Team Blog Post – Jaelyn Jones for Swallowing Clouds

Working with children in various capacities over the past few months has given me a desire to reconnect with my childhood identity. When I think back, I remember moments and memories of my childhood, but I have a hard time recalling my sense of self at the time. I’ve convinced myself that if I could construct a perfectly accurate image of what I was like, or if I could just hang out with little Jae for an afternoon, I would unlock the secrets of who I am now. 

Identity Swim: The Tiny Tide Inside

Identity is the negative space between the things I say without thinking and the things I think without saying

It is a picture made of floating objects, swept up by the wind 

It is mythical…

And it is Illogical, and it is irrelevant, and it is I

A tiny tide inside an abysmal ancient amalgam-ous ocean 

The thing I wish I could do most with little Jae is to make art with her. I want access to her ideas, curiosities, emotions, sense of play, and wonder. I feel so lucky that in working as a SCAF I get to interact with the imaginative minds of children, reconnecting with my creative inner child in the process. When I get to work with all the thoughtful, artistic, exceptional, brilliant, expressive, and kind kids who come to Swallowing Clouds, I imagine that little Jae would adore a program like this. For her, I will forever follow the tiny tide inside that has continued to draw me towards art making, from childhood into adulthood over and over and over again.