:08:21 – 00:55:11:01
and we would open up a call for art.

00:55:11:01 – 00:55:12:11
So for instance,

00:55:12:11 – 00:55:15:04
we had like a book on birds,

00:55:15:04 – 00:55:18:04
on one on insects, one on skulls,

00:55:18:05 – 00:55:21:02
one on under the sea, you know, so

00:55:21:02 – 00:55:22:16
we would have an idea,

00:55:22:16 – 00:55:24:23
open up the call for art.

00:55:24:23 – 00:55:26:14
People would create tattoos

00:55:26:14 – 00:55:29:04
or drawings or paintings or sculptures,

00:55:29:04 – 00:55:30:19
whatever their need then was,

00:55:30:19 – 00:55:33:23
and then they would submit the images.

00:55:34:06 – 00:55:35:01
And then once

00:55:35:01 – 00:55:37:03
we would get all of that stuff after,

00:55:37:03 – 00:55:38:19
we usually have, submissions open

00:55:38:19 – 00:55:40:14
for like 6 to 8 months,

00:55:40:14 – 00:55:41:15
and then we would take

00:55:41:15 – 00:55:42:19
all the submissions

00:55:42:19 – 00:55:44:07
and, and kind of choose

00:55:44:07 – 00:55:46:08
what was going to be in the books.

00:55:46:08 – 00:55:49:23
And they became kind of,

00:55:50:14 – 00:55:52:19
inspirational tools that a lot of tattoo

00:55:52:19 – 00:55:54:08
artists have in their shop,

00:55:54:08 – 00:55:55:15
so that when people come in

00:55:55:15 – 00:55:58:15
and they can look at ideas for that.

00:55:58:15 – 00:56:02:13
So, gathering, books and,

00:56:02:17 – 00:56:06:07
just all kinds of the line drawings

00:56:06:07 – 00:56:09:10
and anything you can do to practice

00:56:09:10 – 00:56:13:08
and just understand, what it takes

00:56:13:08 – 00:56:14:00
because it’s,

00:56:15:12 – 00:56:16:02
you have to be

00:56:16:02 – 00:56:17:04
very dedicated

00:56:17:04 – 00:56:19:20
to that craft to do well in it.

00:56:19:20 – 00:56:23:01
And, yeah, I love that.

00:56:23:01 – 00:56:25:18
It’s there are so many tattoo artists.

00:56:25:18 – 00:56:26:00
Yeah.

00:56:26:00 – 00:56:27:05
Which is so different

00:56:27:05 – 00:56:29:08
from when I first started.

00:56:29:08 – 00:56:31:04
But it’s so exciting to see

00:56:31:04 – 00:56:33:00
how many young people

00:56:33:00 – 00:56:34:20
are coming into the field.

00:56:34:20 – 00:56:36:08
It’s pretty cool.

00:56:36:08 – 00:56:37:02
They. Yeah.

00:56:37:02 – 00:56:38:19
I think, when talking about,

00:56:38:19 – 00:56:41:01
like, family members and tattoos,

00:56:41:01 – 00:56:43:12
my first family member

00:56:43:12 – 00:56:45:09
that had a tattoo that I saw.

00:56:45:09 – 00:56:46:05
So maybe others

00:56:46:05 – 00:56:47:03
did, you know,

00:56:47:03 – 00:56:50:03
it was my great Uncle Fred.

00:56:50:04 – 00:56:51:20
He was one of the last people

00:56:51:20 – 00:56:53:03
to be in the horse Calvary.

00:56:53:03 – 00:56:56:03
So he’s, you know, old, old man.

00:56:56:14 – 00:56:58:16
And he was, he was a marine,

00:56:58:16 – 00:56:59:19
and he was in the Navy.

00:56:59:19 – 00:57:02:02
So you you got to get a tattoo.

00:57:02:02 – 00:57:03:13
You just. Right.

00:57:03:13 – 00:57:06:15
So on his arm, he had a naked woman,

00:57:06:22 – 00:57:09:19
and he comes home and my great great

00:57:09:19 – 00:57:10:15
aunt goes,

00:57:10:15 – 00:57:12:13
you put some clothes on that lady.

00:57:13:16 – 00:57:15:06
So you had a tattoo, you

00:57:15:06 – 00:57:17:04
a bathing suit over her.

00:57:17:04 – 00:57:19:15
And so when I, I knew him, he was

00:57:19:15 – 00:57:22:10
he was in his 80s, into his 90s.

00:57:22:10 – 00:57:23:22
He was rolling around his wheelchair

00:57:23:22 – 00:57:24:19
and he would be like,

00:57:24:19 – 00:57:26:19
I can make her dance.

00:57:26:19 – 00:57:29:05
And we would just sit there

00:57:29:05 – 00:57:31:15
and he would make his, his lady dance.

00:57:31:15 – 00:57:32:11
And.

00:57:32:11 – 00:57:34:07
Yeah, it was,

00:57:34:07 – 00:57:35:22
when I knew him, it was fading.

00:57:35:22 – 00:57:37:18
It was obviously really old ink.

00:57:37:18 – 00:57:38:15
And so she was

00:57:38:15 – 00:57:41:15
both bathing suit and naked.

00:57:41:19 – 00:57:43:13
It’s like, no.

00:57:43:13 – 00:57:46:14
Oh, my God, I love that he went for it.

00:57:46:16 – 00:57:48:01
Yes, but for. Right.

00:57:48:01 – 00:57:49:13
And on his arm.

00:57:49:13 – 00:57:51:21
Yeah. That’s a very prominent place.

00:57:51:21 – 00:57:53:13
Oh, it’s right here. Yeah.

00:57:53:13 – 00:57:54:21
Oh. In the.

00:57:54:21 – 00:57:56:17
Oh, no.

00:57:56:17 – 00:57:58:07
Yeah. Watch her dance

00:58:01:08 – 00:58:01:21
Good for him.

00:58:01:21 – 00:58:03:21
Him? What was his name?

00:58:03:21 – 00:58:04:07
Fred.

00:58:04:07 – 00:58:05:11
Everybody called him Bus

00:58:05:11 – 00:58:07:15
and I called him Uncle Fred and. Yeah.

00:58:07:15 – 00:58:09:07
Rest in peace,he

00:58:09:07 – 00:58:11:19
he loved his little naked lady tattoo.

00:58:11:19 – 00:58:14:04
And his mama said, you he she said,

00:58:14:04 – 00:58:15:13
put some clothes on her.

00:58:15:13 – 00:58:18:13
You make her a right woman.

00:58:18:18 – 00:58:19:17
So.

00:58:19:17 – 00:58:22:07
Yeah, Good for him, man.

00:58:22:07 – 00:58:25:15
You see, like those during that time,

00:58:26:02 – 00:58:29:13
it was, you know, a lot of a lot of,

00:58:29:13 – 00:58:30:04
you know,

00:58:30:04 – 00:58:33:17
naval officers or motorcycle gangs.

00:58:33:22 – 00:58:34:08
It’s like,

00:58:34:08 – 00:58:36:16
you know, it’s that old school,

00:58:36:16 – 00:58:37:22
that stigma

00:58:37:22 – 00:58:40:02
that that kind of stuck for so long.

00:58:40:02 – 00:58:42:17
But for him, that’s so cute.

00:58:42:17 – 00:58:44:16
That’s a great story.

00:58:44:16 – 00:58:45:00
Yeah.

00:58:45:00 – 00:58:46:17
And then, as the listeners know,

00:58:46:17 – 00:58:47:19
my dad is in the Navy,

00:58:47:19 – 00:58:49:06
but he was deathly afraid of needles,

00:58:49:06 – 00:58:50:05
so that was the only reason

00:58:50:05 – 00:58:51:13
he didn’t get a tattoo.

00:58:51:13 – 00:58:53:04
And,

00:58:53:04 – 00:58:55:19
I guess my grandma had to pick it up.

00:58:57:16 – 00:58:58:18
I you okay?

00:58:58:18 – 00:59:00:07
So it’s like my aunt with the lips,

00:59:00:07 – 00:59:01:14
my grandma with the eyeliner.

00:59:01:14 – 00:59:03:05
So I guess I have to have eyebrows.

00:59:03:05 – 00:59:05:19
Like, that’s the only other. Oh,

00:59:05:19 – 00:59:07:06
that I know

00:59:07:06 – 00:59:10:01
you are definitely next, don’t you think?

00:59:10:01 – 00:59:11:04
Stefanie? She.

00:59:11:04 – 00:59:14:04
It’s got to be up.

00:59:14:05 – 00:59:15:10
Yeah.

00:59:15:10 – 00:59:17:09
Well, this is completely lovely.

00:59:17:09 – 00:59:20:10
And before we wrap up, Dr. Jinxi

00:59:20:10 – 00:59:21:15
where can our listeners

00:59:21:15 – 00:59:23:14
find more information about your work

00:59:23:14 – 00:59:25:03
and maybe some resources

00:59:25:03 – 00:59:25:22
that you’d recommend

00:59:25:22 – 00:59:27:02
for those interested

00:59:27:02 – 00:59:28:04
in the positive mental

00:59:28:04 – 00:59:30:00
health effects of tattoos?

00:59:30:00 – 00:59:32:01
Oh, thank you for asking.

00:59:32:01 – 00:59:32:11
You know,

00:59:32:11 – 00:59:34:03
I do have,

00:59:34:03 – 00:59:36:08
there’s an amazing tattoo artist.

00:59:36:08 – 00:59:39:16
She’s also an interdisciplinary artist

00:59:39:16 – 00:59:41:15
in many amazing mediums.

00:59:41:15 – 00:59:44:16
But her name is Tamara Santibanez

00:59:45:03 – 00:59:46:12
and she wrote,

00:59:46:12 – 00:59:49:07
I think it was 2021 or 2022.

00:59:49:07 – 00:59:51:00
She wrote this really incredible

00:59:51:00 – 00:59:52:02
book called,

00:59:52:02 – 00:59:52:22
Could This

00:59:52:22 – 00:59:56:11
Be Magic Tattooing as Liberation Work.

00:59:57:00 – 00:59:59:06
And it’s beautiful.

00:59:59:06 – 01:00:04:12
It’s, it talks about, trauma

01:00:04:17 – 01:00:06:06
and, you know,

01:00:06:06 – 01:00:09:06
using tattooing as a way to,

01:00:09:06 – 01:00:12:18
kind of help people create boundaries

01:00:13:04 – 01:00:16:03
and shape being like, a more ethical

01:00:16:03 – 01:00:19:23
way of doing that work,

01:00:19:23 – 01:00:21:09
in with it

01:00:21:09 – 01:00:24:09
through a, trauma informed lens.

01:00:24:15 – 01:00:27:07
And she has the full pdf of that book

01:00:27:07 – 01:00:29:18
for free actually on her website.

01:00:29:18 – 01:00:33:10
So it’s I highly recommend that,

01:00:33:10 – 01:00:34:21
and then there’s another,

01:00:34:21 – 01:00:37:21
I think it’s from the early 2000,

01:00:37:23 – 01:00:39:05
but it’s called

01:00:39:05 – 01:00:42:19
Tattooed: The Socio Genesis of Body Art.

01:00:43:05 – 01:00:45:00
And it’s really a great book

01:00:45:00 – 01:00:46:14
by Michael Atkinson,

01:00:46:14 – 01:00:49:17
and it has a lot of research in it

01:00:49:17 – 01:00:50:22
that connects,

01:00:50:22 – 01:00:53:05
a lot of the psychological,

01:00:53:05 – 01:00:56:05
components that we talked about today.

01:00:56:06 – 01:00:58:20
So definitely recommend those.

01:00:58:20 – 01:01:04:09
And then me, I oh, thank my,

01:01:04:09 – 01:01:05:08
my website

01:01:05:08 – 01:01:08:15
for my practice is, drjinxi.com

01:01:10:00 – 01:01:12:10
And then my, Instagram,

01:01:12:10 – 01:01:15:10
like, my personal Instagram is @Jinxi

01:01:16:18 – 01:01:22:05
Our tattoo shop is @OOSTattoo

01:01:22:05 – 01:01:25:01
And, the book publishing

01:01:25:01 – 01:01:29:09
company is @OutofStepBooks

01:01:29:09 – 01:01:32:03
and, all of our tattoo and art

01:01:32:03 – 01:01:33:15
books can be found.

01:01:33:15 – 01:01:37:01
oosbooks.com

01:01:38:08 – 01:01:41:01
And I think that’s it.

01:01:41:01 – 01:01:42:03
You can find me a like

01:01:42:03 – 01:01:44:03
LinkedIn and ResearchGate

01:01:44:03 – 01:01:47:03
with some of my my research, with just

01:01:47:03 – 01:01:50:03
putting my name in it.

01:01:50:12 – 01:01:52:02
Wonderful, wonderful.

01:01:52:02 – 01:01:52:13
Well,

01:01:52:13 – 01:01:54:15
if you have an amazing Disney

01:01:54:15 – 01:01:55:04
tattoo,

01:01:55:04 – 01:01:57:06
please DM us an image of it

01:01:57:06 – 01:01:59:00
@HappiestPodGT

01:01:59:00 – 01:02:02:03
You can find us on IG and on X.

01:02:02:15 – 01:02:03:03
Thank you,

01:02:03:03 – 01:02:04:19
Dr. Jinxi this is a beautiful,

01:02:04:19 – 01:02:06:06
wonderful conversation.

01:02:06:06 – 01:02:08:08
So much for joining.

01:02:08:08 – 01:02:11:10
Hopefully me or Ariel could visit

01:02:11:10 – 01:02:13:18
you one day. Oh, I would love that.

Media/Characters Mentioned

• Alice in Wonderland
• Nightmare Before Christmas
• Toy Story (Woody)
• Moana
• Pocahontas
• Tinkerbell
• Lilo & Stitch
• Mickey Mouse (parks food)
• Star Wars (lightsabers, rebels)
• Marvel (Captain America, Black Panther)

Topics/Themes Mentioned
  • Tattoo culture and stigma
  • Identity and self-expression
  • Disney nostalgia and fandom
  • Permanent makeup & family traditions
  • Healing through art
  • Storytelling through bodywork
  • Representation in education and therapy
  • Cultural tattoo practices
  • Tattoos as community and connection

DR. Jinxi’s website: www.drjinxi.com
Dr. Jinxi’s Tattoo + Book Publishing: oosbooks.com
IG: @oostattoo

Website: happy.geektherapy.com
| Instagram: @HappiestPodGT | X: @HappiestPodGT | Facebook: @HappiestPodGT |
| Stef on X: @stefa_kneee | Ariel on Instagram: @airyell3000 |

Geek Therapy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that advocates for the effective and meaningful use of popular media in therapeutic, educational, and community practice.
Website: www.geektherapy.org
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| GT X: @GeekTherapy | GT Discord: geektherapy.com/discord |
| GT Forum: forum.geektherapy.com |

Galactic Celebrations: Star Wars Nite and Beyond

May 1, 2024 · Discuss on the GT Forum

https://media.blubrry.com/happypod/media.transistor.fm/963399ba/adc59efa.mp3

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40: Ariel and Stefanie delve into Star Wars, unpacking its cultural significance and impact as part of the May the 4th celebrations. Both hosts go on a journey through this monumental franchise’s legacy and ongoing influence. From Disneyland’s Star Wars Nite to personal connections with the franchise to practical applications of this IP in therapeutic and educational settings.

Summary

Summary of HPOE40:

  • 00:00 Introduction: Uniting Passions with Therapy and Education: Ariel and Stefanie introduce themselves, outlining how they use fandoms in their therapy and education practices.
  • 01:33 Star Wars Nite: Hits and Misses: Ariel recounts her recent experience at Disneyland’s Star Wars Nite, discussing the event’s organization and where it fell short.
  • 07:07 Main Street Magic: A Star Wars Immersive Experience: Insights into the immersive experiences at Disneyland during Star Wars Nite, focusing on themed meals and interactions.
  • 32:34 Season of the Force: A Special Journey on Space Mountain: Details on the special Star Wars-themed version of the Space Mountain ride, incorporating effects and music from the franchise.
  • 10:18 Engaging with the Galaxy: Star Wars Events and Their Impact: Discussion on various Star Wars-themed events, their impact on fans, and the use of Star Wars in therapy and education settings.
  • 21:11 May the 4th: Celebrating Star Wars Community and Culture: Reflections on the significance of May the 4th, celebrating community and culture through Star Wars, including thematic food and character interactions.
  • 32:58 Star Wars Across the City: Celebrating in Los Angeles: Discussion on Star Wars events in Los Angeles, including museum exhibitions and sporting events, showcasing how the franchise is celebrated beyond Disneyland.
  • 37:55 Educational Adventures: Star Wars in the Classroom: Discussion on how Star Wars themes are utilized in educational settings to engage and educate students on values and ethics.
  • 43:36 Conclusion: The Enduring Legacy of Star Wars: Summarizing the episode’s discussion, reflecting on the enduring impact of Star Wars on popular culture, therapy, and education.
Transcription

Ariel Landrum (00:00)
Hello everyone, welcome to Happiest Pod on Earth. I’m Ariel, a licensed therapist who uses clients’ passions and fandoms to help them grow and heal from trauma and mental illness.

Stefanie (00:09)
And I’m Stef I’m an educator who uses passions and fandoms to help my students grow and learn about themselves and the world around them. Here at Happiest Pod, we dissect Disney mediums with a critical lens.

Ariel Landrum (00:19)
Why? Because we are more than just fans and we expect more from the mediums we consume. So, Stef, what are we talking about today?

Stefanie (00:26)
Well, actually, this is a very big topic. we are heading into May. And one of the biggest things that us Disney fans celebrate in May is the season of the force. So we’re going to be talking about Star Wars today.

Ariel Landrum (00:37)
We have a celebration today. This is another story. Dun dun

Stefanie (00:42)
every time I think Star Wars, I think the Imperial March. So I’m always like, it’s just so much more iconic to me. It is not positive, but it’s a banger, as the kids say. So yes, it is season of the Force. So we’re talking about all things Star Wars. I know that there are very big Star Wars events happening.

Ariel Landrum (00:45)
Dun dun dun!

Hehe

Yeah.

Stefanie (01:01)
around the city and also maybe even across the country. Many people celebrate Star Wars in different ways and we will be talking about not only those events but also how we use Star Wars in our practices as well. Because I know that Star Wars being such an iconic staple in pop culture, it parallels a lot of different mythologies and different types of storytelling that both of us use to connect with our clients and our students.

Ariel Landrum (01:05)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Stefanie (01:25)
Ariel, I know that you just recently, like very recently, celebrated Star Wars in a big way. Can you tell us what you, experienced?

Ariel Landrum (01:33)
Absolutely. So we had Season of the Force at Disneyland and one of the events they had was one of their nighttime events and it was the Star Wars at Nite And I did that literally yesterday, last night. Didn’t get home until after midnight. The way the night events go is they go from 9 to 1 and you do get to go to the park at 6, so like two hours earlier than the event.

There were some things I definitely learned from this that I think we can apply to other night events. And then there were some misses, I think on the part of Disneyland. So.

Stefanie (02:01)
Mm-hmm.

