How To Journal With Art, Zines, And Fabrics With Dal Kular

In this episode of Inner Views, host Jackee Holder sits down with Dal Kular—a creative facilitator, writer, mentor, and journal keeper who goes far beyond the traditional written word.Following a life-altering brain injury in 2022 that severely impacted her cognitive writing abilities, Dal discovered a brand new intuitive language: visual journaling, zines, and the ancient art of stitch. In this slow, deeply nourishing conversation, we explore how creative practices serve as a therapeutic "cooking pot"—unearthing transgenerational memories, processing trauma, and establishing a profound, reciprocal relationship with the land.Whether you consider yourself "creative" or are simply looking for a new way to heal and self-reflect, this episode is a beautiful reminder that our stories are carried in our bones and are wanting to be expressed.The "Stitchy" Language: How Dal used a needle, fabric, and textures to stay connected to her creative flow when traditional words became difficult to sequence.Zines as a Cooking Pot: Transforming personal narratives into physical, lo-fi, DIY artifacts that exist entirely outside the corporate publishing gaze.Ancestral & Land-cestral Archives: Following intuitive breadcrumbs to connect with lost family histories, including the profound impact of the 1947 Partition of India.Love Notes to Nature: Exploring Dal's award-winning film, what happens when we view nature as a reciprocal relationship, and the provocative question: What if women made maps without borders?00:00 – Welcome to Inner Views: Celebrating the power of the pen03:46 – Meeting Dalbinder Kaur Kular07:56 – Understanding autoethnography: Placing the personal into the political11:45 – The Wild Ink portal: Giving yourself permission to explore wildness through zines14:40 – Unearthing transgenerational trauma and the impact of the Partition of India18:53 – Channels of connection: An ancestor knocking in the bones20:59 – Writing to "Auntie Audre": Letter writing as a profound prompt27:31 – Why zines are like a cooking pot for our contradictory experiences33:52 – Deconstructing history: Creating visual letters and ancestral scrolls37:56 – Archival justice and the language of stitch44:08 – Moving to visual mixed-media journaling after a brain injury54:03 – Commonplace books and drawing trees to hold challenging experiences56:16 – Love Notes to Nature and walking the freedoms of our people01:00:42 – Redefining boundaries: What if women made maps?01:03:44 – Practices of erosion on Gometra: Dissolving what doesn't belong to you01:06:49 – Today's Journaling Prompt: "Dear Nature..."01:09:58 – Host Reflection: Coming full circle 25 years laterTake a piece of paper and write a letter starting with "Dear Nature...", "Dear Earth...", or focus on a granular element like "Dear Back Garden" or a specific tree. Write freely. When you are finished, quiet your mind and write a response back to yourself from the perspective of that land. What does it want to tell you?Connect with Dal Kular:Read her essays on Substack: A Wild ArchiveFollow her on Instagram: @DalKularWatch the award-winning short film: Love Notes to NatureSubscribe & Review: If this conversation touched your heart or inspired you to create, please subscribe, leave a comment, and share this episode with someone who needs it. Let's keep celebrating the power of the pen and hand together.In this episode, we explore:Episode Timestamps:Today’s Reflective Prompt: