C. Ondine Chavoya: What constitutes an intervention?
Valerie Tevere: A disruption of normative societal values and codes.
“I just need to get through the week.” A mantra turned meme/coping mechanism over the course of the last three years because of how the last three years have gone. I’m not going to sit here and recite everything that’s happened, I’m just going to say the mask mandates are going down again for the fourth (fifth?) time and COVID cases are rising again. It’s discouraging, and exhausting. So I decided, as an exhausted illustration major, to make a short animated video about burnout and the signs of it.
Some of the artists that inspired me to do this project are the Biotic Baking Brigade, Pina Varnel, Valerie Tevere.
The Biotic Baking Brigade are a group of seasoned activists that specialize in using slapstick comedy for their causes. By that, I mean they record themselves throwing pies in the faces of powerful and influential figures in the world. Would I ever have the courage to do that ever? By all means: no. But I have to respect the BBB for having the humor and audacity.
Pina Varnel is a comic creator, known online for her series ADHD Alien. Through their colorful comics, Varnel talks about living with ADHD and bringing awareness to the many ways it can affect aspects of your life from where you last left something, to work ethics, to social relationships. Through their comics, many people have learned more about ADHD , as well as help people with ADHD (whether they’re diagnosed or undiagnosed) learn they’re not alone in their experiences and better understand themselves.
Valerie Tevere is an artist-in-residence, whose work utilizes video, social activism, and micro-radio broadcasts to make and distribute her work. One of her projects was an interactive DVD about the privatization of public spaces, done by casually asking passersby in Amsterdam to describe a public and private space. In Tevere’s words, “I think of humor, play, and satire as disarming and necessary tactics employed to catch power off-guard.”
My last inspiration is the project “Can’t Help Myself” by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu. The exhibit was a robot, contained in clear acrylic walls, tasked with containing a blood-like liquid within a predetermined area. It was first installed in 2016, and over the years had begun to slow down in its movements. The exhibit had also gained traction on platforms such as TikTok towards 2019. People would sympathize with the robot and give their interpretations of it, with comments like “It looks frustrated with itself, like it really wants to be finally done,” and “It looks so tired and unmotivated,”
In both research, and personal experience, there are a list of things that can contribute to burnout. One article states “Issues like the politicization of masks and vaccines and feelings of lack of support from the government and workplaces have caused workers—especially those in public-facing jobs—to become cynical about their jobs and about the public in general.” In another article, a doctor mentions “It’s really easy to blow off your own symptoms, especially in our culture, where we’re taught to work hard,” In the same article, it’s said “Despite popular culture coverage of the issue, burnout can’t be “fixed” with better self care, Dr. Maslach said — in fact, this implication only worsens the problem, because it lays the blame and responsibility on those with burnout and implies that they should do more to feel better, which is not the case,”
My message for the audience is simple: You are not above burnout. None of us are above burnout, and some of us are probably going through it without realizing it, or trying to push it away in order to focus on being productive (as an unfortunate thing capitalism does is try to make us equate wealth, worth, and well-being with productivity.) My goal with this short animation is to teach others about burnout in simplest terms, garner a laugh or two out of it, and hopefully help people understand that they’re not alone in what they’re feeling. Burnout sucks, but it’s not their fault, and sometimes people have to be reminded of that so they don’t beat themselves up over it.
Abramson, Ashley. “Burnout and Stress Are Everywhere.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, 1 Jan. 2022, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/01/special-burnout-stress#:~:text=From%20longer%20work%20hours%20to,heightening%20everyone's%20risk%20of%20burnout.
“Biotic Baking Brigade.” The Influencers, 24 May 2013, https://theinfluencers.org/en/biotic-baking-brigade.
“Can't Help Myself.” The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation, https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/34812.
Moyer, Melinda Wenner. “Your Body Knows You're Burned Out.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/well/live/burnout-work-stress.html.
Sanchez, Olivia. “Burnout Symptoms Increasing among College Students.” The Hechinger Report, 30 July 2021, https://hechingerreport.org/burnout-symptoms-increasing-among-college-students/.
Smith, Melinda, et al. “Burnout Prevention and Treatment.” HelpGuide.org, 24 Mar. 2022, https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm#:~:text=Burnout%20is%20a%20state%20of,unable%20to%20meet%20constant%20demands.
Thompson, Nato, et al. The Interventionists: Users' Manual for the Creative Disruption of Everyday Life. MASS MoCA, 2005.
“What Is the 'Can't Help Myself' Art Exhibit Going Viral on TikTok?” Dexerto, 15 Nov. 2021, https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/cant-help-myself-exhibit-tiktok-1699095/.
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