I see. I am very curious. This is one After Dark event that you and I did not go to together. I didn’t get to go to Star Wars Nite I love the After Dark events, but as I am a mother, it is very hard for me to pry myself away from my little ones. I cannot wait until they get older so that I can experience these things with them, but I’m very curious to know your experience. I know the last time we talked about an After Dark event was Disney Channel Nite.

Ariel Landrum (02:11)
Mm-mm.

Mm-hmm.

I cannot wait until they get older.

Stefanie (02:28)
and we had a blast. It was so much fun and so dynamic that I’m kind of still riding on that high, if you will, of Disney Channel Nite because we’ve done other nights like Marriest Nites, Princess Nites, they have had their hits and misses. But yeah, I know you can listen to those other episodes to kind of get a run through of how everything goes, but

Ariel Landrum (02:29)
Mm-hmm.

It was so much fun and so dynamic that I’m kind of still riding on that high if you read of Disney Channel Night. Because we’ve had other nights, like Marius’ nights, and the movie nights, and we have had their hits and misses. But yeah, I know you can…

Stefanie (02:53)
I feel like Star Wars Nite is very equivalent to Oogie Boogie Bash to where it already has a following and people anticipate for these tickets to come out. So was it really hard for you to find tickets to this particular event?

Ariel Landrum (02:57)
It already has a follow-up. Yes. And people can participate. Yes.

So that was the crazy thing is they were still selling tickets, I think even until like last week. And the tickets that sold out the fastest were the ones closest to May 4th. And then the first day of the event. And that was it. After that, like I think my roommate was still looking to see if like tickets were available and they were.

Stefanie (03:24)
Yeah, and I think that maybe has to do with like the actual day. Oogie Boogie Bash tends to sell out first closer to Halloween. So maybe this is one of the things where they really wanted to be on May the 4th. But I mean, it is it is a weekday, so that could have contributed to it. But yeah, so like the other nights, I know that you get to step in two hours or so before the event. And when you went.

Ariel Landrum (03:30)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah

Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (03:47)
Did you get any sort of giveaway at the gate when you checked in?

Ariel Landrum (03:50)
Mm. So remember Disney Channel Nite, they gave us that glow stick, which was supposed to be the wand. They only gave us the map and a lanyard. And I was.

Stefanie (03:56)
Mm-hmm.

Oh.

Ariel Landrum (04:03)
Yeah, I’m a Magic Key Holder, so I got the Magic Key Holder patch. That was another giveaway. So it does look like all of the Disney night events have a patch as part of the Magic Key giveaway. But that was it. There wasn’t any additional swag. So that was like Miss Number One, because you could have easily just done the glow sticks again. And that’s a saber.

Stefanie (04:07)
Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, absolutely. That’s like double dipping. And I remember when they gave us that glow stick, I was like, this is super high quality. It’s not like those glow sticks you get at Party City. Like this is a legitimate like wand looking glow stick. And when you cracked it, it was very bright. So I’m interested that they didn’t give you like Yoda ears or. Something, nothing. OK, interesting. All right. So they gave you a map. Was it as detailed as?

Ariel Landrum (04:24)
Mm-hmm.

and then like, wandered away. Like, I just realized that it was very bright. Very bright.

Yeah.

Stefanie (04:45)
the previous map that we got? Okay.

Ariel Landrum (04:46)
Yes. Yes, it was as detailed. So it looks like they’ve sort of learned their lesson from last year that all the Disney or I mean, yeah, the Disney night events will have a map that details the food pictures of the food where to find it, the different photo ops and characters that you can meet, as well as like

Stefanie (04:59)
Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (05:05)
shows or entertainment that they had around the park. And I was telling my partner, it’s really funny. They don’t you don’t get like the map early. You get it the day you arrive. And yet the map has on their transportation and parking. And it’s like you would have already transported here and parked because they don’t give you this map early. So he thinks that’s part of like standard operating procedure that they have to put that stuff on printed material.

Stefanie (05:09)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Right.

Ariel Landrum (05:30)
But I’m like, you wasted a lot of space, or you could have given us a digital version of this, I’m just saying.

Stefanie (05:35)
Yeah, I’m wondering also if they had it available via the app, but not many people use the app like that. I know that they did do that for Princess Nite where they had like a post that says, oh, the map is released so that you can plan ahead for your event. But they never really like advertise that very like forward, if you will. So, yeah, I think.

Ariel Landrum (05:39)
Mmm, I didn’t.

Hello?

Stefanie (05:54)
You never really see the physical map until you get there. This is true So, I mean you would have already figured all of that stuff out by the time you got there But so then were you able to figure out a game plan of like where to go knowing that you now have the map in your hands We didn’t have I don’t know if you had a plan of like a specific thing you wanted to do because when we did Disney Channel Nite We wanted to for sure do the wand picture

Ariel Landrum (06:00)
Mm-hmm. So then are you able to figure out a game?

Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (06:17)
Did you have a specific thing you wanted to do for Star Wars night?

Ariel Landrum (06:19)
Mm-hmm.

Yes, there was one thing that I wanted to do that I didn’t think was gonna happen and it didn’t happen. I wanted to take a picture with an Ewok. First, it says Ewoks. There was only one Ewok. So, and the line, the line, I’m sure people stood in line for at least two hours to take a picture of this Ewok. And my partner was laughing. He was like, that is the largest Ewok I’ve ever seen. The Ewok was taller than me and I’m 4’11”.

Stefanie (06:31)
Oh

Ariel Landrum (06:44)
It was a regular sized person. Ewok, I guess.

I didn’t get to take a picture with them. And then there were also very tall Jawas, and you could take a picture with them. And those were the two longest lines, so we didn’t get to do either of those. And so that was out. And none of the food looked interesting to me, but we did check the app. First we had a situation where, so if you’re a Magic Key holder and you have come early and you checked in at the other park,

Stefanie (07:03)
Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (07:07)
you have to check into the next park for the app to know that you’re there. otherwise it’s, it’s not going to update any Lightning Lane stuff, any Genie+ stuff, any, DAS stuff. So you have to, you have to do that. And we, we didn’t, and the umbrella people told us, no, we can’t do it for you. So we had to walk all the way back to the front, have that rechecked in. Once we did that, I was able to see the food and we were able to make an 8:50 reservation for the Star Wars themed,

Stefanie (07:12)
true.

Mm.

Ariel Landrum (07:34)
like three course meal. And we’ve never been able to do the three course meal, right? So this was exciting. You can check in 30 minutes early. It even says it in the app. So if you’re really trying to save as much time as possible, you get the earliest reservation and go 30 minutes early to do check in, then you’re really saving time. And so we did. We did an earlier check in

Stefanie (07:35)
Oh.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (07:53)
And there were only two items that were Star Wars themed. The rest was the regular New Orleans menu. You didn’t have to do all three course meal. You could just pick like one item. There was no dessert that was Star Wars themed and there was no drink that was Star Wars themed.

Stefanie (08:03)
Mm-hmm.

Wow, really? Oh, that’s very interesting because I remember and again, I’m willing to talk about Disney Channel, like, because it’s so fresh in my mind. When we saw the tasting menu at New Orleans, they had like the Salisbury steak, like TV dinner, they had like, something that kind of looked like a Kool-Aid refresher, things that you would eat after school. And I don’t know where I I’m not sure.

Ariel Landrum (08:09)
Yeah. Uh huh. Uh huh.

Mm-hmm.

TV dinner. Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Stefanie (08:33)
where the miss was here because, and okay, I’m gonna interject a little bit of my opinion in here. When they opened Batuu, which is Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, I realized it’s an immersive experience. So you’re trying to make food, drink, the whole experience as if you were living in a Star Wars-themed land. And to me, I was like, I wonder how they’re gonna blend real life ingredients with fake.

Ariel Landrum (08:33)
Yeah. Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (08:56)
menu items and fake dishes because how does that translate? Right. Of course, you’re going to do like the best you can with like a marble cake and you’re going to make it look all, you know, galaxy themed or you’re going to say like a Ronto wrap where it’s basically just like a gyro. But instead of like lamb or something, it’s made from a Ronto. There are parallels that you can do, but I wonder where is your limits at that point? Like how far do you go and say?

Ariel Landrum (08:57)
real life ingredients with fake menu. Yes, yes, yes. How does that?

special camera with a marble cape and you’re going to look all of you know Dallas, D.C. and Georgia.

Yes. Yeah.

Stefanie (09:20)
my creativity is spent and I don’t want to be making new things that are, you know, against Lucasfilm. And, you know, even though Disney owns all of these, as long as they can make things up on the fly, I could just imagine, like, the logistics and the planning and, you know, the imagineering that goes into that. So I was wondering if they were going to recycle ideas from Galaxy’s Edge, not only here, or the ones that they have in Florida, and also the recently shuttered Star Wars Hotel.

Ariel Landrum (09:21)
creative views spent and I don’t want to be making new things that are against Lucasfilm. You know, even though Disney owns all of these films, they can make things up on the fly. I can just imagine the logistics.

your exact same thing. Mm-hmm.

Ah, yes.

Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (09:47)
that didn’t end up, you know, living because they decided to shut that whole immersive thing down because it was too much. So I wonder if they were going to take some of those elements to put into Star Wars Nite but apparently not.

Ariel Landrum (09:48)
and didn’t end up, you know, living.

So I wonder if you were going to keep some of those.

Nope, nope. So they had at the New Orleans a battered and fried spicy three cheese Monte Cristo that was called the Mustafar Monte Cristo and that and that came with an exotic salad fruit salad

Stefanie (10:10)
Okay… uh-huh.

Ariel Landrum (10:15)
That was actually the best thing. It was a dragon fruit that was the bowl. Like they use the husk of a dragon fruit and it had dragon fruit and had pineapple and had green apples, strawberry, and I think maybe mango in it. It was really refreshing. It was really good. And the spicy three cheese Monte Cristo, James still thinks their original Monte Cristo was better.

Stefanie (10:18)
Okay. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (10:35)
my partner. So he liked it, but knowing what their original Monte Cristo tastes like, like you can’t, no, can’t help but do like that comparison. And then they had what they called Smuggler’s Fries, and they were they were loaded fries, which is what I got. And it had a cheese on it, a very spicy pepper, which I asked them like to put the peppers on the side.

Stefanie (10:40)
You can’t get that out of your head.

Yeah.

Thanks for watching!

Mm.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (10:58)
and the seasoning, James, he tried it, he was pretty sure he tasted Old Bay, but I think they were really banking on that being spicy because once the peppers were gone, there was not a lot of flavoring and actually it came out cold.

Stefanie (11:07)
Ah.

Oh no.

Ariel Landrum (11:13)
Yeah, so I had I had, you know, smothered fries when it was cold fries and cold cheese.

Stefanie (11:18)
Oh, that is not the way to enjoy any sort of like melty fried dish is when it’s cold, because then oh, friend, I’m so sorry. That makes me sad inside.

Ariel Landrum (11:22)
Mm-mm. No.

Yeah.

Now the thing we did learn, if you check the app regularly, you can actually do mobile orders for the themed event food ahead of time. Like you don’t have to wait till nine o’clock.

Stefanie (11:38)
Interesting, okay.

Yeah, okay, that’s good.

Ariel Landrum (11:42)
And remember when we did Princess Nite, like they wouldn’t even, they like the menus hadn’t flipped, they wouldn’t take our order, we couldn’t order ahead of time in the app you can. So the event hadn’t started till nine and we were able to get an order of their, it was the stacked cookies from Harbor.

Stefanie (11:51)
No.

Oh yeah, from Harbor Galley.

Ariel Landrum (12:01)
Yeah, that was one of the themed foods. And we were able to get that at 8:00.

Stefanie (12:05)
Wow, OK. That’s interesting, because I yeah, like you said, what during Princess Nite it was like as if you were at McDonald’s and it was still 10:30. They hadn’t flipped the menus yet to let you order chicken nuggets. Like they were very hard lined on that. But I guess now not really. And maybe that’s like a time saver now, because as we’ve talked about in the past, it’s very hard for you to gauge the different like installations and.

Ariel Landrum (12:14)
They had to flip the menu. Yeah. So much you ordered chicken nuggets. Like, you were very hard.

Yep.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Simply because you wanna be able to have dinner. Mm-hmm. Too late.

Stefanie (12:27)
photo ops you wanna do simply because you wanna be able to have dinner, not eat too late because it goes into the wee hours of the night. But you don’t know how far everything is, or how long you’re gonna have to be weaving through crowds, if you happen to see something and you wanna take pictures. It’s almost like a festival experience where you have to really gauge what your priorities are and what you wanna hit and if those things are worth it. So-

Ariel Landrum (12:34)
Yep.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Yes.

Stefanie (12:52)
I think that that’s a win to be able to do that. So that’s definitely a good tip for next time.

Ariel Landrum (12:57)
Mm-hmm. And so we ordered the cookies. And remember, you can always pick up your mobile food order, like, at five minutes before. So we had them before the 8:20 mark, ate them, went to the Cafe New Orleans, did a 30-minute early check-in, sat and ate food, and we asked to sit outside because we wanted to see the water show. And so I had seen other people online and, like, influencers.

Stefanie (13:07)
Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (13:21)
I saw them posting a video of the water show and it is that band that does the Cantina song, the alien band. Yeah, and they’re on a boat. That is the show. That’s not like everybody’s zooming in on that part because it’s funny. That is it. And so they play it over the speaker and they have them go around and nobody’s doing anything on the island.

Stefanie (13:27)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, and then they like come around the rumors of America. Yep

Ariel Landrum (13:43)
There’s no lightsaber fighting there. There’s no other boats. And so it was fine that we saw it from the… Because it’s literally just the aliens doing this. Do, do, do.

Stefanie (13:50)
from the seat because…

Yeah. And you know, so I was at Disneyland Last for Dapper Day and we had stayed a little bit longer and we actually ate. We didn’t eat at Cafe Orleans, but we sat like around there. Oh, we, we had clam chowder. That’s what it was. I was like, where was I sitting? We had clam chowder. So we were hanging out there and then Tiana now goes around in that same like boat that they would use for Fantasmic and I’m sorry, it’s not Tiana specifically, but it is like

Ariel Landrum (13:59)
Mm.

Mm. Mm-hmm. Mm. Mm-hmm.

Oh

Stefanie (14:19)
a New Orleans jazz band and it is somebody, you know, who could sound like Tiana, but isn’t necessarily. I know she has like a name, but she goes around and then there is the water projection that is, I think it has to do with whatever theme is happening. So this one was, I think, still celebrating like Disney 100, but this is like completely separate from the fireworks show. So they kind of alternate. It’s like the New Orleans jazz band that goes around and then they do the projection with the water.

Ariel Landrum (14:20)
Ah, okay, okay.

Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (14:44)
which is what I think you were thinking was gonna happen, right? And it did not.

Ariel Landrum (14:45)
Yeah. Which is what I think you were thinking was gonna happen. Yes, yes. I thought there was gonna be projections. I thought there was going to be, because remember at Princess Nite, we had actual singing performers. So I was expecting a performance. Only missed that. Yes, yeah. Well, I saw it. You all missed it. Yeah, yeah.

Stefanie (14:55)
Yeah, we did. And we like fully missed that. Oh yeah, no, yeah. I missed it because I was getting a churro.

Ariel Landrum (15:04)
Okay, so we leave there and James did another mobile order and it was for crab fritters at the Royal Street Veranda. And let me, I just wanted, oh, so the cookies, those were called Moe’s Isley Spaceport cookies and it literally was the tiny chocolate chip cookies from Harbor with like whipped cream in between.

Stefanie (15:09)
Mm-hmm. Okay. Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Ariel Landrum (15:25)
or yeah, like a cream frosting in between.

Stefanie (15:27)
Was there a big difference in price from the cookies and that? Like, how much do you remember it being? OK.

Ariel Landrum (15:32)
It was like six something and I don’t know if that was after the Magic Key discount or not. Yeah.

Stefanie (15:37)
Got it, got it. That is pretty reasonable, it’s not too bad.

Ariel Landrum (15:40)
No, not too bad. However, again, I want I was buying something themed. I don’t know. I don’t know what the theme stacked luggage, I guess, because it’s supposed to be Mos Eisley spaceport. Yeah, I I’m not sure. I’m not sure. OK, so.

Stefanie (15:43)
The creativity. Uh-huh.

Moss Isley.

Okay.

Ariel Landrum (15:55)
Then we did Cafe New Orleans, we saw the show, we walked over to the Royal Street Verona because my partner had ordered, I had a time for a Splox fritter. That’s the title and they were crab fritters. And you could even see the little claws. So it was kind of cool looking, that was kind of Star Wars-y.

Stefanie (16:05)
Okay.

Okay?

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (16:13)
For some of you who don’t know, my partner is from Maryland. They are known for their blue crabs. Like he’s a crab guy. And again, the fritters were fine. He said it didn’t have a lot of flavor and it wasn’t as full of meat as he would have expected. And I don’t know what the price for that one was because he bought it. But I know that he didn’t think it was enough for what he paid for.

Stefanie (16:20)
Yep

Wow, especially because crab is, it can be on the pricey side, but if you are paying that much, you better have a big old lump of crab in front of you. And you know it’s enough when you can’t finish it.

Ariel Landrum (16:34)
Yeah.

Yes. Yeah, they were like little pops, I guess you’d say, of Fritter. And so, and there was three of them, he finished them up. After that, we went to look at, for photo ops, the Ewok, like I said, couldn’t take a picture with them.

Stefanie (16:47)
Oh, yeah, yeah.

Ariel Landrum (16:57)
So then we went to Galaxy’s Edge to play Smuggler’s Run. And what they did do was they closed Rise of the Resistance early on regular park guests so that as soon as Star Wars night happen, all of the individuals who had that special ticket could ride the ride right away. I think that was very, very accommodating, very smart, especially because you are paying extra.

Stefanie (16:59)
Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (17:17)
So you go to Galaxy’s Edge and the characters you can take a picture with are Ahsoka, Mandalorian with Grogu, Hera and C-3PO. And they had no handlers for Hera.

Stefanie (17:24)
Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (17:28)
or the Mandalorian or Ahsoka. They were just walking around. So it was literally like little groups of people just following them walking around. I got no pictures with them. You would have had to like walk and take a selfie. And I don’t know why they didn’t have a line and why there were no handlers. I think because usually what they do is they just walk back and forth and then leave, but they were there the whole night. So it was like…

Stefanie (17:28)
Oh.

Oh.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (17:53)
always a cluster of people around those three. The one that I did get a surprise and I did get to take a picture with was C-3PO. And that was because he was behind a fence where they have the different podracers. And he came out, he told me a joke, and then just like walked back and forth there. I don’t think he ever left that area.

Stefanie (17:56)
Yeah.

Yeah.

aww

Yeah, because I don’t think they want people touching his armor.

Ariel Landrum (18:14)
No, no, I don’t think they want people touching anything. And again, because it’s like shuffle walking, I don’t think it’s safe either.

Stefanie (18:19)
Oh yeah, no, I mean, I don’t even think the original C-3PO had much mileage on that costume because it’s hard. They like have no joints at all. Okay.

