Exposure

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my process of emergence, including dropping the E in my business name so that it is Hart Communication, a play on my last name LockHART. I have been keenly aware, sometimes with excitement, sometimes with trepidation, that once one has Emerged, one is Exposed.

I've had two speaking engagements, both with groups of folks I hadn't met before. The presentations went well and the groups were wonderful. I was accepted for the weeklong artist residency I applied for! The icing on the cake is that a dear friend and I applied to go together and we were both accepted. These have been affirming experiences, ones I'd characterize more as being seen than being exposed.

The biggest exposure for this month, however, is yet to come. Well, actually it's happening as you read this. Today I am taking a leap of faith that feels HUUUUUUUGE. Many of you know that two years ago I created my Cards for Remembering deck, a card deck with original art and messages of self-connection, self-care, and self-compassion. The leap I am taking is to launch a Kickstarter camapign to raise funds to print a 2nd edition deck! The new deck will add 4 news cards for a total of 48 cards and will include a digital guidebook, which the 1st edition didn't have. Unlike the 1st edition decks, which were manufactured in China, the 2nd edition will be printed in the United States.

Kickstarter campaigns are all-or-nothing campaigns- if I don't get enough pledges to reach my goal, I get nothing and the printing won't happen.

Admitting this makes my heart beat faster. I can feel the tension in my neck. At this point I don't know if this exposure will lead to a joyful celebration of success or a tearful mourning after falling down in front of a whole lot of people. For this recovering perfectionist the stakes feel really high. And still I'm choosing to take the leap.

12 of the 48 card images from the Cards for Remembering deck. cards will have rounded edges.

As I write this, I am aware that the world is hurting with the continuing war in Ukraine, continuing violence in Israel/Palestine, continuing violence in other parts of the world, continuing divisions in the U.S. that only seem to be widening. The U.S. is hurting even more after another young white man fueled by white supremacist hate killed 10 people, mostly Black, over the weekend. These things, too, are exposure. Exposure of the deep brokenness of the world and times we live in.

On the one hand, in comparison to these sharp pains, a campaign to raise funds for my cards may seem trivial and inconsequential. On the other hand, I know that these messages are a balm to people who are hurting, and offer softness, inspiration, relief, or sometimes even, as someone wrote about a particular card in the deck said, "a lot of therapy from a little card!!

And so, if you are seeking balm for your pain, softness, inspiration, relief, a little deck of therapy, I hope you'll make a pledge, supporting both my labor of love and your own well-being. If making a pledge isn't for you, I would be so grateful for you to share the campaign. If you're not sure how to do that, I'd be happy to help. My Kickstarter campaign page will go live next Tuesday, May 24 at 9:00am ET. You can see the campaign preview here now. There's a place to leave questions and comments. I'd love to know what you think!

I'll be tinkering and tweaking it until I launch, but the important information is already on the page. If you want to be notified when the campaign launches, there's a handy little button on the page that says "Notify me on launch."


As I prepare for the Kickstarter launch, I also have my online Communicating Across Divides workshop coming up on the evening of Monday, May 23. I'm still working on updating Seeking the Shalom of the City, and preparing for summer classes. I've been getting feedback that daytime in-person classes may be tricky for folks, so I added an evening Compassionate Communication class via Zoom. One note about the summer classes- I would love to have intergenerational participation and have a special scholarship/student rate for high school and college students!

Knowing all that is going on for me, having heard that lots of people I know are experiencing BIG THINGS right now, I wonder what is happening for you.

As you consider your own life, your community, our world, what do you see being exposed?

What feelings arise in response?

Are there parts of you, your community, our world that you wish would be seen more clearly?

What are your hopes?

With curiosity and gratitude,
Cory