Support Esra's Path to Stability and Healing

My name is Esra, I make music as 8ULENTINA, and I am urgently seeking financial support. As I continue to look for additional work to supplement gig labor, I am hoping to raise enough to maintain secure housing, pay my utilities, and seek out physical therapy treatment for my post top surgery chronic pain. As a trans person coming from an Arab background I have been struggling to manage the emotional trauma and grief from a reality of constant loss and suppression. My art practice has always been a central part of how I have processed and navigated this grief but with chronic pain and constant financial stress it's been hard to show up to my practice with the intentionality it deserves. I am also aware that work of this kind, from people of my background, is rarely supported and sustained.

Due to increasing costs of living and a challenging job market, as well as missing out on pay due to solidarity strikes, I haven’t been able to set aside time or money to seek care. With encouragement from my friends and community, I am hoping to find some relief and to get out of the cycle of barely scraping by.

I am so proud of everything I have accomplished creatively in the past year; starting my new label SILLAGE, putting on multiple experimental shows and releasing an album completely on my own. But unfortunately the finished product is not often a reflection of actual financial stability or financial profit. It’s been difficult to slow down and reflect on any of my successes while barely being able to cover my life expenses. And on a personal level, it has been hard to show up for myself and my community without access to stable housing and the ability to manage my physical pain. For the past decade I have poured so much of myself into my work and into the music community, often resourcing others before myself. My chosen family and collaborators have made me realize that I am in need of support and stability.

Here’s a breakdown of how the funds raised will be spent:

Rent

Utilities

Food

Acupuncture and Physical Therapy to manage my chronic pain

other ways to support me:

Venmo: @Esra-C

Cashapp: $8ULENTINA

Bandcamp: https://8ulentina.bandcamp.com/

https://si11age.bandcamp.com/album/surpassing-disaster