Ariel Landrum (18:31)
Yeah. So I, I don’t know. I don’t know if that was the best way to go about that. They could have easily set up a line to be able to take pictures and photos. I think it maybe it’s meant to be more intimate.

Stefanie (18:39)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (18:43)
However, because of how many people are in Galaxy’s Edge, because it is Star Wars Nite so most people want to take their photos near the Millennium Falcon, near the podracers, like near Galaxy’s Edge. And so because of that, there was always just people crowding them. I would say the only person who didn’t have people crowding them was Kylo Ren, who we know also walks around.

Stefanie (18:48)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm

Yeah.

Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (19:05)
And he was walking around and took some pictures with people. He engaged with a kid who had a lightsaber and was showing him how to use his lightsaber. And very sweet moment. I think, I don’t know if maybe that cast member is just more seasoned in how to interact in crowds, or people are just so used, obviously, to seeing him that they wanted to.

Stefanie (19:23)
Right.

to seeing him because he’s around a lot.

Ariel Landrum (19:28)
Yeah, so they wanted to crowd the characters they don’t normally see. Um, and, and I don’t think I ever see Hera, so I definitely, I, that’s expected. Um.

Stefanie (19:31)
Yeah.

No. Yeah, I think you kind of touch upon a really good point. And also now that we’ve been to so many of these after dark events where you’re supposed to have a more intimate interaction with like characters you don’t normally see, I think there is a fine line between like making everybody have access to these characters or having.

Ariel Landrum (19:48)
Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (19:55)
the immersive experience be the forefront of what you want to do. Because as we know, the whole thing with Star Wars, with BOT2, with Galaxy’s Edge, is that it’s supposed to be more interactive. However, we’ve seen from experience that if you just have a princess there and have lines, that’s gonna take up eons of your time. So I wonder if they are going to either find a way to workshop it or just do these things where like,

Ariel Landrum (20:13)
have live, that’s going to take up eons of your time. Yes. So I wonder if they are going to either find a way to workshop it or.

Stefanie (20:23)
Here at Star Wars Nite, you’re gonna see characters walking around. However, for other events, you’re gonna see them behind like, you know, like a rope or something. I think the one experience that kind of did both of that at the same time is when we saw Stitch and his brothers and sisters in that, where it was a quick line, you did a selfie, instead of like somebody taking a picture of you, the line moved really fast and like they rotated all of his…

Ariel Landrum (20:25)
you’re gonna see turtles walking around. Yeah.

I think the one experience that kind of did both of that at the same time is when we saw Stitch and his brother, Rupi, in that, where it was a quick line, he did a selfie instead of only taking a picture of him. So the light was really fast, and they rotated all of his siblings. So I wonder if they can do that.

Stefanie (20:51)
siblings. So I wonder if they can do that for like Ewoks or for Jawas and say, hey, this is like a selfie experience as opposed to a photo op. Those are just things that I’m wondering.

Ariel Landrum (21:02)
So they did do a walk in photo experience and that was in where usually they have the DJ dance party of near and Tomorrowland by the Galactic. Yeah.

Stefanie (21:08)
Oh right, uh huh, near hyperspace mountain, yeah.

Ariel Landrum (21:11)
And that was Darth Maul and Vader and two stormtroopers that were with Vader. And so they were on the stage and you just walked and took photos with them. The DJ that night was instead in front of the Mickey and Walt statue.

Stefanie (21:15)
Okay.

Oh, right in the middle of the park?

Ariel Landrum (21:27)
Yes, and played really good like 80s and 90s music, you know, walked out there and immediately heard this is how we do it. They, they, the DJ did mix different Star Wars things in but I think they kind of knew the age of the audience if that makes sense. Yeah.

Stefanie (21:31)
Uh-huh.

Because that’s the song that I think of when I think of Star Wars.

Okay. Right, that’s true. But if they truly knew, I think because when I think Star Wars, I think more 70s and 80s, not 80s and 90s. Because when I think Star Wars, I think of like classic rock and I think of, you know, like really progressive rock that used like lasers and stuff like that. More of those things, but…

Ariel Landrum (21:53)
Oh, yes. Yes.

Stefanie (22:06)
I mean, you’re right, the people who are coming to this event are probably younger and are like more millennial age like you and I are.

Ariel Landrum (22:09)
Mm-hmm.

And maybe he did play that music but we were over at Galaxy’s Edge and then and then before we even got to Tomorrowland we had to stop into Toontown to pick up our gift. They made the Magic Key members not go not just go all the way to Toontown but inside Mickey’s house.

Stefanie (22:16)
Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (22:30)
So I had to go inside Mickey’s house and walk around Mickey’s house. And then finally we get there, we get our prize. And then instead of going to the right where you would be in the holding area before you take a picture with him, we went to the emergency exit on the left.

Stefanie (22:30)
That’s like in the back.

so could you have the option, I guess, to take a picture with Mickey?

Ariel Landrum (22:47)
He was not there. No, he was he was on Main Street.

Stefanie (22:49)
Oh, so you just broke and entered into his house to get a giveaway and then you left.

Ariel Landrum (22:54)
Yeah, yeah, we were we were doing a B&E and I don’t and there was nothing in Toontown that was Star Wars related it was literally just us picking up the Magic Key gift I and that was the same thing that happened I think a Disney Channel Nite where there was nothing over by The Hungry Bear Restaurant that’s where we picked up the Magic Key gift.

Stefanie (23:09)
No. Yeah, you were on your way. I think the only thing that was there is that the Country Bear restaurant had themed items that you could get. But that was about it.

Ariel Landrum (23:18)
Yeah, so at least that. So they made us walk all the way to Toontown and there was nothing there for, and they wouldn’t let you play in the playground or stay, like you just picked up and left or use the bathroom.

Stefanie (23:21)
Uh.

I can imagine being a small child dragging along on this Star Wars Nite, going into Toontown and not being able to play in the playground. Like that’s I would be offended as a child.

Ariel Landrum (23:37)
and not being able to play in the playground. Like.

It was not it. And again, age of the audience, probably mostly parents. And this was actually the most diverse group of attendees that I’ve ever seen. I loved that because I saw a lot of, because of how many generations love Star Wars, I saw various ages of fans. There was a lot more scooters that I’m used to seeing at night events because a lot of the fans were older and needed mobility aids.

Stefanie (23:50)
Mmm.

Star Wars, right?

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (24:07)
And so to like make us track all the way to Toontown for no reason, except to pick up a patch that you could have easily done at the entrance of Toontown. Because again, you could have just blocked that whole area off, did the entrance. Because there were things in Fantasy Land. So the really cool thing was, It’s a Small World had a whole projection on it of outer space and you flying through space.

Stefanie (24:21)
Mm-hmm.

Uh-huh.

Nice.

Ariel Landrum (24:29)
and it matched to music and sound effects. And you can hear like Ray saying stuff. And they had a giant sign that said Star Wars Nite in front of like, I guess like the little stage right next to It’s a Small World when like, and there they had a lightsaber training and like lightsaber presentations, right? So.

Stefanie (24:33)
Yeah.

Oh, uh-huh.

Okay.

Ariel Landrum (24:47)
You could have easily just ended it right there. We didn’t have to go all the way to Toontown, but I think they just wanted to try and spread people out under, I guess the assumption that there’d be so many people, right? So this is a way to like thin out the area, but it just felt like a time killer. Yeah.

Stefanie (24:56)
Mm-hmm. To spread people out, yeah.

Yeah, especially when you are going to these night events. And I don’t think everybody like sleeps through the day to prep for this. Most people go to work, especially if you’re doing it on a day, a weekday. Most people go to work, maybe get off early, go to the park and then experience everything until one o’clock. I think that, you know, when you’re thinking about mobility and also like.

Ariel Landrum (25:11)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

and everything is a little off, I think that, you know, when you’re thinking about mobility.

Stefanie (25:24)
like having like an equitable experience, that’s a lot to ask for when you only have a window of six-ish hours to do everything. It’s a lot of walking and people would get tired and cranky if they’re really walking to places that they need to be.

Ariel Landrum (25:24)
like having like an equitable experience that’s a lot to ask for when you only have.

Yes. We so yeah so we kind of did a loop around.

we went from Batuu to Toontown. And then from there we went into Tomorrowland and that’s where we got to take a picture with, or a walking video I should say, with Darth Maul and Darth Vader and his troopers. And then there was a…

Stefanie (25:53)
Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (25:56)
like a mini show where stormtroopers, it was the First Order. So stormtroopers and Captain Phasma were gonna walk around looking for a spy. And they came from what is now, I guess, that big round, it’s now like an eating area lounge for like members only. Okay.

Stefanie (26:04)
Mm-hmm.

Oh, the Carousel of Progress is what I know it as.

Ariel Landrum (26:14)
The Carousel of Progress, that’s where they came from. Where we ended up choosing to see the show was awful because they came down, they went around towards the pizza, Pizza Planet, and then in front of the gift shop at Star Tours, and we were standing at the entrance of the carousel. So they were behind us.

Stefanie (26:24)
Uh-huh. Pizza Planet. Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (26:34)
They were engaging with the audience and we were just waiting forever them to come by. And then when they walked by, like my partner was pointing at like the whole time he was watching one stormtrooper that was just like always like a beat off, like did not get the “and” count. And didn’t and it didn’t look like it was meant to be silly, right? Like, oh, there’s that like that one. Like I think I.

Stefanie (26:45)
Oh no. Oh no!

Ariel Landrum (26:53)
I think if you are really good at improv and you notice you’re messing up the counts, you could have just like improv that you were like the bad stormtrooper that just didn’t know like you could have handled that up, but that didn’t happen. Yeah.

Stefanie (26:59)
Right, you could have leaned on it. You could have leaned on it because we all know that stormtroopers are like not all the way trained They always miss so it could have been a really fun like silly way to do it, but I guess not That’s so interesting. So so you So you went through Going down Main Street. They you know, probably did they have the projections on either side of the buildings on Main Street?

Ariel Landrum (27:06)
No, no, yeah.

So because we were already towards New Orleans at the time it started, we didn’t get to see them turn on the projections or hear like any song intro, but the projections were on the castle and Main Street. We didn’t see any projections on Space Mountain like Disney Channel Nite, but it was split in half light side and dark side.

Stefanie (27:24)
Mm-hmm.

I see. Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (27:39)
And then there were these QR codes that you needed to scan to vote. And then at a certain time, which was like at 11:50 or midnight, they were gonna see who won, the light side or the dark side. And so by the DJ booth at like midnight,

Stefanie (27:45)
Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (27:51)
like smoke shoots up and it’s a color blue in the light side one. But that was like the digital, that was all the QR code was, was you did this vote and they had the smoke and they, I thought they were gonna change all the projections to like the winning color. Did they didn’t do that? And you didn’t. Yeah, yeah. Yes. And you did not get anything from scanning the QR code, not even like a digital wallpaper. So.

Stefanie (27:56)
Okay.

Yeah, it’s kind of like Harry Potter, like who wins the house cup?

Ariel Landrum (28:15)
That was more of like a battery killer because you could keep voting to try and like win. I don’t think that was worth it. And then they did a cavalcade with everyone in costume. So I would say the other really cool thing was this was the most costume event I’ve seen of a variety of characters.

Stefanie (28:17)
Yeah.

Mm hmm. So everybody. Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (28:31)
everybody. I think we were probably the only people who like wore just Star Wars themed outfits and everyone else was like just decked out. So many people. And so they did the cavalcade, took a picture in front of the castle. We missed getting into the photo but I got the photo. And then the one of the coolest…

Stefanie (28:36)
Alright.

That’s awesome.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (28:51)
characters was it was Queen Amidala. She was sitting in the princess tent in her throne. So you had to like do a walk up, right? The cast members were not taking our cameras. So it was like us trying to take the picture and they wanted it to keep moving. But there were a lot of people who stopped and were like able to get photos. So it was weird how they rushed some people, but not others. But.

Stefanie (28:53)
Oooh.

That’s cute.

Oh.

Ariel Landrum (29:14)
Not only did she look like Queen Amidala, she sounded like her. Like this, she was the most authentic, absolutely, absolutely like Natalie Portman. And in the way that she talked in the movie, like it was awesome. And then the only other food item we got was cookies and cream churros at Tomorrowland that were spicy.

Stefanie (29:18)
She sounded like Natalie Portman.

Wow.

Oh.

Ariel Landrum (29:34)
Yeah, Cookies and Cream Stuff Churro at the Tomorrowland Churro Cart.

again was fine. And what a horrible name. Like they could have. It’s a black churro. They the least they could have done was label it like black hole. I don’t know. They had over.

Stefanie (29:45)
Oh!

Anything really.

Ariel Landrum (29:51)
At Fantasyland, they had a green lightsaber churro, which was sour apple and butterscotch, but my partner was like, ah, this doesn’t sound like a flavor I want. And then there was a chocolate coconut caramel churro, and that one was titled Endo Forest, so at least they tried to give it a name. But yeah, this one, I think maybe it was like chai spices. I don’t know. I don’t know what it was, but it was a weird flavored churro. And then…

Stefanie (29:58)
No, not at all.

Ariel Landrum (30:14)
We saw the DJ, we took a picture with Princess, or Queen Amidala, we were leaving down Main Street and picked up our final item, which was at the Red Wagon. And it was a corn dog that was smothered, I guess you would say. And it was smothered in street corn.

Stefanie (30:28)
Mm-hmm.

Okay, that’s not too bad, right? Was that one good?

Ariel Landrum (30:32)
Yeah, and it’s

It was really bready.

Stefanie (30:36)
Oh, not enough meat.

Ariel Landrum (30:39)
There was not enough meat on it. And I don’t know if it was because it was loaded. It had chili, tomato, cheese sauce, and like spicy cheese chips on it. And I don’t know if maybe because it had so much stuff, they added extra breading, but that kind of like took, I don’t know, some flavor. Like it was you eating a lot of like the breading.

I don’t even think it had a name. Yeah.

Stefanie (31:00)
I saw it was just called the loaded corn dog. That’s it.

Ariel Landrum (31:04)
Yeah, yeah, that was it. Yeah, so I don’t know, it was like, it was a very odd experience to know that they can pull so much from this franchise, and to have cookies and cream churro like not to not even try and create a name and you did mention with the food, like the foods made up like we can’t really bring ronto here but there are blue milk. However,

Stefanie (31:13)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (31:25)
You can still have themed items. We’ve talked about this on all our panels. You can like a green churro as a lightsaber. At least there was effort there, you know?

Stefanie (31:28)
Mm-hmm.

Totally, yeah. And like, I know that because Star Wars themes, it’s different planets against different settings. So like, we all know that there’s a desert, there is a tropical island, there is a forest. Like, we could pull from those actual elements of nature to maybe pair up food with whatever you would see there. Like,

Ariel Landrum (31:41)
Mm-hmm.

desert. There is a tropical island. There is a forest. Like, we just fall from those natural, like, elements of nature. Yes. You know, pair up food with whatever you would see there. Like, you can actually see two forests. Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (31:58)
Nuts and Seeds for the Forest or you know like um like an Oasis for the Desert or something like that like I know they can be very creative with these because blue milk is a hit. Everything that I’ve had inside the Cantina is a hit. Even like the little like shrimp chips that I have over at um like Oga’s Cantina those are great and those are Asian shrimp chips like I already know what those are but.

Ariel Landrum (32:21)
Mm-hmm. Yes, hit. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Stefanie (32:23)
they’ve rebranded some of these existing items so well that, I mean, this, sorry to say, might feel a little lazy or a little bit afterthought, which is disappointing

Ariel Landrum (32:34)
So other things that evening is if you want on hyperspace mountain, just like Haunted Mansion has seasonal versions, Space Mountain has a season of the force version where you can ride on it and you are experiencing John Williams Star Wars score, you see laser effects and animation, and you are in a dogfight between an X-wing and a TIE fighter. So that’s cool.

Stefanie (32:40)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

That’s cool.

Ariel Landrum (32:56)
And then they added scenes from the Disney, different Disney+ series. So the Ahsoka series, the Mandalorian, you can…

ride in different planets that you would see in the new Ahsoka series. So Star Tours, they have so many storylines now, there’s about 250 variations. So when you ride the ride, you know, there’s a good chance that you won’t get the same thing. And that night for Star Wars night, I do believe they added more repeats of the newer

Stefanie (33:09)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm

Ariel Landrum (33:24)
Disney+ series versions where you can get Grogu or you can hear Cassian, you know, and you’re helping them with different urgent missions or you’re intercepting their transmission. if you went for the rides, you probably would have thought Star Wars Nite was it.

Stefanie (33:26)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (33:38)
If you, and they didn’t have fireworks this year, they, I don’t know why, but there was announced that they weren’t gonna do that. I think because of like some late night orders during the week. I guess I expected more and maybe, and we talk about managing expectations, maybe that was the problem was, I was,

Stefanie (33:48)
Mmm.

Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (33:56)
I was thinking of such a large IP that you can pull from. And I wasn’t also considering that there’s probably just a lot of practical things that Disney has to consider. And so I don’t know if I’ll do it again. I will be honest about that. I can certainly get into a lot better, I think, more fun Star Wars events during Season of the Force, during May 4th.

Stefanie (34:00)
Mm-hmm.

Right.

Yeah, and there’s plenty of places and things to do around at least Los Angeles. If you want to celebrate Season of the Force, if you don’t have the means and ways to go to Star Wars Nite I know that that’s pretty much a commitment when it comes to celebrating Star Wars. Of course, you can always go during regular season. Going to Batuu is immersive enough in itself. And also…

Ariel Landrum (34:30)
Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Stefanie (34:39)
here at Disneyland, we not only have Batuu, but our Tomorrowland is still heavily Star Wars themed. It hasn’t really left because there wasn’t a Batuu back then. So I know along with Star Wars Night, you can also go to the Academy Museum, which is in Mid City here in LA. They are doing a May the 4th celebration and workshop. So I know the Academy Museum, they honor a lot of different types of classic films.

Ariel Landrum (34:44)
Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (35:02)
pop culture icons when it comes to a movie and anything that you basically see on the big screen. And Star Wars is a huge IP, like Ariel said, and they are honoring that on the fourth. Many sporting events around LA do a Star Wars night, very like what they do at Disneyland. Of course, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are right next door to Disneyland, and they always have a Star Wars weekend. This weekend, it’s gonna be on April 26th and 27th.

Ariel Landrum (35:09)
and it’s huge, I feel like Ariel said, and they are honoring that. And of course, we’re going to be starting events around LA to use the Star Wars night here in the city.

Los Angeles Angels of the Time. Yes. They’re right next door to Disneyland, and they always have a Star Wars weekend. So this weekend it’s going to be at people 26th and 27th, very close. And they also do a light show, and they have giveaways, rally monkeys, and a firework show as well. So we’re around, and I’m probably going to see a firework show either at Disneyland or at Angels Stadium.

Stefanie (35:29)
very close and they also do a light show and they have giveaways like a rally monkey and a firework show as well. So everywhere around Anaheim you’re probably going to see a firework show either at Disneyland or at Anaheim at Angel Stadium. The Dodgers always do a Star Wars night. It’s always packed. They always have really good giveaways. This year it’s on May 6th against the Miami Marlins with the ticket package.

Ariel Landrum (35:48)
Yes.

Stefanie (35:54)
For Star Wars night, you get a Millennium Falcon bobblehead. I know Ariel’s gonna go to that. She was really excited when we were at the last Dodger game. So instead of a bobblehead of a person and their head bobbling around, it is Dodger Stadium with the Millennium Falcon hovering around the field. So that’s super cute. I know that Ariel, you go to a local bar, right? That holds trivia sometimes. Can you share a little bit about that?

Ariel Landrum (36:16)
I know that Ariel’s equal to a local bar, right? That tweet that looks trivia sometimes. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Yes, Skemin Villany is a local bar that is set up to essentially look like it is in the Star Wars universe. It is a fandom bar, so it changes out. Like when they had Game of Thrones, there was a lot of

Game of Thrones themed items there and right now because X-Men is out every Wednesday. They play the new episode and voice actor visits during those trivia

Stefanie (36:42)
a lot of them live in the area and are local, so they always are really down to meet all of the fans and give them that more interactive experience with them.

Ariel Landrum (36:50)
Yes, yes, but it is still always set up to look like a Star Wars bar. There are themed drinks there and trivia night there is every Wednesday, as well as during May the 4th they have different type of activities. So, and our friend, Joe Di, he always goes every Wednesday for trivia. he doesn’t have Disney+. So that’s actually interesting. That’s how he sees the new X-Men show.

Stefanie (37:03)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. There is also a big museum that is being built right next to Expo Park and USC, which is the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. It’s not just going to be a Star Wars museum, but it’s going to tackle all of the Lucasfilm franchise films. So that’s set to open in 2025. It looks really cool already. I go to a lot of field trips around there.

Ariel Landrum (37:33)
ready. I got a lot of blitz around there.

Stefanie (37:34)
and the whole top of the building is supposed to be a living roof. So it has greenery and stuff. It’s really cool. It’s something that I would actually probably see on one of the Star Wars worlds. So I’m sure when that opens, hopefully we can go visit and let you guys know what it’s all about. But other than that, we have Star Wars at the Hollywood Bowl.

Ariel Landrum (37:41)
Yeah.

Stefanie (37:53)
on August 7th, 9th, and 10th. And I know they do the John Williams score. Everybody brings their lightsabers. I know, Ariel, you’ve been a couple times, right?

Ariel Landrum (37:53)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Yes, yes. Sometimes it is just John Williams and we’re listening to all the scores of the different movies that he has created music for and it always includes Star Wars. They also do the…

where they play the movie, a film. Usually it’s Empire Strikes Back, you get to bring your lightsaber, you can you can come dressed up, and those are the events that you’re allowed to also bring food and your own drinks,

Stefanie (38:26)
And of course, last but not least, there is Star Wars Celebration that happens every couple years or so. That is the big mama of all of the Star Wars conventions this year, or actually not this year, next year in 2025. It’s going to happen in Japan. So it would be interesting if any of our followers or listeners out there have either been to a Star Wars Celebration or are planning to go because I have one acquaintance of mine when it was somewhere here in…

Ariel Landrum (38:34)
big mama of all of the Star Wars. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Or actually, not this year, next year.

Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (38:50)
the United States, I forget where, but it’s like hardcore Star Wars fans. So whether or not you have your opinion of Star Wars fandom, neither here or there, they are all gonna be there. So that is probably the most immersive you’re gonna get when it comes to experiencing Star Wars with other people and just coming into community with other people who have been touched by the series, whether it’s…

Ariel Landrum (38:52)
But it’s like hard for someone to spend time with.

They are all going to be there. That is probably the most immersive you’re going to get when it comes to experiences. I was with other people. And just coming into community with other people.

Stefanie (39:13)
you know, in their personal or professional lives.

Ariel Landrum (39:15)
Yes, and this year, May the 4th, Star Wars Day lands also on Free Comic Book Day. Free Comic Book Day is always the first Saturday of May. So there are a lot of comic book shops that are doing essentially a dual event.

Stefanie (39:27)
Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (39:28)
And so if you are trying to try and find things in your area to celebrate Star Wars, you can go on the free comic book day website that there’s probably going to be a listing of things in your area. The other thing is you can always watch your favorite trilogy, right, they always came out in different trilogies, whichever one you were introduced to or your family was introduced to you can watch them in order of release or a numbered order and have a party at your house with different food items.

Stefanie (39:35)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (39:53)
can maybe binge watch some of the new shows on Disney+ or even the animated series. There are a variety of ways to celebrate May the 4th and engage in the community building because that is the thing about the franchise is

It is so large, it is so vast, and spans multiple generations that you can create really good community and fandom connection. And some of the best ways to start finding that is by doing it on May the 4th and seeing what is in your area.

Stefanie (40:22)
Yeah. And, you know, like Ariel said, it touches upon so many different generations and so many people were introduced to Star Wars in such unique and different ways. When we all used to consume media back then when Star Wars was first introduced, it was only through the movies. But now as we’ve noticed that they’ve had such a hit with making toys and collectibles that were specific to the movies, like…

Ariel Landrum (40:43)
that was specific to the movies. It really is one of the cornerstones.

Stefanie (40:44)
It really is one of the cornerstones of what pop culture and the influence of pop culture can mean to families, to different people, to people of all sorts of backgrounds and education levels and just bringing them together with the classic narrative of good versus evil, but also challenge what good is and challenge what evil is. Because as we’ve seen the narratives develop and evolve,

Ariel Landrum (40:52)
to families, to different people, to people with all sorts of backgrounds.

and bringing together with the classic narrative of good versus evil, but also challenge what good is and challenge what evil is. As we see the narratives develop…

Stefanie (41:12)
we are now looking into what exactly is a bad guy, what exactly is a good guy, who are the Key players to that? And that goes into so many different topics that both me and Ariel use in our practices. It’s just a wide array of information and just world building that, you know, it keeps on giving every time.

Ariel Landrum (41:16)
to what exactly is a bad guy. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

It’s just a wide array of information and just world building. You know, it keeps on giving every time. I know a lot of people talk about how Star Wars is tired and they’re just doing too much with it. I think it’s a great thing because not everybody is going to love everything. But you’re going to find certain people who are attached to certain stories.

Stefanie (41:35)
I know a lot of people talk about how Star Wars is tired and they’re just doing too much with it. I think it’s a great thing because not everybody is going to love everything, but you’re gonna find certain people who attach to certain stories. And I think that’s the beauty of having series like the Bad Batch, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan. I mean, there are so many people love those specific things for specific reasons, and it doesn’t have to be for everybody, everybody.

Ariel Landrum (41:53)
and Obi-Wan. I mean, there are so many people love those specific things for students.

No, no, I’m curious for you, Stef, what are some ways that you do see Star Wars in your classroom and after school activities?

Stefanie (42:07)
Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think Star Wars is just one of those things you could just print out a coloring page of Grogu now and you automatically have a kindergartner’s attention. They go, oh, that’s Baby Yoda. They’re probably never going to call Grogu by Grogu’s name. It’s just going to be Baby Yoda forever, because as I’ve now become a mom, all of my son’s stuff was Baby Yoda because they just that was the only that was the last franchise that kind of came out.

Ariel Landrum (42:15)
you automatically have a kindergarteners attention. They go, oh, that’s Baby Yoda. They’re probably never going to call Robo by Cobra. It’s going to be Baby Yoda forever.

Yeah.

Stefanie (42:32)
during the pandemic and all of the licensing was just Baby Yoda and the Mandalorian. So you already have an in, if you know a tiny, tiny bit about the Mandalorian, which is wildly popular. But if you get into the older students, you can start talking about values and ethics with, what are the motivations of Yoda and his teachings and what are Obi-Wan Kenobi’s ethics and teaching when he’s-

Ariel Landrum (42:34)
and all the licensing was just the Yoda and the Mandalorian. We already have an in if you want a tiny, tiny bit about the Mandalorian, which is wildly popular. But if you get into it with an older student, you can still get a little bit of a feel for it.

What are the motivations of Yoda and his chain of work?

Stefanie (43:00)
you know, telling Luke where to go, what to do, how to save the galaxy. There’s so many lessons that go into not only that, but using mythology as well as another layer to figuring out what your ethics and philosophies are, because there’s always gonna be history whenever you’re talking about saving the world. So how do we use that history to make better decisions so that you don’t make the mistakes of the past and all of these wars and stuff that happen? So…

Ariel Landrum (43:09)
Mm-hmm.

always going to be history whenever you’re talking about saving.

to make better decisions. So you don’t make them the same. Yeah. Yes. And all of these wars and stuff like that happen. So you can tie a lot of that into the evil history plus ecology. Mm-hmm. The hero’s journey is really good

Stefanie (43:27)
You can tie a lot of that into medieval history, classic mythology. The hero’s journey is really good when it

Ariel Landrum (43:34)
Yes, because that was George Lucas’s intention, right? He specifically followed all of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey information to the T. And so that is the easiest way to teach it when something was made specifically for that theory of storytelling.

Stefanie (43:37)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, not only that, but history and political science, if you go into more of the high school and the college age students, you could talk about how the Galactic Senate, the empire is comprised, who are the people that make those seats? What kind of people make those seats? How does it look and how does it differ from the empire to Alderaan to different planets that the Mandalorian encounters?

They are different government types and there’s a lot of corruption in them. So you can talk about those dynamics and how those parallel some of the governments that we see today

Ariel Landrum (44:13)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (44:21)
different sorts of civilizations, like a village, as compared to a metropolis, what roles they play in the economic systems that happen on these worlds.

Ariel Landrum (44:31)
Star Wars is to just know your facts. And if you don’t know everything about Star Wars, that’s okay. You can learn alongside your students. And really, we all know the Key players. We all know about Rey, we all know about Luke, Leia, on Baby Yoda, Grogu, the Mandalorian, but how…

Stefanie (44:31)
is to just know your facts. And if you don’t know everything about Star Wars, that’s okay. You can learn alongside your students and be like, hey, we all know the Key players. We all know about Rey. We all know about Luke, Leia, Han, Baby Yoda, Grogu, the Mandalorian. But how about we learn more about them together? Watch a short clip and have them analyze it. I think you don’t have to be an expert when it comes to these things. But I think your curiosity in itself can really speak volumes when it comes to fandoms.

Ariel Landrum (44:50)
Mm-hmm.

Mmm.

Stefanie (45:00)
not just Star Wars, but any sort of fandom that you’re kind of using as a teaching material. Yeah. And for you, Ariel, I know you talk to a lot of your clients who are diehard Star Wars fans. Are there any resources that you found helpful or useful in your practice? So, I’m gonna start with you, Ariel.

Ariel Landrum (45:01)
Not just Star Wars, but any sort of fandom that you’re kind of using. Yes. And for you, Ariel, I know you talk to a lot of your clients who are in Star Wars or other. Yes. Are there any-

I have three books on my bookshelf that was shared in the Geek Therapy community and when I saw them, I immediately bought them. The first one is Be More Leia, Find Your Rebel Voice and Fight the System. Yes. Be More Yoda, Mindful Thinking from a Galaxy Far Away.

Stefanie (45:26)
I love that. It’s like a purple, I love the purple. That’s so cool.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (45:34)
And then, be more Vader, assertive thinking from the dark side.

Stefanie (45:37)
And from what it looks like, those are very like small books that you can just kind of skim through, right? It’s not like a novel. It’s not like the Star Wars compendium.

Ariel Landrum (45:41)
Yes!

Mm-mm. Our words can tend you. Mm-mm. And it is meant to be digestible.

Some other resources. Dr. Travis Langley, he is a professor and he is the author of a book, Star Wars, psychology, dark side of the mind. So if you are into pop culture and psychology, that would be a great resource.

Stefanie (45:53)
Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (46:03)
If you are somebody who needs a template before integrating this media into your sessions. However, you can also do character analysis. And we just finished tags, Therapeutic Applied Geek and Gaming Summit. This was this past weekend. And one of the presenters

Stefanie (46:08)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (46:17)
Josh Lockhart, a clinical counselor from Canada.

presented what if Darth Vader practiced positive psychology? And so positive psychology has these very specific pillars on helping increase positive or affirming emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and achievement in your life. And what if those things were presented to you, Darth Vader? And one of the things that he highlighted in the beginning that I completely forgot that blew me away, which is part of that empathy building,

to you know little Anakin he was enslaved he already started off as a disenfranchised person and when you think of the adverse childhood experiences or ace score he had a lot of aces and the higher that score is the more likely that you are to have chronic illness the more likely that you are to have mental

Stefanie (46:46)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (47:03)
And so.

you know, when I think of Vader, I forget about Anakin and I forget about young Anakin. And one of the things that we know is that his largest motivator from psychological trauma was that he had a fear of loss. And that is the most human feeling. Like even though grief and loss is universal, everyone will experience losing someone. That fear is still immense of potentially losing someone.

Stefanie (47:08)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Hmm.

Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (47:28)
So all of his motivations to become Darth Vader was to be able to change the course and outcome of essentially death for someone that he loves and seeing a world that meets the needs for him when they weren’t given. And think of being someone who’s enslaved, you’ve never experienced empowerment, you’ve experienced power and control. And then he became

Stefanie (47:51)
Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (47:53)
A Jedi was being trained in the Jedi indoctrinate you and they had definitely specific ideas about him because he was the chosen one. So again, another presentation, even though they’re the good guys of power and control and not empowerment and upliftment.

Stefanie (48:01)
Yeah.

Ariel Landrum (48:08)
And so it only makes sense that when he wants to prevent loss, the only way he can think of doing it is not by fostering deep relationships that you can take with you when someone passes. Instead, it’s to use power and control.

Stefanie (48:22)
Yeah, totally. And I think all of that is so important when we’re just talking about like the human condition, right? There’s so many different facets and it’s so interesting to see that we have now looked at the human condition while thinking about these otherworldly characters that don’t exist in this world, but they go through the same exact emotions, hardships, economic, global, and you know, on a deeper and more intimate level than we do.

Ariel Landrum (48:28)
Yes.

Okay. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Stefanie (48:48)
It’s, and I think that is the beauty of Star Wars and why it has such a wide reach all around the world is that everybody can connect to these stories and these narratives because the storytelling is so simple, but expansive and has a lot of depth.

Ariel Landrum (48:48)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

I like how it’s so simple, but expansive.

Yes, yes, I think that there’s a lot you can pull from the franchise as a clinician, you can certainly pull regarding mindfulness and meditation. Because this, you know, the, in Star Wars, they’re always talking about the balance and the balance of the floor, the force. I think when you start to see Ray’s journey and her being essentially tempted by the dark side and that scene where she like touches like that the glass or the wall and there’s like all of these versions of her.

Stefanie (49:16)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (49:28)
that really could be useful in doing shadow work, if that is part of your practice, if you’re a union. And even just talking about the concept of

Stefanie (49:34)
Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (49:38)
mentorship. Sometimes some of my clients struggle to find a role model. They have memories that are traumatic. They have maybe caregivers that were not caring. And so finding mentors outside of your family or within your community, you know, Star Wars, like gives you an example of what those different relationships look like, when they can be unhealthy, when they can be an actual support

Stefanie (49:39)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Ariel Landrum (50:01)
how you have communication with a mentor and what they’re meant to show you. All of those things are just essentially very potent themes for a therapeutic setting.

Stefanie (50:05)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I love that. And again, there I feel like we could even do a Star Wars part two when we talk about this, just because there’s so much to dive into. And I think we are really just getting into the so-called meat and potatoes of Star Wars, because I think when it comes to both of our practices and, you know, our careers, Star Wars has a very deep reach into the levels of people that we can connect with.

Ariel Landrum (50:16)
Oh, yeah.

Stefanie (50:34)
and kind of explore a lot of these topics with. So hopefully when we, maybe every May, we do a Star Wars episode, that’d be really cool and look at different ways to celebrate Star Wars. And even though me and Ariel do not claim to be the best, biggest Star Wars fan ever, we are lovers of the franchise and the movies. They bring us a lot of joy. We have connected as friends over Star Wars and…

Ariel Landrum (50:43)
Yeah.

Mm-mm. Yeah.

Stefanie (50:57)
We love dressing up and doing, you know, fun things like Ariel used to make me little Princess Leia cookies back when we worked at retail and it was always really fun to connect with other people, our co-workers over Star Wars too and just kind of nerd out. Again, we love sharing community with other geeks and I think Star Wars is such a good way to segue into all of that.

Ariel Landrum (51:04)
back when we were done.

So if you are doing anything very interesting or unique for May the 4th, if you just want to let us know how Star Wars has touched you, how you incorporated in your life, be sure to DM us @HappiestPodGT on Instagram. And may the force be with you.

Media/Characters Mentioned
  • Star Wars franchise
  • Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
  • The Mandalorian
  • Grogu (Baby Yoda)
  • Darth Vader
  • Ahsoka Tano
  • C-3PO
  • Kylo Ren
  • Hera Syndulla
  • Queen Amidala
Topics/Themes Mentioned
  • Nostalgia
  • Character interactions
  • Community building
  • Cultural significance
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Education
  • Therapeutic applications
  • Personal growth
  • Event experiences
  • Franchise legacy
  • Practical applications in therapy
  • Storytelling as a tool
  • Healing trauma through narratives

Website: happy.geektherapy.com
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 | Stef on Twitter: @stefa_kneee | Ariel on Instagram: @airyell3000 |

Geek Therapy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with the mission of advocating for the effective and meaningful use of popular media in therapeutic, educational, and community practice.
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The Power of Nostalgia Activated By “X-Men 97”

April 9, 2024 · Discuss on the GT Forum

https://media.blubrry.com/happypod/media.transistor.fm/1a6948d1/21c29f9f.mp3

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38: Ariel and Stef unpack the continuation of a beloved series with X-Men 97, exploring its impact from therapy to education. They discuss nostalgia’s role in healing trauma and connecting with students, the nuances of characters like Rogue and Storm, and how X-Men’s diversity and inclusion themes resonate today. Tune in for a journey through the past, present, and future of one of the most iconic superhero teams.

Download free some hand-dany worksheets on social and emotional learning and healing that are X-Men themed:

X-Men-97-Personal-Growth-Worksheet-Fillable-PDFDownload
X-Men-97-Personal-Growth-WorksheetDownload
X-Men-97-Shadow-Self-Worksheet-Fillable-PDFDownload
X-Men-97-Shadow-Self-WorksheetDownload
The-Heros-Journey-X-Men-97-Fillable-PDFDownload
The-Heros-Journey-X-Men-97Download
X-Men-97-Coloring-SheetDownload
Summary

Summary of HPOE38:

  1. Introduction: Ariel and Stef introduce the episode by discussing the critical lens they apply to Disney mediums and their expectations from the content they consume.

  2. X-Men 97 Discussion: The hosts delve into the newly released X-Men 97 series on Disney+, exploring its continuation from the original animated series and the incorporation of nostalgia through commercial breaks and episode pacing.

  3. Therapeutic and Educational Uses of Nostalgia: Ariel shares how nostalgia in media can aid in trauma therapy, while Stef discusses its application in educational settings to connect with students.

  4. Character Analysis: The discussion covers the character dynamics in X-Men 97, including the controversial Magneto and Rogue storyline, the depiction of characters like Storm, and the evolution of Jubilee.

  5. Memory and Identity: They explore how the series addresses themes of memory, identity, and perspective taking, particularly through the neurodivergent experience and the fresh perspective of children.

  6. Closing Thoughts: The episode concludes with reflections on using X-Men in after-school activities and classrooms, highlighting the series’ potential to discuss diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).

Transcription

Hello everyone, welcome to Happiest Pod on Earth. I’m Ariel, a licensed therapist who uses clients’ passions and fandoms to help them grow and heal from trauma and mental unwellness. And I’m Stef. I’m an educator who uses passions and fandoms to help connect with my students and help them grow and learn about themselves. Here at Happiest Pod, we dissect Disney mediums with a critical lens. Why? Because we are more than just fans and we expect more out of the mediums we consume. So Stef, what are we talking about today? Well, it’s a hot topic.

Hot and old at the same time. And then it goes into Whitney Houston’s whatever you want from me. Just kidding. We are not talking about Whitney Houston, even though she is an icon and a goddess. RIP. We are talking about X -Men 97. Those are fireworks. Why are we talking about this? Well, obviously the new series has come out on Disney +.

if you’ve been living under a rock, which is okay. X -Men 97 is essentially starting where the old animated X -Men left off. So it is taking place in 1997. I do have some questions about that. However, it is even bringing back the nostalgic experience of commercial breaks and having to wait for the next film.

Yeah, and also the pacing, I think, of it. Just short 30 -minute episodes, things that we would watch after school every single day, or maybe even before school, if they did a rerun before you headed out to the bus or the car, however you got to school, walked. I think it really transports not only millennials like us who experienced it back, but also kids now who are viewing it on a streaming site.

but also being limited in how much they can consume each episode. So it’s very interesting to play on nostalgia. And I know we both talk about nostalgia in our practices. So what do you use nostalgia with connecting to your clients or maybe helping them through something that’s difficult? Well, so as you know, I work with a lot of clients who’ve experienced trauma and oftentimes that trauma occurred when they were a child or in childhood.

So reclaiming memories, reclaiming experiences from childhood in their adulthood with the experience of childlike wonder is a huge healing process. Oftentimes what happens is that clients experience a loss, a lot of grief and loss around something that mattered to them, something that really brought them joy. If the trauma happened,

in childhood during those times. So I have like, even now with the X -Men, I have clients who didn’t finish watching the series because that was around the time that something severe had happened. So getting an opportunity to re -experience new stories and still activate that inner child that loves the show, that hears the music, is ready for the intro, it re -formats parts of the brain and…

creates the ability to have new memories as well as retrospective memories of that trauma through traumatic growth. Right. And I’m so happy that you said a lot of the things that IE would use, but in a different way. In the classroom, nostalgia is really another word for connecting with kids and where they’re at. So everything that they have coming into the classroom is an experience. It’s a memory. So whenever you’re introducing a math lesson, a reading lesson, you ask them, have you seen something like this before?

How can you connect this with something that you already know? So nostalgia is just a fancy way of reaching even further back. Because I mean, to them, nostalgia is maybe like four to five years back when they were like five. If I’m thinking about my fourth graders when I was in the classroom, their nostalgia doesn’t reach that far back. So I don’t think maybe the word is correct, but the concept is still the same. If you’re trying to…

connect to kids wherever they’re starting off from in order to teach them a new concept, you have to see what’s there first. And that includes trying to figure out how they react to a certain procedure, how they react to a certain thing. That’s why sometimes math is triggering because kids did not have a good introduction to math. And sometimes kids didn’t have a good introduction to reading. So maybe the setting, because they’re controlling it as the teacher, you may be able to…

I guess, for lack of better words, manipulate the situation to make it so that they’re comforted and are able to be vulnerable and learn about whatever you’re teaching them. No, that’s really beautiful because you’re right, the memory for children doesn’t reach as far back in the same as adults. So the memory is actually even fresher and might even be more accurate. One of the struggles my adult clients have is trauma gets stored in a part of the brain where it is only

accessible through feelings, which is why when traumatic memories come up, it’s hard to verbalize them. It’s actually difficult to describe it because it’s not put in the part of the brain where words are accessible. But we can sort of describe the emotional sensation if we have learned enough emotional words. Whereas with children, I think it’s not only visceral. A lot of the research is showing that they’re accessing it pretty much exactly the same as they experienced it, especially if it is

a memory of like, you know, just a week ago or two weeks ago where it might not have been coded for us as like caregivers or parents that it encoded really well. And I know you’ve talked about this with your son and like him knowing I know where my toy car is. Oh yeah. Like I asked him to find things that I’ve misplaced because I cannot remember where I put them, but yet he knows exactly where it is.

not just because he’s eye level to the floor, but because his memory is so fresh, his brain is still rapidly producing new thoughts, new ideas. But yeah, I mean, his memory is just top notch right now. So I mean, for him to be able to remember something and they can articulate things without a bias or a lens because they’ve had such a little experience in the world, they can tell you exactly like it is.

you know, a kid will tell you if they don’t like milk. A kid will tell you if they don’t like the lunch and they’ll tell you straight up, this is nasty. So because they have those fresh memories in their mind, it’s literally like it happened yesterday. Yes. Yes. And really pointing out that bias with the lens, because even with our own memories, like if we are not feeling good about ourselves, that bias of like, I was a bad person back then, or I didn’t do good enough to protect myself, or I wasn’t.

smart enough or savvy enough, especially if it’s like trauma that involved someone harming you, we have that blame. And then when we get post -traumatic growth, we might be able to have a more compassionate look back. Whereas with children, they’re still learning to understand how to interpret a memory. And it might be the younger they are, just this is what it is for me.

And I do want to mention my neurodivergent kids, they are even more expressive as to, you know, being reactive to something, whether it be negative or positive, that you’re introducing them. So for me, my neurodivergent kids are the ones that give me the raw data that I need to be able to move forward with a lesson, to see whether I can pivot or not, because they’re processing things in…

a different plane sometimes. And being able to access some of those memories, you find it in their physical movement. You’ll find it in the way that maybe they’ll make eye contact or avert eye contact. So it’s really all of those physical cues that really help you into making those split decisions on whether you should go forward with the plan at hand, or if you wanna do something a little bit different or try on a different day. I’m curious for you before we go into our reactions to this.

Reboot? Reboot? Continuation? Continuation? Yeah. I’m curious for you, how do you see yourself using X -Men in the after -school activities? Or how to maybe talk to other teachers who use it in the classroom? Yeah, I mean, there’s so many different ways you can approach it. I think my synapses are firing immediately when I saw X -Men again, because I think X -Men is such a beautiful representation of diversity and inclusion, and also the pros and cons of people

being diverse but living in a world where not everybody sees things the same way. So for myself, I work in a school that is SEL, Social Emotional Learning, and DEIB forward, which is diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. So we can definitely use our mindfulness blocks with little snippets of X -Men, even the snippets of conflict that you’ll see in the series where they’re faced with, let’s say the new character, Roberto.

He doesn’t even want to talk to his parents. He wants to be isolated from everyone because he’s so afraid of his powers and how they perceive it because he has such a strong bond with his family. I think that’s something that’s very relatable to a lot of people. If let’s say they’re growing up maybe thinking about what they want to do in life, but going against the status quo and maybe not doing something that their parents might not want them to do. So it’s not even about your even physical identity or the way you identify yourself.

It’s really the way you choose to live your life, whether it be where you go to school, what you wanna do. You can go that route for older kids. For younger kids, you could just look at all the beautiful colors and see how different everyone is. Beast is a bright blue, Jubilee is a bright pink and yellow. Whenever I’m talking to younger kids, it’s always, what’s your favorite color? Or, Miss, what’s your favorite color? And so that’s how they start forming those first…

concepts of identity and because all the X -Men are so colorful, they can immediately latch to someone if they think they’re pretty or handsome or just fun to look at. So there’s different ways on different levels depending on how you wanna approach it. And I think that’s the beauty of X -Men because it is so diverse visually and socially and so many other ways. Yeah, I think even talking about that color blocking, like we’ve talked about color blocking when it comes to Dapper Day.

but actually when you introduce the idea of looking at a character through color blocking for children, you’re teaching the ability to be abstract. You have created abstraction about a representation of a character. If you can say like think blue, Beast. And if we’ve just only focused on that one part of that character, you’ve immediately introduced that new neural pathway in that way of thinking. Yeah, yeah, I love it. I just love because they use such.

different animation than kids are used to now. Now everybody’s used to the CGI through like Cocoa Melon and like, you know, using more digital arts. This is very old school and it takes them back to the way we would perceive things if we were to even draw them on a paper. Because I remember when I was young, I would draw a Rogue, I would draw a Jubilee, I would use, you know, just colored pencils and crayons to recreate some of my favorite characters and this is very accessible in that way. Beautiful, beautiful. And…

Now in the classroom setting, I’m curious, because there’s always the go -to, you can make a worksheet, right? But I’m thinking like, would you ever highlight a very like specific character? Like in talking about the new character, well, sorta new, Roberto. He’s Portuguese. And I think living here in LA, we hear a lot of Spanish. And when I heard him speak Portuguese in this last episode,

It was like, that sounds nothing to me like, Spanish. I think this is why X -Men is so great because they globalize it. And many shows,

only stay in America or their made up land, here we actually go to far away places that exist in real life. because X -Men is so situational, I would think of the day because in after school, we have a little bit of leeway to not have.

such structure in the day. So it’s not like I’m working through like an arc where I’m like teaching kids how to make an essay or something like that. We can take situational experiences in real life, let’s say during recess or something that happened yesterday and pull a scene and say, hey, let’s look at this and see if you pull anything from something that’s happened recently. I used to use that in my SEL lessons. Let’s say if two kids or a couple kids had a conflict on the yard during like soccer or something.

I would try to show like an avatar episode or show like a little clip that I can find on YouTube and like kind of mirroring that situation of, of course I’m not gonna find the exact same situation, but something similar to where people have conflict and they resolved it in a certain way. Or look at that conflict and say, how would you resolve this? These are real life situations. I know we’re gonna talk about WonderCon later, but I think something that one of our colleagues,

Dr. Elizabeth Hahn said, she said that pop culture is just a mirror for real life. And when you’re talking about using it in therapy or if you’re using it in the classroom, pop culture is such a powerful tool to say, hey, let’s look at these things that happen and look at the way that we go about life and see, could I have made it a different way? Could I have made different decisions? And if so, how, and would that be positive or negative? So I mean, for you,

How would you use X -Men? Because it’s so fascinating. Yeah, I think as a narrative therapist, we do exactly that. We perspective taking with stories. Traditionally, it’s the story the individual is telling themselves. But a safe space to do it is looking at someone else’s story. And it immediately makes me think of Magneto when he was facing the council. Yeah. Was it the UN or? I think it was the UN, yeah. Yeah.

He’s facing the world. It was pretty serious. His crimes against humanity. Yeah. And he literally has a monologue about the fact that there has always been discrimination and oppression of people who are different, who are marginalized. And I know, perspective taking, a younger version of me could never see Magneto as someone that I had aligned values with. Right. And now as an adult, I’m like, yeah, yeah, you are.

This is human history and he’s even bringing in his own traumas and experiences losing his family because of the Holocaust and his parents dying in the gas chamber. He doesn’t say those things, but he says we were persecuted because we dared to call a God by another name. And so that perspective taking allows us to have.

more empathy. And I think for my clients, when they see themselves as the villain in their story, I would show that clip and be like, do you even like, agree with any of this? Cause I know that’s what we did with Killmonger. Like everything he said, I was like, point, valid. You can go ahead and sit there, I guess. So.

This is now another introduction of that. And we get the retrospective. If you grew up with the X -Men, you probably always thought of Magneto as the bad guy. And literally the intro scene is these two groups smashing into each other. And we always saw that other group as the bad group. Now we’re starting to see that nuance. And so through narrative therapy, I would highlight perspective taking. Take on that perspective. Be that individual of you are just fighting for your people.

is that inherently bad. Right. And in the classroom on the playground, we call that putting yourself in somebody else’s shoes. Yep. It’s exactly what it is. It’s just saying, hey, let’s just take a minute and like, think about it this way. Break it down and be like, how would you make that decision differently now? And I think this reboot of X -Men is so clever in the way that they presented Magneto this time, because you’re right, when I was younger, Magneto, bad guy, has a helmet, looks like a Sentinel.

Yes. All of that stuff like has to do with metal cold like all of those like things made me think bad guy. Yeah. They took off his helmet. Yes. So now you see more of his he’s more humanized. He’s more humanized. He’s a little buff, a little bit of a zaddy if you just a little bit. I’ve heard from friends not speak for myself, speak for other people. And his voice is like like a leader.

And when you’re looking at Cyclops and his struggle to identify himself as a leader, you immediately see it in Magneto already. And you’re not immediately thinking bad guy. You’re thinking of, oh, this person is making decisions and we should probably listen to what he has to say. Even though there is a power dynamic clash between the two, you can obviously see that there is history there and he has experience. So that’s naturally somebody who.

people are gonna gravitate to. And that’s not the Magneto that I grew up with. Well, and then even talking about perspective taking, how many times have we been in a class with a coworker and they have now been promoted and we must see them as leadership and treat them differently, right? You can also take on that perspective that Cyclops took when he thought, well, I’m the natural leader, one, because I’m one of the first and because this is what I think Xavier wanted. And we’ve always seen him as like the…

aside removing Xavier, we’ve kind of always seen him as like the de facto leader. Yeah, like the lead. So now that someone is actually identified as like, no, they are. That’s that can be there’s some relief there. That pressure is removed from me. But also it’s like now I don’t feel like I’m good enough. We can take on that that perspective, right? What it feels to be put in that position and then try and put.

all those hurt feelings aside. Cause maybe it’s like when we’re working, like that person made a snide remark, but in this case, like literally Magneto has attempted to destroy the world and everything that he’s loved multiple times. There’s a track record there. So it’s a little bit of redemption for him, but also things are happening in Cyclops’s life that does not allow him to be the leader and step up because his family’s getting torn apart. I don’t know if we did a spoiler alert, but at this point we are going to be talking about

episodes all the way up until the most recent one. So spoiler alert, if you haven’t started it, turn this off now. Turn this off now. We won’t put that in the show notes. It will be known. There will be spoilers. It will be known. But moving forward, now that you’ve done all that, you’re coming back, seeing all the episodes. Cyclops does not even know who his wife is right now. No. And he just had a baby. So I think he’s not in the right mental state to be leading a whole group, let alone a mutant revolution. Yeah.

and going against Washington and all the factions of the UN because he is just trying to pick up the pieces and trying to figure himself out. So Magneto clearly is just the natural one to, quote unquote, slide on in and lead the team whenever needed and actually make up a plan to figure out the future of the X -Men. Yes. Yes. And mutants.

So I’m curious for you, because we’re already on the topic of Magneto. Thoughts on Magneto and Rogue? I don’t know if I needed it. OK, so Rogue is one of my favorite X -Men. She was one of the earliest cosplays that I’ve done. I remember one time me and my friends, they were Halloween partying. We were all members of the X -Men. And I could not, this is back before Amazon, before you could do, you would have to go to a wig store to find a wig.

you would have to go to a costume store to find a costume. I remember buying green leggings and yellow leggings and cutting out the crotch part and figuring out how am I going to sew this together? I didn’t. I glued it and it fell apart by the end of the night. But the visual was their early days of cosplay with no sewing experience whatsoever because I thought Rogue was so cool. And I think I know I think the X -Men movies had just

come out with Anna Paquin as Rogue and I loved her and I love her as an actress and she did such a good job of bringing Rogue to life on the big screen. Your hair is a little Rogue. Yeah, a little bit, oh my God. Yeah, you’re right. Because I’ve always wanted to do that, just have like the piece of, you know, white hair because it’s cool and I can suck people’s powers. And you know how people always ask like, what your favorite superpower is or if you had a superpower, what would it be?

It’s like a classic icebreaker thing. We do it in classrooms. I’m sure you’ve done it in therapy. And ever since I knew about Rogue, I’m like, I want her powers. The ability to take other people’s powers for a short time, just so I can taste it, and then move on to another one. No, there was, did you ever watch the show Heroes? Yes. And then antagonist Sylar? Yes. Yeah, I was like, I want that. I want that. He got to keep them forever, although he murdered people. And apparently he didn’t have to, from what I remember. He could have just taken the power.

or learn how to do it or poke someone’s head, I don’t know. Yeah, I mean, Rogue was like cool. She was very like, I mean, she had a cool love interest, Gambit. And that’s why I think I’ve had that in my mind. And when I saw the first couple scenes with her and Gambit, I’m like, oh my God, they’re they all. And Gambit’s so cute. Look at him and his crop top. Cute, he’s hot. He’s hot, yeah. I was a pure simp for that. Anywho.

And then all of a sudden, Magneto comes in and I’m like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Because Anna Paquin was young Rogue. I’ve always seen rogue as like somebody who may be college age, high school age. No one older than, even in the old X -Men, she didn’t seem that old to me, maybe late 20s. So I always thought of her as like a young soul because she was very playful. And then I saw that happen and I’m like, oh. And it.

It hasn’t added anything for me yet in these four episodes. I think if, I don’t know if they’re gonna expand upon it later on, their history, I know there is a history, it is in the comic books. I’m not super familiar with that storyline, but I mean, as far as I know, it is Rogan Gambit and they look so good together and I stan. I am on the ship, it is sailing. But what are your thoughts about it? Because…

So I had to look it up and I’m trying to find the reference. I’m like, how can they touch? And so a lot of people have been theorizing that Magneto’s magnetism, he’s able to make like basically like a human condom with it. Okay. Right. And so they can like a whole body suit. Yeah, a whole body suit. Yeah. And that’s how they’re able to touch. Because he can manipulate the elements. But in the comics, she absorbs the power of

Polaris, that was Polaris. Polaris’s powers in a previous timeline, which they had revisited. And it is canon in the comics that they get together. And what’s something that my roommate really highlighted, which I realized in retrospect after they had shared that was,

this is more adult, like it does feel a little more violent. So it makes sense that they are trying to really up the ante with like romance triangling, but even the physicality of it, because the whole point is that Rogue can’t touch anybody. So to see her touch someone and someone we’ve always seen as the bad guy, like that had so many emotional layers and lots of like, right? I think there were a couple of moments that you had that sort of thing because,

when Jean Grey or not Jean Grey, Madalyn Pryor was having her baby, I was like, they’re doing this. Yes. They’re doing this. And the last time I saw somebody give birth was on House of the Dragon. That did not go well. So I was like, they’re actually showing somebody who’s pregnant giving birth and somebody delivering her baby. I didn’t think that they were going to go that like visually accurate with it. But the fact that there may be.

some kids watching this or teenagers or yes, like you said, it’s more tailored towards adults. These are – Because of the nostalgia. Because of the nostalgia, but also I think so many of the elements of X -Men are transcendent in that way and they’ve always been tackling the big issues, but behind this sort of veil of superheroes. And cartoons. And cartoons, which is a very childlike concept, but in reality,

I mean, the creators of X -Men were so smart to see beyond that and use them as social commentary and, you know, human commentary too on the ways that we deal with people who are othered and how they do the same exact things that everyone else does. Absolutely. And I think you’re highlighting all of these different moments that are, are adult, not just like the violence, but…

we hear about a baby being born. We don’t really get to see it on TV too much. And I don’t think, I mean, I can’t remember a comic where there was a birth scene. It was just, if there was like people in the waiting room and you’d hear the cry and then they’d come in. And never did you see like potential pain. And again, that layer of discrimination, Rogue had to be the one.

to birth this baby. Yes. Simply because parents were mutants. That was it. Yeah. And again, that layer of discrimination does exist in the world. And how they were in the hospital and they were like, no, we will not deliver your baby. And she was just like, no, you will deliver this baby. Yeah. And given that…

when it comes to civil rights and civil rights movement, more marginalized individuals have been added, more experiences of protection. But this, you know, the show does mirror, like, there’s always someone that hasn’t been included. In this case, there’s no law that says that you can’t discriminate against mutants from what I remember from the show. So yeah, there’s a lot that…

this show is tackling that we haven’t seen in cartoons, especially one that looks the way it does. Yeah. Now, speaking of the timeline and it being 1997, there are some things that make me think that I don’t remember that being things that we talked about back then or words we use. So the first one is Jubilee when she’s explaining to Roberto who Magneto is, he’s like Xavier’s ex -bestie.

