When my world fell apart I wanted a magic wand. I knew I needed something big to turn it around. I hoped if I waved the wand over a number of people they would change their behaviour and I would be okay. I wanted a magic wand and what I got was a 'ticket', a very small gesture of self care. I wrote it down on the back of a piece of paper (a ticket). Then I wrote a second ticket about another thing I'd done to take care of myself, and then another, and then another, and then another, and then another ..... I realised that I couldn't change other people's behaviour but I could turn my life around - one ticket at a time. These lessons about taking care and working through the tough stuff have been some of the most valuable lessons of my life. I'm still using them 10 years later and feel so much stronger that I was before. By sharing these tickets, and inviting you to share yours, I hope we can inspire others to take care and get through their tough stuff.
Welcome to Tickets on Myself
Tickets on Myself is a community art project about taking care of ourselves. Do you remember how people used to say that someone had 'tickets on themselves?' Generally this meant they were very confident. This website aims to build confidence - in taking care of ourselves. It invites people from around the world to write on tickets (blank pieces of paper) about what they are doing to take care of themselves. It shows how focusing on what we do to take care of ourselves can help us find our strength and build our capacity to get through the challenges life throws our way. There are four easy steps to participate:
Sharing your ticket with us can help to inspire others. Please take a couple of minutes to share your ticket.
- Grab a ticket: a ticket is simply a piece of paper. You can use a blank piece of paper, one of our blank postcards, a receipt (train ticket, concert ticket, shopping receipt etc ), or a photo or image from a magazine
- Decorate the ticket to show one thing you have done to take care of yourself (write on it, paint it, add collage …anything)
- Write a few words about what you did to take care of yourself
- Send it to us: you can scan it (there are lots of great free scan apps like CamScanner for smart phones) and then email it to us, or post a copy (details below).
Sharing your ticket with us can help to inspire others. Please take a couple of minutes to share your ticket.
What's new
We've just set up a facebook page - please check us out here. We are also introducing a quarterly newsletter. To subscribe please enter your email address in the space below and then click on the 'subscribe to newsletter' button.
What you will find on the website
On this website you will find instructions for participating, hundreds of examples of tickets shared by people around the world, ticketing theory, early analysis of ticketing themes and some focused ticketing projects. You'll find pages covering:
- About:
- Benefits: important reasons to participate
- Participation: more information on how to participate
- Themes: early analysis of ticket themes
- Themes:
- Gratitude: make gratitude your attitude
- Enough: tell your brain what to think
- Soothe: soothe yourself when things are tough
- Imperfection: recognise and embrace your imperfections
- Fat Goose: an annual project about taking care at Christmas
- Mixed: a mixed collection of tickets
- Groups
- High Hopes: taking care during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Assault
- [out]smart: things LGBTIQ people do to take care.
Contact us
You can post us a ticket at: PO Box 1377 St Kilda South, Victoria 3028 Australia. Or you can scan and email your ticket to: ticketsonmyself@gmail.com
Need some support?
If you need to chat to someone about taking care of yourself there are loads of good people out there ready to listen. In Australia Lifeline is available 24 hours a day by calling 13 11 14. beyondblue provides a similar services and can be contacted on 1300 22 4636.