Name :
Miranda Sparks
Miranda Sparks
Age :
34
34
Pronouns :
She/her/hers
She/her/hers
Occupation/calling/profession/craft :
There are honestly so many things.
There are honestly so many things.
I've been a musician, a comedian, a radio presenter, a painter, an artist, a critic, but if I had to choose a big one it would be 'writer'. It's what I've been doing the longest.
For money, however, I facilitate a monthly depression/anxiety/mental health support group transgender and gender non-conforming folk.
Tell us a bit about what makes you, you :
I'm a transgender woman, survivor of the evangelical church, lover of most things 1990's, with an autistic fixation on comic books and superheroes. Ask me anything about DC and/or Marvel and I'll probably be able to tell you, unless it has to do with the X-Men. (Somehow I skipped that class.)
I'm a transgender woman, survivor of the evangelical church, lover of most things 1990's, with an autistic fixation on comic books and superheroes. Ask me anything about DC and/or Marvel and I'll probably be able to tell you, unless it has to do with the X-Men. (Somehow I skipped that class.)
Most of all I want to say that I'm an aspiring optimist. I've resolved to not let pessimists lay claim to being a 'realist', and refuse to be dismissed as naive for it.
What are you passionate about :
Apart from superheroes? Mental health. Queer and trans issues. Actually getting down and supporting members of the community on a personal level, which is so very needed when activism burns you out.
Apart from superheroes? Mental health. Queer and trans issues. Actually getting down and supporting members of the community on a personal level, which is so very needed when activism burns you out.
What makes you angry :
People who speak and act in bad faith, who scapegoat entire groups because of the choices they've made or for the way they were born, or refuse the see the humanity in others.
People who speak and act in bad faith, who scapegoat entire groups because of the choices they've made or for the way they were born, or refuse the see the humanity in others.
What inspires you :
There are no good people in the world, but there are people who do good. I compare them to the superheroes I love so much, and watching them makes the impossible seem possible.
There are no good people in the world, but there are people who do good. I compare them to the superheroes I love so much, and watching them makes the impossible seem possible.
What makes you feel powerful :
Standing with my feet apart, back straight, with hands on hips for five minutes a day, imagining that I'm Wonder Woman.
Standing with my feet apart, back straight, with hands on hips for five minutes a day, imagining that I'm Wonder Woman.
Tell us about what happens in a day in the life of you :
I wake up of a morning, and I'll eat my breakfast. Then, I make a to-do list. The list is my religion, and it keeps me on track.
I wake up of a morning, and I'll eat my breakfast. Then, I make a to-do list. The list is my religion, and it keeps me on track.
It's made up of the most basic things; shower, take your medication, do the dishes, write at least five hundred words of fiction, go outside at least once, talk to another person, and add whatever needs to be done that day. The last couple are part of an exposure therapy routine to keep me from slipping back into agoraphobia.
Some things are more difficult to approach than others, but focusing on one thing at a time and sharpening my discipline allows me to get through it. Then at the end of the day, even if I've only completed a handful of tasks, I'm left with a sense of accomplishment that helps me through depressive spells. (I try very hard to finish the list everyday, though.)
What is your life advice :
Don't be perfect, and feel things honestly. Nobody ever succeeded in shaming someone back to health, so feel as good, bad, or neutral as you need for as long as you need, always.
Thank you Miranda! Have a read of Miranda's writing over at www.shimmerverse.com and for more info on Trans Mission read below :
Don't be perfect, and feel things honestly. Nobody ever succeeded in shaming someone back to health, so feel as good, bad, or neutral as you need for as long as you need, always.
Thank you Miranda! Have a read of Miranda's writing over at www.shimmerverse.com and for more info on Trans Mission read below :
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