I never used the word bestie in 1997. Never. Did that exist? I don’t think so. I don’t think so. I don’t know who was supposed… Isn’t that someone on a set that makes sure something’s historically accurate? Yes. Not a dialogue coach, but whoever’s editing this. That is clearly 2000 and… By gosh. 2020 and now? Bestie is not something like best friend. Best friend.

You would have those necklaces. Yeah, BFF. Yes. Definitely could have used BFF. Could have used BFF. There are no totalies, the amount of totalies that she could have said to mask that. Yes. I did clock her say bestie. Yes. But that like –

there are these moments where I’m watching it that I’m pulled out that it’s 1997. Cause I’m like, we didn’t talk like that. We just didn’t. I’m sorry. I mean, even, okay. So speaking of the recent episode, they did so many great things. I know when I was watching it, I recently dressed up as Jubilee at WonderCon. And I’ve always loved Jubilee because I identified with her. She’s Asian American. It was the only one that I identified with when I was younger. So naturally I wanted to dress up like her.

And I think she’s such a fun character who would not want to use fireworks as her powers. That’s just fun. That’s just fun. And I love 80s video games. So this whole entire episode, which is actually half of an episode, I think it was great the way they did it because they pulled from the actual X -Men arcade games, which I used to play a lot. And the eight bit, the 16 bit, and it gradually got newer and newer. I think that was very clever.

But yeah, the way that she said a lot of things, even when looking at the console, like, I’ve never seen this before, but it’s here in my room. I just want to celebrate my birthday. Let’s just escape. Everything about that was so teenager. It was teen angst, teen yearning, teen longing, teen romance. I think it definitely played to a lot of the things that make YA so like palpable

because these are all emotions that we’ve all been through. But yeah, I think that her little storyline really catered to a group of people that we don’t normally make content for anymore. A lot of their content is accessed through their phones on like little clips. So I think this was just like a beautiful way of.

saying, hey, tweens, we didn’t forget about you. Even though this is kind of adult, I know you may be interested in this. And this could be a gateway for you to experience X -Men in a way that speaks to you. Well, and I think even the really beautiful moment of her digital adult self, one saying, I understand. I totally understand why you would want to live in these old memories, which again brings us back to this episode and the nostalgia.

But also saying that new discovery, new memories are also good too. Yeah, and wrinkles are okay. White hair is okay. And like that, like your personality isn’t gonna go away. It’s just like, I still love video games. I’ve been playing this game like literally multiple digital worlds. On the last surviving bit. It’s very reminiscent of Ant -Man. And the way that they showed timetravel

I’m traveling that way and how you could still exist in another world but still have a part of you be there. I think that was, now that they’re playing with the multiverses, I’m so like enthusiastic to see the different ways that they’re approaching it and address things like growing with age, dealing with aging, letting go of your youth and what that means to you because I think all of us, especially all of us, you know, geeky kids, we’re all grappling with the fact of,

how do I still retain myself or what I knew about myself now that I’m growing into these different stages of my life? Yeah, just like that episode was talking to the tweens, it was also talking to adults who are struggling with literally, like we say, like adulting, right? Like I need to accept the fact that I’m grown. That doesn’t mean giving up my passions, but it also means that I can’t only live in my past. I can use those great things about my past to,

elevate myself and to evolve and be a better version of myself because she was really cool. She was so legit. She was so legit. And I’m like, great. We’re going to see a lot of this at San Diego Comic -Con now. I want to see how people dress up as her because she’s so cool. And to see her like spinning blades. That was cool. And like, oh my gosh, I can do that. Yeah. Very Tron like. And those are, and I’m thinking like fireworks when I…

Well, there are all kinds of fireworks. There are ones that spin. As Disney enthusiasts, we’ve seen lots of fireworks. Yes. So this might be a way for us to see her power start to elevate. Because the joke used to be that her power was simply sparklers. And I never thought that as a kid. I thought her power was the coolest. Yeah.

But now I think we’re also seeing that evolution, that growth and that change. Cause all of the other X -Men are adults. They’re kind of fully fledged in their powers. At least like the way we’ve been introduced to them. I mean, Jean Grey is already discovering all these other powers that she’s had. My God. There’s even been been people. She’s been a Goblin Goblin and a phoenix. Like, yeah, she has way too many powers. So now we can start to see that evolution with.

Jubilee, I think is exciting. And I think that’s very formative that it’s on her 18th birthday. Something that’s a rite of passage for many young women. I know it happens different ages and different cultures, but 18 is normally the age where you’re like, okay, this is another step into young adulthood now. Like, how do I want to celebrate? So I think all of those were very subtle, like nods to how people, how kids grow up, how young women grow up and see themselves. And you know, how they…

now are like, I’m gonna age one day. And you know, how is that gonna look like? Is it scary? And so we definitely see that through Jubilee’s episode. And as part of our closing out, we did just finish WonderCon. We did have our food panel, which was hilarious and a lot of fun. And connecting the two, I don’t know about you, but they need to give me Gambit’s beignet recipe.

I want to see how it stacks up against Tiana’s beignet recipe.

if anybody out there has a Gambit beignet recipe, I wanna know it. Like, does he put a little something else in it? That makes it delicious? Is it spicy? Is it fiery? Like, is there something about it? Because we know we can stuff them. Yeah, absolutely. And if you are gonna make them, you gotta wear the crop top, because that has been a cultural phenomenon. I know the voice actor of Gambit at WonderCon wore, I don’t think it was a crop top, I think it was just like,

a sleeveless shirt. Yeah. But it did have that like generic rock symbol on it. I think that was really cool. I’ve seen a ton of memes about it on the Internet. But yeah, I’m very curious to see what Gambit’s beignets taste like. Yes. Yes. And I would like to see them stop doing him dirty with the rogue and magneto story. You know, I’m very upset about that. I think somebody who looks statuesque. Yes.

and has such a cool haircut. Shout out to the hairstylists this time around, animators. Ororo Storm’s haircut. Beautiful. Beautiful. I think I saw one Storm at WonderCon and she was so beautiful. I love the way they did her hair. Also, they’re doing our girl dirty. She had to be the martyr. Yes. How do we feel about that? I am angry about that. And again, it’s in the comics and they’re trying to introduce more canon in.

Love that. I do not love what they have chosen to introduce Cannon in because I think I can do away with the Magneto and Rogue thing. But it exists, whatever. But I definitely could do away with Storm losing her powers. And I am really excited for when, I’m hoping, she actually reclaims them and gets them back. But I think for me, because her powers have never been presented as like a mutation, but they like literally call her a goddess on the show.

So the idea for me that she could lose something that is part of her god, like her goddessness and her being a black woman, like it just angers me that she had to be, like you said, the martyr. She is the one who got sacrificed for humans to be like, okay, so I guess we like shouldn’t have our foes, which as a child, I did not get that, but now I got it. Yeah.

jumped in front of Magneto because her heart is so big that she did not see any of that. She just wants to save a life. A life. She could have done it for a human. She could have done it for a mutant. That’s just the type of – She would have done it for an animal. Yeah, she would have done it for an animal. She would have done it for a cloud. That’s the type of person she is. And I think to bring her down, I mean, yes, it is a testament of how strong she is, but we don’t have to put her through that. Yeah, I guess for me, I only see those types of arcs necessary when we are –

trying to sort of make somebody get rehumanized. And what I mean by that is like access their humanity. Like Iron Man, for example. Yes, but she has never been haughty, high and mighty and has had a lot of humanity despite being called a goddess and pretty much is one. And even like Omega threat, right? So the fact that we have taken her down to now she is just a human, a very powerful, strong one, she’s still –

Very welcome to nature, very fit. But again, it had to be the black woman, come on. Yeah, we could have chosen somebody else. We could have chosen Magneto, he needs to be. As much as he’s changed and I have some like allyship with him and the fact that yes, discrimination exists. Yeah. Yo, yo. Yet again, we do not know how this is gonna conclude yet. So these are all thoughts midway. Maybe we’ll do an end of the series recap. I’m very excited to see.

I’ll be tuning in every single Wednesday. I think it’s so accessible for me as a parent to watch 30 minutes. Speaking of the 30 minutes, I like how they broke this episode up into two, which is very common in not only kids shows, but 90 shows. They have an A storyline and a B storyline. And then they did that very, I think they did it very perfectly. The pacing was fast, but it was enough for me to be like, okay, that began and ended and now this one is beginning. And then there’s that part.

too, which is another very nineties thing. I remember sitcoms used to do this, stay tuned for next week, cliffhanger So I really liked those little details, but I really like it so far. It was more than I ever thought it was going to be. Yes. Yes. I think this is the first time a reboot’s been like, executioned well. And then I think some other things aside from seeing how Storm gets her powers back.

I’m really interested to see if we’re gonna see some of the other well -known villains and how they are going to be introduced, especially if we’re trying to work in harmony now. Yeah, and I think it’s gotten so big to where people are breaking down the intros and the differences in like Jean Grey’s hair. First it was Madalyn Pryor, now it’s Jean Grey with the little face mask thing. People are already noticing Mystique, they’re noticing Sabretooth, they’re noticing Juggernaut.

We have yet to see all of these people. I’m not sure how many episodes we’re getting. Maybe 10? I don’t know. That’s something I’ll look up later, but hopefully we get, I mean, if it’s like a Disney plus arc, usually it’s about 10 episodes now because the original ran from 92 to 97. They had five seasons. So we’re going to see with the popularity, how long it’s going to go. I mean, they’re giving a new life into the voice actors because almost all of them have come back in one way or another. So there’s definitely, um,

There’s some praise in that too, because we’re getting real life nostalgia. Yes. Yes. So if you have been watching X -Men 97, please let us know your thoughts and feelings around apparently Zaddy Magneto. Zaddy Magneto. Or technically Zaddy Gambit. Zaddy Gambit. Go ahead and tweet at us, DM us on Instagram at happiestpodgt.

and on Twitter, xhappiestpodgt. And let us know your thoughts with these show notes. Actually, for this episode, we will have some worksheets that you can give your clients or students that are X -Men themed. So you can download those for free. Yep, definitely. And shout out to Stack Up for hosting us with this beautiful background. We also did not mean to wear.

black and white Mickey shirts by accident. Also vintage, like nostalgia. I got this from a thrift store and yours looks very vintage because it’s black and white. I got mine on Walmart. Okay, you know what? But you didn’t just get it, right? No, I’ve had it for like four years. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, this was like a repurposed tie -dye. And now we can show it because we have video. Yay! Thank you to everybody who joined us on our panel at WonderCon. Hopefully we’ll see you soon. But yeah, we’ll see you on the next episode. Thanks everyone.

Media/Characters Mentioned
  • X-Men 97
  • Animated X-Men
  • Magneto
  • Cyclops
  • Jean Grey
  • Rogue
  • Storm
  • Jubilee
  • Roberto
Topics/Themes Mentioned
  • Nostalgia
  • Character analysis
  • Memory
  • Identity
  • DEIB
  • Storytelling
  • Human rights
  • Mutants
  • Education
  • Trauma
  • Memory
  • Perspective taking
  • Being in someone else’s shoes

Website: happy.geektherapy.com
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Disney Animation Studios The Concert

August 17, 2023 · Discuss on the GT Forum

https://media.blubrry.com/happypod/media.transistor.fm/034627bf/2ba86f9d.mp3

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#34: Join Ariel and Stefanie in a magical evening under the stars for Episode 34 of HPOE. Relive their enchanting experience at the Disney Animation Studios The Concert at the Hollywood Bowl, celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary. From the melodies of the LA Philharmonic to the emotional resonance of Disney classics, immerse yourself in their journey through this musical extravaganza. This episode is a blend of nostalgia, joy, and insights into creating inclusive experiences for all Disney enthusiasts.

Read the blog post for this episode for additional references and resources.

Become a member of Geek Therapy on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/geektherapy

Summary

HPOE34

  1. Introduction (0:10): Stefanie and Ariel introduce the episode, focusing on their experience at the Disney Animation Concert at the Hollywood Bowl for Disney’s 100th anniversary.
  2. Personal Experiences (2:07): The hosts share their personal stories from the concert, including the effects of the SAG-AFTRA strikes and making it a special girls’ night out.
  3. Disneybounding (3:07): Discussion about dressing up in Disney-themed outfits for the event.
  4. Concert Atmosphere (6:08): The hosts talk about the magical ambiance at the Hollywood Bowl, including the attendees’ Disney-themed attire.
  5. Transportation and Accessibility (7:02): Tips and experiences regarding transportation to the Hollywood Bowl, emphasizing convenience and accessibility.
  6. Picnic at the Bowl (8:06): Insights on the unique picnic experience at the concert venue.
  7. Concert Highlights (14:30): Impressions of the LA Philharmonic’s performance, featuring songs from Disney movies.
  8. Sensitivity and Inclusion (18:04): Reflections on the cultural sensitivity of the music presentation, avoiding problematic scenes.
  9. Emotional Moments (20:34): Discussion on the performances that were particularly moving and emotional.
  10. Community Engagement (24:10): Observations on audience behavior and the importance of inclusivity for all attendees.
  11. Accessibility and Accommodations (29:31): The significance of utilizing available accommodations for an enhanced experience.
  12. Managing Stimuli at Public Events (34:25): Insights into attending large events with children and managing various stimuli.
  13. Audience Behavior (39:13): Thoughts on concertgoers’ expectations and creating an inclusive environment.
  14. Educational Value (45:10): Stefanie’s perspective as an educator on the educational benefits of such events.
  15. Closing Thoughts (50:21): Final remarks on the concert experience and an invitation for audience interaction.
Transcription

Stefanie Bautista 0:10
Hello, everyone, welcome to the Happiest Pod On Earth. I’m Stef . I’m an educator who uses passions and fandoms to help my students grow and learn about themselves and the world around them.

Ariel Landrum 0:19
And I’m Ariel, I’m a licensed therapist who uses clients passions and fandoms to help them grow and heal from trauma and mental unwellness.

Stefanie Bautista 0:27
Here at happiest pod, we dissect Disney mediums with a critical lens. Why?

Ariel Landrum 0:31
Because we are more than just fans, we expect more from the mediums we consume. So what Disney experience are we dissect interface Stef?

Stefanie Bautista 0:39
So it’s definitely an experience and it’s a experience that’s kind of very specific. If you live in Los Angeles. I had the pleasure of actually being Ariel’s date to the Walt Disney Animation Concert at the Hollywood Bowl. It’s called Walt Disney Animation Studios, The Concert. I thought that this was just, you know, one off Disney event. But of course, why did I forget that it was Disney’s 100th anniversary. So they’ve been celebrating all year since last September or August. And of course, this is one of those promo events. Part of course, you know, they have concert series and everything like that, but this was very Disney 100-forward, which was great. Just to give you a little bit of background. The LA Philharmonic is the resident at the Hollywood Bowl for the summertime. They hold lots of different concerts, classical music concerts, pop music, concerts, reggae concert, hip hop concerts, but the LA Philharmonic they do, they’re scheduled there. And during the winter, they go to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Even though they’re at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. They don’t specifically do Disney things. It just happens to be that way. But I thought that it was really interesting that we went to a Disney Concert, not at the Disney Hall, but at the Hollywood Bowl? You know? Fun times! It covered a wide range of just Disney animation movies. So we didn’t see any live action movies. We didn’t go into Star Wars. We didn’t go into Marvel. This was strictly old school animation. And a lot of people were really excited for that, right?

Ariel Landrum 2:07
Yes, yes, I was definitely excited. Originally, I had bought the tickets as a package deal with my partner and another couple as way to go on a couple of date, given the SAG-AFTRA strikes going on right now, my partner is not working because he works in transportation. And he’s a 399. So they aren’t striking, but they aren’t crossing any picket lines in solidarity. And he found a job and he had to take the job in order to you know, make any money.

Stefanie Bautista 2:37
Make a living.

Ariel Landrum 2:38
Make a living. And the job doesn’t again cross the picket line. But it did involve him going all the way to Texas and being gone for like a whole month. And as a result, I needed to find a new date. So of course, I asked Stef…

Stefanie Bautista 2:52
Thank you!

Ariel Landrum 2:52
And then her friend Liz, and her husband, Benji, he was like, “Well, if you know her partner isn’t going and you have a friend coming out of town. Her name’s Dawn, how about you make it a Girl’s Day?” So we all four of us went and saw Disney Animation and even dressed up?

Stefanie Bautista 3:07
Yes, we did. We all tried. Well, me I tried to Disneybound they had their wonderful Disneybound outfits planned out, because Ariel had bought these tickets months in advance. So Ariel if you want to go first because mine was very last minute.

Ariel Landrum 3:23
So I had bought a dress that had a purple scallop top, and a very green, light green bottom. So you know, Ariel The Mermaid, and long dress covered my feet. And halter tops so no straps. And the scalp shaped did look very much like the seashells and that’s that’s what I were. Yeah.

Stefanie Bautista 3:46
Yeah, it was beautiful. I love that. And it was such a steal. Right? You didn’t even spend a lot of money on it.

Ariel Landrum 3:52
No, it was like, you know, talk about fast fashion. It was about six or seven bucks. So I figured even if it’s not like that cute, maybe I could like put pins on it. Or I could put like a cardigan like maybe I could make it look better than $7 but it did not look like dollars.

Stefanie Bautista 4:07
Oh, not at all the quality was actually really good. And it was perfect Disneybound. The shade the hue all of it was perfect. She didn’t have to do anything. She just had to let her hair go. And boom. Ariel was Ariel. Yeah. And so Liz, she and her friend Dawn. They both dressed up. They both did Disneybounds as well. Liz reprised her Jasmine Disneybound which you were to Dapper Day I believe, right?

