Page 15: So, let's bring about a change.

Artist: Dawnika To

 

Page description and purpose:  ​For page 15, Dawnika will create an under-the-sea protest with sea life involved — fish, dolphins, etc., with picket signs emerging from dense seaweed, held by little fins. Punctuation marks (such as ! ? . , —) will feature on smaller signs, which both emphasise the emotional aspects of leading up to and implementing a necessary change — "!" for assertion, "?" to question why the world is the way it is — and serve as an educational element of the book for young readers. The themes woven into this page are grassroots, waste, call to change, ocean hygiene, and recycled materials. Change is brought about through action.

 

Changing the world can seem out of reach, but we can start with ourselves. The grand changes we seek in the world begin with the quiet, determined choices we each act upon — collective action and individual choice are inseparable, as collective change requires us each to take a part. Changing ourselves can seem just as daunting as changing the world. We each hold full responsibility over our inner worlds and outer actions, and while it's empowering, it can also be a frightening task to grapple with the self and love all you see. But when we do, when we claim the autonomy of our own minds and affirm agency over our attitudes and actions, we become the sole authors of our own lives. And when we write our own dialogues of understanding, the collective narrative inevitably shifts toward justice and connection too. Sometimes we can become disheartened, and this frailty leads to apathy, but our tolerance of injustice can lose out to our newfound power of self-knowing when we realise how powerful self-autonomy truly is, and how impactful we each are to collective influence. Let's each rewrite the script of "othering" — to end monologues of judgement and fear, and begin ones of understanding. With each new scene, we can choose to close on prejudice and open with compassion. There's always an interchange of power — at times it's ambiguous who is guiding whom — but remember: we can all have influence. This page will represent the powerful societal changes we can create when each of us plays our part.

​

Welcome to All Other, Dawnika. I'm excited to see the sensory page you create.