Curtis Wiklund
This year, I like to think I’m leaning ever so slightly towards PRO, so says my festive, new Valentine’s Day earrings. They’re little arrows, like cupid’s arrows. Subtle, I know. Problem is, these arrows seem to have a mind of their own. I put them on so they’re placed in diagonals as if they’d just been shot from cupid’s bow but as the day goes on, I find they’ve rotated down. I can’t help but think it’s a sign, like they know something I don’t. The earrings, once ever so slightly PRO, are trying to harsh my attempt at a positive vibe and go full ANTI, using those arrows to burst any red balloon that passes by. So for those out there who also share both sides of the Valentine’s Day coin, I offer you these inspired selections.
PRO: Heading up the PRO debate is wedding photography duo Curtis and Jordin Wiklund. Curtis is also an illustrator who has taken to, among other things, drawing pictures of married life with his wife, Jordin. The couple met as kids on the same t-ball team, dated throughout high school and since his proposal on crowded bus with all their loved ones, have been happily married. Curtis draws moments throughout their courtship to varied stages of completion but all are beautiful, charming, even cinematic snap shots of everyday life. He’s working on a book of these funny, heart-warming drawings, and I for one can’t wait. I signed up for a notice when it’s released, you should too!
ANTI: Coming in strong with a heart-shaped box grenade is the show that is a hide-under-covers, laugh-out-loud cringe-fest – Mortified. Last night, I attended the annual Doomed Valentines Show. Fine, maybe my ANTI isn’t all the earrings’ fault. Mortified is a series of live performances where regular folks get up onstage and share their teen diaries - a collection all things strange and embarrassing - including drawings, songs, letters and photos. The audience cringes, laughs and cheers on the performers’ awkward 12 to 16 year old selves – validation at last.
Mortified lives up to its subtitle, Share the Shame. I spent most of the night laughing, squirming in my seat and watching every performance through my scarf that I placed over my head to shield myself from the shared embarrassment. Kudos to the performers who got up onstage, in front of a large crowd and speak from their adolescent selves. Kudos also to the Mortified After School Orchestra who use the instruments we all were assigned in band class but now get to play much cooler songs. Each show closes with the band’s rendition of The Faces’ Ooh La La and the Mortified mantra: We are freaks. We are fragile. And we survived. Between all the taffeta, hormones, failed sexual encounters, bad hair, and dramatic declarations, that’s the point, we all survived.
If you want to check it out for or yourself, grab a blankie and find the documentary Mortified Nation on Netflix. As for live performances, they’re held globally so grab a scarf and check one of those out too! If you're the more bookish type, there are two: Mortified: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic, and Mortified: Love is a Battlefield
As for the Valentine's Day coin, whether you’re sporting festive earrings or launching heart-shaped box grenades, I wish you much love and laughs this year!