Ariel Landrum 4:32
Yes. And if you listen to our Dapper Day episode, and we described it in in great detail, it’s down to the point of the dyes that she used for her gloves. In this case she didn’t wear the gloves, but she did bring Abu along with her Genie backpack. Her Genie Loungefly backpack.

Stefanie Bautista 4:51
Yes, yes. And then Dawn, she was lucky enough that Liz put together a Disneybound for her and she was a Mulan with the pinks and the red and the blue colorblocking. And for me, I was sifting through my closet because I had nothing to wear. And I ended up wearing these black jogger kind of loose pants. My Doc Martin sandals and like a green olive green top and I was Ping. I ended up just tying my hair up in a bun. And I remember seeing somebody Disneybound as Ping and I was like, “I can absolutely do that.” And so we had a Mulan and we had a Ping, which was pretty cool.

Ariel Landrum 5:35
Yes. And in case you you’ve forgotten remember that Ping is Mulan alter ego in the Army.

Stefanie Bautista 5:42
Yes, her alter male ego. Was her alter male ego while Mulan was Mulan. And it all worked out. I think it was really fun seeing a lot of people Disneybound for the event. A lot of little kids dressing up in their Disney Princess and Prince outfits. I actually didn’t think that we were going to see that many but then even just getting onto the bus to get to the Hollywood Bowl we saw people Disneybounding and it was great..

Ariel Landrum 6:08
Or wearing at least beautiful dresses with Disney print. I saw a lot of that. Fantasia with Sorcerer Mickey being like a very common print I remember seeing. And then lots of as the evening went on and got darker flower crowns and like wands that lit up like…

Stefanie Bautista 6:27
Yeah.

Ariel Landrum 6:28
Little sparkly star wands.

Stefanie Bautista 6:30
I did see a lot of Disney ears, which was cool. I think at the Hollywood Bowl, it’s totally appropriate to wear something like that because it is a bowl it is looking down. So even if you wear ears, you’re not going to be blocking anybody’s view. So at the very least, people were wearing ears or even just things that they would wear to the parks. I feel.

Ariel Landrum 6:50
Yes, yes. I think I saw some people carrying their own popcorn buckets, like Disney popcorn buckets that they collect. So certainly a crowd of Disney aficionados.

Stefanie Bautista 7:02
Yeah, for sure. I mean, even on the bus right there. We just kind of felt like we were on the tram ride in ways. Just a bunch of Disney adults going to a concert. It definitely felt like right at home. For us, we there’s a couple of ways to get to the Hollywood Bowl. If you ever want to do anything like this, you could definitely drive there, when you park. Just kind of know that it’s stacked parking. So once you park in there, you can’t get out until the person behind you gets out. But because we live kind of close to the venue, we take a bus, we park and ride basically. And you can either park on the street or you can park to another parking lots, which is also stacked parking. And you can get to The Bowl that way through their bus or you can take public transportation, it drops in the middle of Hollywood and you have to take a little quick hike. So if you people want to experience hiking in LA, but also want to go to The Bowl, that’s your chance to do it. Won’t guarantee that you’ll look cute at at the top, but you’ll get there.

Ariel Landrum 8:06
We did We did take the bus and it dropped us up at the top, we got to also pack and bring our own food. With the Hollywood Bowl if it is a non leased event, which usually means if it’s not a big celebrity concert like like I think the Lumineers are coming to play at some point you can’t bring your own alcohol or food. And so with this event, you get to bring your own alcohol and food and so we packed a picnic for us four. We split it up. Stef and I brought the food and Liz and Dawn brought the drinks.

Stefanie Bautista 8:42
And also in planning to bring the food you can even you can either do what we did in that’s when we planned it, we packed it and we ate it at our seats. Or you can get there really early and basically do like a tailgate situation, which many many people do where you can drink your wine and have your beer and all your snacks and stuff outside of The Bowl before you go in. But we decided to just bring everything inside because we didn’t have time to be there all day.

Ariel Landrum 9:07
Well and there are restaurants nearby that you can actually order packaged meals that are called like Hollywood Bowl baskets. So if you have a sort of like favorite food bougie place, see if they if they have a meal pack that you can pick up that’s also an option as well.

Stefanie Bautista 9:24
Or if you just want to plan any of that you can buy it all there but you are going to be spending a lot of money because they overcharged everything there. So we had a couple of days to prepare for this. So I headed on over to our beloved Whole Foods to get some fruits, some cheeses, some charcuterie type things basically a charcuterie on wheels is what I was going for. So we had crackers we have different types of cheeses, grapes, blueberries, raspberries and the great thing about Whole Foods is that you can get all of these things already packaged for you and then you just have to put them in your cooler. Um, Ariel has a nifty little cooler and picnic basket that includes not paper plates, plastic plates, and silverware. And yeah, it’s just basically super convenient. Everything locks inside so I think you can get I did you get yours at Amazon?

Ariel Landrum 10:17
Yep, I got mine on Amazon.

Stefanie Bautista 10:19
Yeah. And yeah, basically we loved everything there because our friends were gonna bring the drinks. And we didn’t really pack too too crazy. I know some people do cooler backpacks. Some people bring like an actual cooler. But knowing that it is sort of a steep hill to go up there, you’ve got to be mindful of what you’re carrying. Because know that it will be on you until you sit down at your actual seat.

Ariel Landrum 10:44
Yep. And then I had packed some Pocky I had packed crackers to go with the cheese’s some dried fruit trail mix. And then we had a last minute contribution from your mom.

Stefanie Bautista 10:57
Yes, that’s right she made turon which is basically um, Filipino sweet lumpia. It doesn’t have any meaning. It’s saba, which is a type of banana. It’s a sweet banana that is rolled in sugar and then wrapped just like lumpia or egg rolls. And she made a ton of just coincidentally before we left, and so we grabbed like 20 of those suckers and put them in our bag.

Ariel Landrum 11:20
Ate some on the bus.

Stefanie Bautista 11:21
Ate some on the bus. Really great dessert or appetizer.

Ariel Landrum 11:27
And then Liz and Dawn, they brought was it red wine or white wine?

Stefanie Bautista 11:31
They brought red wine and also ginger ale, some sparkling water. And I think I’m I don’t even think we had regular water, I just drink the ginger ale because I was so thirsty. And me and Liz just destroyed that bottle of wine. So it was great.

Ariel Landrum 11:47
Having your own food there. You can eat it again before or even during the performance. During the performance it is very dark. And so if you cannot see your plate, that that could be a barrier. Also, if you’re eating when it’s light out, and you can see your food, people are still getting to their seats. So you’re often having to stop like what you’re eating to get up to let people get through. Because the seats are bleachers style where we were sitting at least.

Stefanie Bautista 12:15
Yeah, though the majority of those seats are bleachers style in the very back, it’s just green grass, and you just lay out a blanket, in the very front, if you are able to get tickets there, they have tables. And in the very, very front, they have like bigger tables. So you can get one of the box seats is what they call them. And you can split it with a group, I’ve done it many times, it does make a huge difference than putting everything on your lap, you feel very much privilege just having a table in front of you. But I mean, people have a lot of different ways that they enjoy their food at the Hollywood Bowl, if you ever want to do one of these events, but it’s non least events. Look it up on Google and a lot of people have tricks and tips that they use to have a great time themselves.

Ariel Landrum 13:01
Yes, people who go to the Hollywood Bowl, often I’ve learned are called Bowlers. I would say that it is a very affordable, fun, fancy date. So if you’re trying to find something to do with somebody you are wooing, I think going to these non lease events is a really good one, especially if you’ve packed your own food because you’re definitely saving money and doing that. And then if you get the bleacher seats or even the grass, you’re further away, yes, but live performances and music, being able to just enjoy each other’s company. Being outside. The those are things that I think are priceless. And these these tickets are within an affordable range, I would say.

Stefanie Bautista 13:44
Yeah. And I think they make it really accessible because the Hollywood Bowl is such a big venue. And I think in recent years, I want to say in the last like decade or so they’ve really been opening it up to more family friendly events and also kind of geeky inspired events. Before it used to just be the LA Phil which is great. The first couple times I ever went was to do assignments for college. And before that it was concerts that I would attend with my family. So I’ve seen like Earth Wind and Fire there. I’ve seen Chicago they’re like, you know, a lot of old school artists, but I think as more families are wanting to do these things together and it’s becoming more accessible for them. They have events just like this the Disney Animation concert.

Ariel Landrum 14:30
Yeah, yes. So the you have the La Phil the orchestra playing in front of you. You also have giant screens that are playing the animation that they are doing the music to. And then there were even singers there were Broadway singers that we’re singing the Disney Princess Songs, the villain songs, the songs that we sort of know and love. And one of them happened to also voice and sing a very specific character. And it was interesting to watch her sing the song and look at the animation that aligned to her voice. But she’s right there in front of me. But also, it’s the same person.

Stefanie Bautista 15:10
Isn’t it so magical? I think, the way they arranged many of these songs. So even though these Broadway artists aren’t the original ones, with that, with her as the exception, they did a wonderful job arranging these tracks and mixing them together so that they kind of held true to what they actually sound like. And I think it was very masterful that the way that they did it, just the whole program from start to finish. The conductor Thomas Wilkins, who was the conductor for the night, with was even really playful with the singers and they interacted a lot with each other. So I have the artists list in front of me, so I’m gonna kind of go down and list them: Adasa, who was in Encanto. She was one of the hosts along with Susan Egan, who we were talking about who played Meg in Hercules was also one of the hosts. James Monroe Iglehart. He was a special guests along with Adam J. Levy, Shoba Narayan, and Anneliese van der Pol, Cindy Winters, and the biggest guests were the students from the Orange County School of the Arts. I didn’t know that they played a huge role in this particular concert. And apparently a lot of alumni of Disney are also alumni of the Orange County School of Arts, but that also isn’t surprising seeing that Disneyland is an Orange County.

Ariel Landrum 16:29
Yes. And with the Orange County School of The Arts we had one of those songs they did was like a Peter Pan medley, and they had performers dancing, as if they were going getting ready to fly. And then they even did a Lion King performance. And it was “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” and orc, I mean, the choir, they were Simba. They were all singing Simba’s line versus having like one person be Simba and someone else be Zazu. They they were Simba and then one person Zazu. So you I thought that was really unique.

Stefanie Bautista 17:07
The soloist was Zazu. I was like, “Okay, a little b-side action like we never highlight Zazu.” But I mean, I think that’s wild. And they really took creative leaps in the arrangement of these songs. And I think it really paid off because it made these classic songs very fresh. And even though us as longtime Disney fans have heard these songs a million times, they were so dynamic in the way that they presented them.

Ariel Landrum 17:33
Yes and I they were also very mindful. So there was the “Everybody Wants to be a Cat,” by that the song in Aristocats. And there is a very racist scene with the Siamese cat playing the piano. And they didn’t include that. So they were very mindful of like updating what they were going to present so that we could honor like this legacy and enjoy this fun music without also having to be harmed by what then was a lot of stereotyping.

Stefanie Bautista 18:04
And I mean, that was part of the you know, the fact checking and all of this right, we wanted to make sure that Disney was aligned to how it’s been evolving in the years of late.

Ariel Landrum 18:13
One of the performances that really took me by surprise. Were the songs that were in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I don’t remember that movie or the songs apparently because I was blown away!

Stefanie Bautista 18:28
Yeah, I mean, they sang “God Help the Outcast,” which I didn’t even know was like in the Disney repertoire at all. All I know, is the one that he sings while he’s swinging across Notre Dame. And I don’t even know what that’s called. And I was like, I think we need to rewatch this. And I still haven’t, but I will get there. It’s one of the forgotten ones. But seeing seeing the animation on the big screen and the orchestra play. It was so moving, how beautiful it was, it was as if we were in Paris, looking, you know, at Notre Dame and looking at all the stained glass inside the church. And it was it was very, very beautiful. And I was like, “Okay, I think this is a moment where a lot of people can rediscover Disney movies.” Because we all know the ones, you know, that have been recently, you know, in vogue, which is Frozen. And I mean, we’re always thinking stuff from Aladdin and Little Mermaid but Hunchback of Notre Dame has not been in anybody’s mind for a very long time.

Ariel Landrum 19:29
Yes, yes. I think that was another another reason to go to events like this to be reminded and be reintroduced to things that you’d forgotten that that should have should take space in your mind. I think that it was it was so beautiful. There were plenty of moments where I don’t know about you, but I was just like tearing up.

Stefanie Bautista 19:54
I cried many times, I’m already in my feels all the time. All the time. Any single little thing will make me cry. And I was crying from beginning, middle, and end. So many tears, so many emotions. I did not bring my kids this time because of course, this was a girls night. So it was my time to kind of relax and unwind with girlfriends. And I think when moms get that little time to themselves, all the emotions just come out and I was like, “Oh my God, Muana’s signing, I’m gonna cry now.” And yeah, I started crying. And then the princess medley happened then I started crying even more. So unless it was like a comedic thing, or like a villain thing. I was probably crying.

Ariel Landrum 20:34
Well, the comedic thing. You were really surprised and the villains medley that…Oh, who is this?

Stefanie Bautista 20:44
Anneliese van der Pol?

Ariel Landrum 20:45
Yeah, so yes.

Stefanie Bautista 20:46
I know her from that. So Raven, because she was ravens best friend. And I had no idea she was such a talented singer. And so just like all around amazing in her delivery, her humor, and she did not hold back. I feel like some of the singers, you know, they have a little bit of finesse when they sing. And especially if they’re doing a Disney princess song. They’re very elegant and graceful and that. Oh, no. When she went into the villains medley she went all out. I think it was the part where she was singing Ursula’s parts?

Ariel Landrum 21:22
Yes, her “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” that she she had sas, she had like conviction. It was. And we were, you know, we weren’t that far back. But we certainly weren’t seeing facial expressions. And yet I could see it on her from the way that it was. The music was coming out.

Stefanie Bautista 21:44
Yeah, she cackled. She cackled the biggest cackle ever. And I was like, “Wow!” It reminds me of back in the day in Fantasmic, you used to see Ursula come across the water, that she was a big animatronic, and I haven’t seen like, like Ursula come to life like that since then. And I thought that that was so impressive. And, you know, kudos to her and her partner. I think that’s Adam J. Levy, who was the male counterpart in the villains, little medley that they did. They were such a great duo. They played really well with each other, their voices were beautiful together. And it was my favorite medley of the whole night because it was so so intense.

Ariel Landrum 22:24
It was it was just lovely. Funny. The, you know, like you felt the villain energy. I was great. Then they did play off of each other well. There were a lot of times where, and particularly I think during the essentially the princess medleys, I want to say, we would see the performers be very strategic and where they’re walking and very intricate. This seemed like there might have been some ad lib and some play. It was very, or they just did a really great job of making look look like it was ad lib in play because it was just very light and fun. They did they started with Cruella, and then they had Scar’s song, a “Be Prepared.” They had Ursula song. Was there another one? Or was that it?

Stefanie Bautista 23:13
I think that was it. Because they didn’t sing. Jafar was on there for a minute.

Ariel Landrum 23:20
Yeah, he was he was Yeah, because it was singing the the part where he’s like basically dogging on Aladdin.

Stefanie Bautista 23:28
They also sang. The mom song from Tangled. Mother… “Mother Knows Best.” That was the song she also went ham on that song. Because that one is like a very Joan Crawford like, “No wire hangers!” Like, that’s what I remember if being.

Ariel Landrum 23:44
I think for me, and what I sort of like walked away from the event was one like, like that sense of camaraderie and community just seeing other people expressing, like their Disney selves, not at the park, right. And I think there’s just something about, like experiencing live music with other people that is just so touching and moving. And it’s like a synergy that it’s hard to describe.

Stefanie Bautista 24:10
It’s cathartic. Absolutely, I mean, it’s music, live music, for me is something that I do when I just need to let go mentally, because you can get so immersed in just listening to music, and then there’s the visuals in front of you. And of course, the animation is so beautiful. You get taken back to when ever whatever age you were when you saw any of those movies, so a lot of emotions come back, but you’re enjoying it also in the company of other people who not only enjoy, but also might have even worked on the film because we’re in Los Angeles. And I really liked that it was their little nod to the actors and writers strike and they did it a couple of times, right?

Ariel Landrum 24:50
Yeah, they had everyone stand up if they’d ever been if they’d ever participated in the Disney animation process, whether they were writers whether they wrote music, whether whether they were voice actors, and, you know, we all clapped for them. And I don’t know if they would have done that had the strike not been going on because this, this is a live performance, it’s not part of SAG-WGA and orchestra that that music part, I don’t think they’re part of it either. So this wasn’t a struck event for the singers who were happen also be actors and Broadway actors. But this event specifically wasn’t asking for those talents. So they were able to participate. But I think they were showing solidarity without, you know, overtly saying.

Stefanie Bautista 25:36
Absolutely. And, I mean, the Disney studios are historically located in Burbank, I mean, Buena Vista Street is just down the street from where we are. And also the main animation building is right off of the freeway that you take to get to downtown. And maybe they would have done it, but maybe in a different way. And I think honoring those people at the event was really great. The people who are next to us they have somebody who works for Disney animation, which is really great. Um, her husband stood for because she was in the restroom. And I, we all clap them as if it he was, and he was “No, no, it’s not me.” That was great for him for admitting it. Kudos to you, sir. You will have a long and happy marriage.

Ariel Landrum 26:17
Yes, yes. He she did come from back from the restroom, we found out that the work that she did was translations in multiple languages for the animations. And that apparently that is a very difficult thing to do, which I’m not surprised what also hadn’t been something that I conceptualized.

Stefanie Bautista 26:35
Yeah. Super sidenote. I know, last time I was at the parks there. I think it was the firework show that they have recently. It’s them singing “Let It Go,” or is it “How far I’ll Go..?” In different languages. It’s like a medley that they do, like during the fireworks are doing the projections. And it’s always like them in like Japanese in Spanish. And I was like, “Oh, they’re really incorporating this into the regular shows, which is I think awesome, because a lot of people are introduced to Disney films in other languages such as Spanish when they re aired them on regular channels here.

Ariel Landrum 27:08
If you go on Disney plus, and you click on Mulan, the animated not the live action. And you put it in Chinese the person who voices Shang is Jackie Chan, also sings the song.

Stefanie Bautista 27:20
Wow. Because as you all know, Jackie Chan is a C-Pop artist. He sings a lot of songs in Chinese. I believe it’s Mandarin that he sings in, right?

Ariel Landrum 27:30
Yes. And it says the, it says Chinese in two different options. And then that’s written in English. And then it’s in characters, which I’m assuming are Mandarin. And then the other characters might be Cantonese. But it’s the first option. Yeah, and then the my other my other very interesting hack is if you go to Ant Man, the first movie, and you go into extras, you can actually pull up Ant Man with a sign language interpreter who is do who has is interpreting ASL on the screen in real time, so…

Stefanie Bautista 28:06
That’s cool. They haven’t done that for any other Marvel movies. Just Ant Man?

