Antonym

Mis dis un im dis de…”Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. These prefixes are added to a base word to create a new word with an opposite meaning. Understanding how to create antonyms by using these prefixes can help to expand your vocabulary and improve your ability to express yourself in English. Additionally, it can help you to understand the meaning of new words that you come across.” —-ESLBUZZ.com

Unbelieve, Untie, Undo, Disassemble, Deconstruct, Disolve, Disaffiliate, Disenchanted, Untangle, Disbelieve, Disagree, Disconnect, Defamiliarlize, Disassociate, Disrupt, Disjoin, Disintegrate, Misplace, Misjudge, Misconstruct, Misinformation, Misunderstand

Creating antonyms form different meanings of words. Reading Marla Taviano’s book Unbelieve helped validate the antonyms I felt after leaving organized religion. When you’ve been assimilated into a certain world view all your life, leaving that familiar territory can feel disorienting. It can feel lonely. Unbelieve is a collection of poems that put into words the feelings we have of disolving a belief system that no longer works for us. I could stop gaslighting myself as I read Marla’s words.

Unbelief is a process of untying, undoing and untangling the beliefs and assumptions and expectations that have been handed to us for as long as we can remember.

Personally, my undoing happend over the course of at least 10 years. It was not instantaneous. It was not abrupt. It was a slow unraveling and disolving of who I thought I SHOULD be.

Dispite some parts of this process being extremely dificult to navigate, there are other parts that are quite beutiful and freeing.

I wanted to create a piece of art that represents what it feels like (at least for me!) to go through the process of Unbelief. To unbelieve, we allow ourselves time to mourn and let go. We give ourselves space to feel. It might seem like we are very alone, but when we allow ourselves the ability to be open and honesty and vulerable with others around us, the beautiful parts of our unraveling can happen. The tightly knotted ropes of rules and expectations that have restrained us for so long slowly loosen and fall away, revealing beautiful threads of gold that shimmer and shine and weave in and out of the most surprising connections to those around us.

If you find yourself at any stage of unbelief, I highly reccomend you get yourself a copy of Marla’s book Unbelieve and find comfort within her words, find assurance between the lines, find validation on every page and find a commonality in all the antonyms of our vastly different lives yet very similar experiences!

If you’d like a print of this piece I’m calling Antonym, visit my shop here!