Hello all you beautiful people!

I am…Alive. July was a whirlwind in multiple, not so fun ways. It’s a long, uncomfortable list, but the summary is that I had medical issues flare up while trying to finish the last section of my intense journalism class, and then immediately spilled water on my computer which put me out of working commission for way too long.

If you’ve been wondering why I’ve been so quiet, that’s why!

Thank you to all of my Patreons and everyone who monetarily supports me in other ways. This month, your money helped me pay for the Guild of National Science Illustrators online conference! I was able to attend and watch so many different workshops. It was all online, but worth every penny.

I am following the recording for the botanical art workshop, which is discussing using watercolor to capture flora and fauna. It’s so hard, and I’m hoping I can level up my watercolor skills.

And thank you to my parents for helping me pay for my summer classes! Couldn’t do this without you!

Due to focusing on my journalism class, I had to forgo . However, I did manage to finish two fun little science animations for you all:

Fun fact: a lot of my thesis was on GTPases! The receptor I was studying mediated this very cycle in platelets!

I’m currently working on a “behind the scenes” video for a platelet animation, and I was going to make a video for these two as well…And then I completely forgot like the doofus that I am. I got too caught up in the process.

I’ve paid for a book cover and I’m already getting drafts! The artists is absolutely demolishing the art. I can’t wait for you all so see it!

Patreons will be the first to see the cover when it comes out, as well as the concept art behind the cover.

For those new here, I’m working on a fantasy comedy book with dragon and a lot of science!

As for the editing, I’ve been dragging my feet on rewriting two key scenes. I need to get those done, and then I’ll be done with my major developmental editing issues. I’ve also been line editing the rest of the book in the meantime (it’s the writer’s equivalent of “I have my thesis to write but look at the housework that I need to do!” Useful procrastination.) I’m also currently hunting down a fantasy line editor (who checks for grammar and readability).

I also wrote the prologue for Book 2, which already has a name and a whole plot laid out. Was this also a way to procrastinate on my scene rewrites? Yes, but that’s not important.

I actually have two major illustrations right now, but this one is coming along (compared to the never ending peacock one…)

I may try to animate it? We will see. I’m playing around with the art in Toonsquid and seeing what I can get away with.

Resources to help Spokane recover from the wildfires.

Due to some of the recent rhetoric towards my hometown, this section evolved into a plea for kindness.

How do science communicators navigate a world shifting towards insularity?

This global report here shows that in these constantly trying times, cultures have begun to shift to hostility towards groups they deem as “other.” I’m seeing currently in the online discussions about my hometown, Spokane, apparently deserving to suffer from the devastating wildfires because it is (apparently) red and “[Spokanites] voted for this.” Truly horrifying language thrown around when people are losing their homes and choking on the smoke.

It is tempting to join others in this cathartic verbal teardown when we see certain groups suffer. However, when you’re a science communicator, you have a hard pill to swallow when it comes to approaching groups rife with prejudice:

You cannot bend the knee to insularity.

You cannot have that moment of catharsis.

Bite back your retorts and show some empathy.

This is easy to say when houses are being lost and a city is on fire, but this rhetoric seeps into other, subtler discussions. People in rural areas lose Medicaid? “They voted for this.” Farmers lose their lively hood due to losing government assistance? “Reap what you sow.” Whether we want to admit it or not, we’ve already withdrawn empathy from and we speak so callously about them.

“But they voted to harm—!”

Firstly, if you want to be successful as a science communicator, you may have to retrain yourself to empathize with the “other” again. I personally did (and still am); it’s a long and hard process. Secondly, I would hope that you began science communication with the intent to better people’s lives, and that seeing people suffer will spur you to action.

Thirdly, yes. Their actions may have done harm. But they may not have known that at the time. Due to the spread of misinformation, it is very easy for someone, even someone well educated, to vote wrong. Or they were making a decision that they hoped would help them survive, not realizing there were other strings attached. If you have the chance, use your empathy to dig into their “why.” This is usually very reasonable fear, like wanting food and safety. And once you have the “why,” you can provide better alternatives for them to address that fear.

It would feel wonderful to tell all those people who “voted for this” that this is what they deserve, they are reaping what they sowed, and all those clever lines about karma. It feels cathartic in the moment. But your job as a science communicator it is to drive a change in behavior. That behavior may be shifting one’s on vaccines, changing how one tackles climate change, disbelieving misinformation, or even striving to seek more knowledge. Whatever that may be, at the end of the day, the science communicator needs their audience to respond to their content.

No one responds well to “I told you so.” No one listens when they’re being called an idiot or a moron. And once they’re deaf to your insults, your science communication will be ignored as well. I mean, you would do the same if some stranger started saying all that to your face, right?

Strategically, if you approach with empathy, those you’re hoping to connect with are more likely to perceive you as someone who could fit into their group.

Do they support JFK JR because they’re terrified of the vaccine? Hear them out; maybe they don’t have access to good healthcare and this feels like the most accessible way for them to control their health situation. Maybe they haven’t been able to ask a healthcare professional their pressing questions, and could only find info via their local anti-vax group. Would they like to chat about their concerns with a science communicator?

They think climate change is a hoax? Maybe have them share good memories of how summer used to be, or how amazing those winters were. Don’t they want their grandkids to experience those?

To be clear I’m not calling for forgiveness. You can have empathy for people without forgiving them. And of course, please have limits on your empathy. For me, my limits are fascists, Nazis, ICE agents, certain politicians, etc. Know your limits and boundaries before you go into the field.

In this time of insularity, one of the most radical acts we can do is be empathetic. When we do so as science communicators—showing care to a parent who is afraid of a vaccine because they wants to protect their children or listening to the farmer who voted against climate change initiatives because they were terrified of losing their farm—we will begin to shift behaviors. Slowly, but surely.

That’s all I have for you! In the meantime, I’m still job hunting. We’re back in the trenches now that my journalism class is done and I can put that class on my resume.

Again, if you like what I do and want to support me while keeping my material free to access, you can join my Patreon or make a one-time tip on KoFi!

-Becca