Ariel Landrum 28:10
Not that I have seen. And I don’t know why Ant Man was the one. But yeah there’s there’s an interpreter. There they are. They’re making the facial expressions or they’re moving really fast. I haven’t had a chance to watch the whole thing to see if they switch. So if you go to a live event with an interpreter, they usually have more than one because you start to get tired. You do have to switch back and forth and they give each other breaks. But because this is recorded, I’m assuming it’s the same interpreter and the whole time that they’re able to do they’ll do the whole movie.

Stefanie Bautista 28:44
Yeah, so you’re telling me I can listen, I can watch an ASL interpreter. Do Michael Pena’s whole like yes, story is like prediction of how the heist is gonna go. I need to see this becase that is one of my favorite monologues of all time.

Ariel Landrum 28:59
Yes, yes, it is. It is awesome. And you can still put the subtitles up and you can still have sound out and so but it’s a real treat the interpreters just in the in the bottom right corner, just torso up just doing interpreting.

Stefanie Bautista 29:14
I think that’s really great. I hope Disney does that for a lot of films moving forward. Because that’s really helpful for the ASL community to see that. And I think that’s in post something super easy to impose on the screen that you’re watching. And I hope that more people catch on to that because I think that’s really cool.

Ariel Landrum 29:31
Yeah, it’s always beautiful to see and experience work in your your native language and ASL is a language.

Stefanie Bautista 29:39
Yeah, absolutely. And speaking of, you know, accommodating people with you know where they are, Ariel and I use a different way to get into The Bowl that day. Because me I’ve been going for a long time but I’ve been going with with the masses in mass. So I am usually the one trekking and I’ve done this many times. From the subway station, all the way up to my seat at the top of the bowl. Yes, I burn a couple calories. Is my hair messed up? Is my makeup messed up? Yeah, probably. So this time because you know, we are being kind to ourselves lately, and it is our Girl’s Day and we knew we were going to take a lot of pictures. She had a really cool way of getting in there. Without having to do all of that.

Ariel Landrum 30:24
Yes. So as I’ve mentioned, a couple of podcast episodes, I’m allergic to my own sweat. And I can break out in a rash. And hives on a good day, I can start to hyperventilate, my throat close on a bad day. And so anytime I can avoid sweating, I try to, and the Hollywood Bowl does have an ADA line, they have accommodations. And so we got in the ADA line, you take the elevator up, you walk around the stairs, and then you can take another elevator up to the higher seats or just take a smaller stair. And that’s it. You’re basically in and about maybe 10 to 20 minutes?

Stefanie Bautista 31:06
I’d say 8. It took us like less than 10 minutes, we were in the tunnel. And we did get there fairly on time, I’d say on time and on time is like having a minute to sit down, prepare all your food, not have to do a bunch of restroom breaks, even though you could if you really wanted to. So we got there. I feel like that was like the perfect time to get there. Not right on time not late, not super, super early, like everybody…

Ariel Landrum 31:33
The performance was at eight. And I think we got there at 6:30. And we probably got to our seats around what 6:45?

Stefanie Bautista 31:41
6:45… Seven, I’d say seven. Yeah, so we had time to chill and watch everybody roll in, people were finishing up their picnics, or even starting them. And like the big line to get in was just forming. If you don’t know, there’s like a big entrance with all the security monitors and all that in the front like right when you get to the top. And then there’s another section where the ADA parking is at the top top of the hill, that will get you to the upper most seats. And that has less people. But because it’s kind of narrow, a long line tends to form and like once the cars are there, the people are there people are queuing up, you kind of don’t know where any of the lines are, unless you just happen to be there. So it can be a little confusing. And it may take you longer to get up there. If you don’t really know exactly where you’re going.

Ariel Landrum 32:33
Yeah, it can take you about, what 30 minutes to even really bad times an hour to try and get inside because they have to also check your bags. And if you’ve packed your own food, you’re opening up all those pockets. So there’s like a wait that you have to go through. It’s not just getting in line and showing your ticket. And when it comes to accommodations, like the first thing is to be aware that they exist. And the second thing is to decide to use them. And I find that with my clients, a lot of the times there’s some feelings of shame around needing accommodations that we always have to work through. And I realize likem |Am I practicing what I tell my clients? Am I using accommodations when they’re available? Or am I saying no, I don’t need that someone else probably needs that, but not me.” Because then I’m I’m you know, that’s ableist thinking. And I’m downplaying like me having a good time by just an accommodation, which is reasonable. Like that’s the whole point is it’s a reasonable accommodation.

Stefanie Bautista 33:32
Yes. And even if you’re bringing young kids, I’m not saying like infants or anything, of course, like you’re pretty much slinging them on your back at that point. But if you have little kids who all of a sudden don’t want to walk anymore, which happens with all little kids, I think it’s really good to know that there are elevators there are, you know, not just the escalators that you can use so that you are in them are also having a good time you’re setting them up for a successful evening. Because you know, sometimes when you bring kids to these things, it’s their first foray into going to a big event sitting down watching live music. They might get that in small doses in the classroom. But the classroom is such a controlled environment, when you bring them out to concerts. This is kind of setting themselves up to when they’re a little bit older and of school age, when they see assemblies or when they see even performances at their school. These are small things to help them with that. And if you’re doing your best to make sure you’re sane they will have a really good time too.

Ariel Landrum 34:25
Well and you’re managing a lot of stimulation points. It’s not just watching the performers, not just the music, it’s not just the screens, but it’s the person sitting next to you that chewing it’s like the heat outside or all of a sudden gets really cold or it’s all the twinkling lights that people are wearing. Like all of those are multiple stimuli. It can it can be overwhelming for a little one.

Stefanie Bautista 34:47
Yeah, definitely. And, you know, we had a couple of instances of you know, of course, being at the Hollywood Bowl, it’s a group setting, right? You’re sitting very close with people they’re all on a bench with you and You know, me and Ariel, we’re very friendly. Like we engage with the people around us offer them food. I’m the person at the Dodger game giving Portos to everybody if I have a box. And you know, some people accept that and some people don’t, which is totally okay, people are there to enjoy the way they want to. But also, you do have to take into consideration the type of event that you’re in. So we’ve noticed a couple of things that we thought were very peculiar, very interesting for a Disney concert that was outside because you know, us we’re coming from a theme park mentality as well, where everyone is welcome.

Ariel Landrum 35:38
So one of the first things that that I overheard that I at intermission I talked to Stef about was the mom who works for Disney, who had to leave to go to the bathroom because she had to take her daughter to the bathroom. Because her daughter was becoming overstimulated and very scared. She just sounded so scared. I think the the music might have been very loud. And it was just she didn’t know how to filter it. She was scared. At a certain point, they were trying to calm her down. And then the couple directly behind me basically, like, yelled at them to just take the, Take your kid away, right? Why don’t you take that kid away?” And so out of embarrassment, that’s what the mother did. And like, Stef… I know that for probably Stef, she probably she didn’t hear that. But for me, I was like, “Well, you’re the adult, why don’t you just like tune it out and learn, like literally learn to calm yourself.” And then I know that Stef is aware, like, “Oh my fusses I do take them away to leave, try and calm them down, and then come back.” There’s like a back and forth or like, get the wiggles out, right? But by the second half, she was really trying to enjoy yourself. And they were really trying to calm her down. And I’d informed Stef of like what these people were saying, saying and then continued to say into the next half. And it was like irritating the both of us because we’re like, you’re in a group setting. You are listening to Disney music. You are also the adults who can be able to like manage your emotions. The lack of compassion, you’re getting to like your fellows, it was shocking.

Stefanie Bautista 37:12
Yeah, I think that I was probably singing so loud, either in my head or out loud that I didn’t hear this. But also, I knew that it was happening around me. But because I’m a mother, myself, and my kids have wild out in many situations, I was being the adult and I was tuning it out. And just focusing on the performance. And they were directly next to me. The the kid was actually next to me at one point. And she was really trying her best to deal with the really low light, it was dark outside, there’s a lot of different sounds that’s happening, people are clapping, people are singing. And she may not be experiencing those things every single day in her normal life, which is normal. And I think she was around three years old, which is the same age as my son, and he is a busy body like he needs to be up he needs to get around. They had multiple family members try to soothe her, asking, you know, trying to engage her because she knew some of the characters, and it was working. And I think you know, they just needed time. But I mean, knowing what that mom has been through and probably was going through at that time. It says if time doesn’t really matter, and you need a very immediate response from your child. But that is not really a realistic expectation of them. Because developmentally, they are trying to learn and process these things, too. You’re bringing a toddler into a big event like this, which should be a safe space, because it is a group setting. It’s a Disney Concert. These are characters that they are familiar with and getting to be familiar with. And I think you know, the musicality of it also is engaging. So even if you’re not a child, you’re also singing in your head. And I had some friends who were on the other side of The Bowl that I talked to after the event, we realized that we were at the same event, we didn’t even say hi to each other. We couldn’t even see each other because there’s a million people there.

Ariel Landrum 39:06
Like that’s how big The Bowl is.

Stefanie Bautista 39:07
That’s how big The Bowl is…

Ariel Landrum 39:09
You know, other people, you know, we’re there until after you check the stories.

Stefanie Bautista 39:13
Yes, until the Instagram Stories. Yep. And they are, you know, our age and they were all going out as girlfriends too. And they were simply just singing along and they were getting shushed and I’m like, I can’t believe that. You know, I think this is something that is engaging for both adults, kids. The orchestra, the kids who are performing any sort of participation, I don’t think would have diminished their performance. Because the speakers are so loud, the visuals are so big, and I think participating probably would have just contributed to the musical and the magical atmosphere of the entire concert.

Ariel Landrum 39:56
Yes, and I think it should be noted that this is very Very different than going to like a play. Like if you saw Beauty and the Beast in the play and you’re there to see the Broadway actors and you don’t want to hear the person next to you there’s a different decorum and expectation of being quiet being present. Not engaging like on your phone, not chewing or eating food, versus the Hollywood Bowl, being outside expansive, the many moments of like camaraderie and communication, the the fact that you’re supposed to feel immersed in the experience. And so yeah, just just shocking, I think again, more more odd odd behavior, I would expect that if I was like, at, at a concert hall, I and I would, I would expect a specific level of like professionalism or your outdoor face however you want to say it. And I think can really, really damper they experience I, I’m I not being a parent, but felt so bad that this like mother had to leave. Not only because she was not enjoying it, but also she freakin works for the company. Here there was a moment to like, celebrate her and her work. And it’s like, oh, no, you don’t get to do that. Because you’ll have a child that I bet if every one of you just let her take care of the daughter right away there, she wouldn’t have been scared. But because of the energy people were giving towards that child. I’m sure the mom felt it. And of course, her daughter felt it right. Your kids, your kids know, when you’re scared and frustrated.

Stefanie Bautista 41:31
A high level of anxiety, mean all around. It’s kind of like, you know, being on a plane and your kid is just dealing with the turbulence. And don’t get us wrong. If this was a solely LA Philharmonic concert with them playing Dvorak and you know, a specific symphony. The decorum is obviously different. Like this is a classical performance. This is akin to being at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, where no phones are allowed. You’re not you know, able to speak to somebody unless it’s intermission. Those things still hold true. If you’re at the Hollywood Bowl for that specific thing. However, you’re at a Disney Concert. We are watching cartoons. It is interactive, they even encourage you to sing along. I think that was you know, did they miss that? I’m not sure. But…

Ariel Landrum 42:20
I don’t know. Because then they asked the audience to sing along for the big Elsa number myself. I don’t I don’t I don’t know. I don’t get it. I don’t understand.

Stefanie Bautista 42:31
Yeah, I mean, again, these are things to, to look out for, if you are at a group event such as this. I think managing expectations is what we’re always talking about. But you know, some things are out of your control. And I think the least we could do is understand them from our perspective. I mean, Ariel even offered her goldfish if she wanted some. And she took them and, you know, she was able to enjoy the Sorcerer’s Apprentice a little bit, I think. And you know, she she was able to calm down. I think she just needed time. And unfortunately, some people around we’re not willing to give them that time, even though they could have probably given it and it would have been for the betterment of everybody around us.

Ariel Landrum 43:14
Yes. And I think the other thing is, there’s always more than one way you can like resolve a problem. If it was really disrupting your experience. I know the ushers would have accommodated you a different seat like that, that would have been an option. Had you taken it like, “Hey, it’s just really taking us out of the the mood, you know, everyone else seems to be fine, but we’re not what are other seats that could be available?” I honestly do not think that the Hollywood Bowl would have been like, “No, you got to stay right there.”

Stefanie Bautista 43:45
Or if they did, they probably would have set the precedent of, hey, everybody is trying to enjoy it, especially the children. So I mean, even people, let’s say who were there might have been somebody who had Autism, or had an auditory processing thing, and they’re trying to enjoy it to it might not even have been a child and you know, we would have would gladly have accommodated them as well. So maybe the staff would have been like, you know, unfortunately, these are the realities of having a public event. And, you know, try your best to be an adult and deal with it.

Ariel Landrum 44:17
Yeah, it’s, you know, people be peopleing…

Stefanie Bautista 44:24
People be peopling. It is true, my friend. But, I mean, at the end of the day, it was such a beautiful performance. And it was so fun. It did not feel like as long as it probably was because we were so engaged. I think it was great that they just focused on the animation. So even though there wasn’t any Pixar there wasn’t any Marvel or Star Wars. It made you hone in on the basics of what makes Disney so enjoyable, which is, you know, storytelling, and, you know, the emotions that are evoked by those stories and you reintroducing things that we haven’t seen in a really long time, refresh, it made everything so fresh. And, you know, it was it was just nostalgic and great.

Ariel Landrum 45:10
Now, before we end, I’m curious for you, as a teacher, what? What does this event like make you think of? Or like, how, how would you find yourself using something like this in the classroom or outside?

Stefanie Bautista 45:23
I mean, I think just teaching a lesson or even introducing the different ways that we enjoy music. Not everybody has a music program. I know that was one of the first things that got cut, when all the budget cuts happened long, long ago. So even as just like a regular general classroom teacher, if you have a little bit of time to introduce music, this is a great way to do it. It’s not necessarily just soundtracks, these are sing along songs, these are things that you can challenge their comprehension, you can challenge their reading, they’re really the processing of their emotions, this could be a social emotional thing. There’s so many great aspects to using music and animation in your everyday lessons. And encouraging families to go to events like this, I think is a really good way to tie in community as well, I would have loved to seen, you know, people from the same school going to something like this, or you know, going to outdoor concerts doing, you know, fundraising and things like that for kids who might not have the opportunity to go to these concerts and maybe fundraise for them to experience something special that they might not have. And I know we have a lot of people in Los Angeles who have kids that not only attend public schools, but they also work for places like Disney Warner Brothers Universal. So really, you can tackle it from a lot of different ways from connecting community connecting arts and creative performances. And also we had children on stage.

Ariel Landrum 46:53
Yeah.

Stefanie Bautista 46:54
So if you have kids who love to sing, who want to pursue performing arts, not only take them to things like this, but also say, “Hey, if you want to do this one day, you have absolutely can, you can use this and make a career out of this because that is absolutely possible.” Diversity is always needed. They highlighted diversity in a really great way, I think in the choices and music selections. And I think kids have so much more to learn from attending events like this, if you know they’re able to. And, again, going back to what that little girl experience, she might have taken something different from that had the environment been different. So really, you could use this as like a teachable moment for you know, a young person who wants to be more connected to the things that they listened and enjoy.

Ariel Landrum 47:46
Yes, yes. And I think for me, so some of you may know that, and we learned this, I guess from Wreck-It Ralph 2, that Disney princesses have an “I Want” song where they essentially pour their heart out to like the thing that they dream of and wish for the most. And an intervention that I’ve done in session with clients is we have made our own “I Want” songs. And what they have done is they’ve just listed out all the things that they sort of like hope for. And then we put it in a Chat-GPT and ask Chat-GPT to make an “I Want” song, that’s that’s a “Disney Princess I Want song.” And I know like AI is is big hot button issue, and it’s taking over the world or whatever nonsense, but in that case, they aren’t really making a song. It’s really more of like a poem. And it’s using the words of the things that they want. But I’ve had a lot of clients who’ve, like put that on their mirrors like they’re their aspirational goals. And it’s been a way to just incorporate Disney in a very unique way that is tailored to the individual versus like, you know, “Oh, that reminds me of this character, their experience.” It’s like, “Oh, no, you get to be sort of like the princess and you get to sing your I want song and see it come to fruition.”

Stefanie Bautista 48:59
That’s kind of like an auditory vision board. I like. That’s super cool. I really really liked that. I like middle schoolers can do that. I think that’s really cool. Although we have you know, middle schoolers High School, even fifth graders, I think that’d be something that I’m going to suggest to my friends. But I mean, I think all together this was such an enjoyable event. I hope they do it again in the future. Maybe even just a specific Pixar one would be really cool to hear a lot of their music because their music is so different from I think the animation, but also a special in their own way. That is it. We we went pretty deep into this. And we had a lot of feelings but you know as Disney movies do, they evoked a lot of emotion from us.

Ariel Landrum 49:44
So if you went to this experience or some other live performance for Disney music, go ahead and Tweet at us @happiestpodGT or DM us on Instagram @happiestpodGT.

Stefanie Bautista 49:56
Wait.. do we call it tweets still?

Ariel Landrum 49:58
Oh, I’m sorry… uhhh…

Stefanie Bautista 50:02
Don’t be sorry. That is not your fault. I don’t like that whatsoever.

Ariel Landrum 50:08
Yeah, I’m uh, I’m still sticking with tweet, because no one has given up an alternative. Ah, and I do not like the X. I don’t, whatever. So yeah, Tweet at us.

Stefanie Bautista 50:21
Tweet at us. And also, Ariel did a really great write up on our website as well. And she included all of our fun pictures. We had a jolly old time we really tried. Even though we were all humid and frizzy at the end of the night, it was all good. We took her cute pictures and it was fine. So if you had a great experience, go ahead and message us. We had a lot of fun and hopefully we’ll see you at the next event.

Ariel Landrum 50:46
Yeah, bye!

Stefanie Bautista 50:48
Bye everyone!

Media/Characters Mentioned
  • Mulan
  • Fantasia
  • Sorcerer Mickey
  • Encanto
  • Hercules
  • Meg
  • Tangled
  • Mother Gothel
  • Ursula
  • Ariel
  • Jafar
  • Scar
  • Simba
  • Peter Pan
Topics/Themes Mentioned
  • Mental Wellness
  • Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Disney’s 100th Anniversary
  • Disneybounding
  • Hollywood Bowl Experience
  • Accessibility and Accommodations
  • Emotional Impact of Music
  • Audience Behavior and Expectations
  • Educational Value of Disney Events
  • Community Engagement
  • Cultural Sensitivity and Inclusion
  • Family-Friendly Entertainment

Website: happy.geektherapy.com
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 | Stef on Twitter: @stefa_kneee | Ariel on Instagram: @airyell3000 |

Geek Therapy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with the mission of advocating for the effective and meaningful use of popular media in therapeutic, educational, and community practice.
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Welcome to The Happiest Pod on Earth! On the Geek Therapy Network we believe that the best way to understand each other, and ourselves, is through the media we care about. On this show, we focus exclusively on Disney!

Hosted by Stefanie Bautista and Ariel Landrum!

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Recent Episodes

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