A thought (about the Masters)

[laura_seabrook]

Was talking to my counsellor about a lot of things this morning. But something became immediately apparent when I was talking about how upset I'd felt about failing to get my masters application in by the deadline, and later discovering that my idea (completing the Trans Tarot Deck) probably wouldn't be accepted.

She asked me what I have a passion for and without a moment's hesitation said "comics!" And it keeps coming back to this - two projects I mentioned and started back last August:

Gender Transition for Innocents
Examines the queer and trans theory of 'Gender Transition' as theorised in relation to personal and public experience. To be presented finally in a paper format similar to Scott McCloud's 'Understanding Comics' (I hope).

Real Life Test 
Autobiographical account focussed on journeys, transitions, and changes taken by the author (some of which involved religious and gender transitions).

I decided not to go ahead with Real Life Test at the time, and haven't been able to get back to Gender transition for Innocents. I look at communities like transgender and all I see is bitching and division, and it just doesn't encourage doing stuff like that.

But it has occurred to me that rather than do these as "just" web comics, maybe instead I could make them into my Master's work. I'll still need to do research related to it, but this feels right. I feel optimistic again.

Comments

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Afternoon (GMT) Laura.

You're braver than me on that front!

I have to admit that the last thing on earth I wanted to talk about when I headed for uni as an 18 year old undergrad transitioned but pre op were THOSE issues!

By the time I'd got round to graduate studies I was post op (thank the lord for that early adumbration of the 'gap year' concept :o) and already deeply embedded in the historical research which has become my career.

Funny- I've never felt like doing anything autobiographical as I suspect that it would be utterly uninteresting to the overwhelming majority of people. Got sorted, got educated, got a job, got a serious boyfriend, got married in that approximate order :o)

Boring, n'est pas?

Hope your Masters sorts itself out!

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's bravery or not, and for a while I did worry that maybe bitterness might have influenced me in this.

I mean, I did get educated, but have yet to get a job, get a serious boyfriend (or girlfriend, or even a non-serious lover), or get married. Perhaps if I did there might be "more at stake" for me to pursue either project. Not that I'm disparaging any of the above. You're following your path and that is extremely important and more power to you for the happiness that results!

But  it seems that as much as I might such things myself, that isn't my path, and I know it. This might sound crazy, but I know that I'm meant to do both of these books, felt that for a long long time. So really, I ought to get started sometime.

The stumbling block now is the research paper that needs to accompany these. I guess I'm really going to have to research trans/queer theory, and maybe ideas about biographical content.

No wonder the previous application didn't go anywhere - my heart wasn't in it.

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

Whoa - might have just sent you a post meant for jessie_c - ignore it (or read it on http://jessie-c.livejournal.com/145326.html (though I see you've posted there already).