Lily Jiménez Dabdoub (she/her) identifies as a multi-ethnic Latina born and raised in Mexico City. As a woman who engages in continuous self-discovery through what she does her best: ecological art-making practice. Lily explores natural materials, upcycled canvas, recycled plastics, reuses sketches, and sustainable photographic prints. She continually challenges her own concept of identity to deconstruct her sense of self, using her professional work as a means to decolonialize and decapitalize her identity.
She is a first-generation immigrant to Kanata (Canada) seeking for the betterment of her life, and others facing vulnerability and uncertainty. She primarily offers her services to racialized “minorities” on the neurodivergent and queer umbrellas. Lily has worked as a neuroaesthetics and music cognition researcher, artist, and counselling art therapist. Lily acknowledges that she is a settler living, working, and benefits from occupying space in Tio'tia:ke colonized lands, in custody of the Kanien'kéha:ka Nation. Therefore, her labour as an art therapist and helper is continuously learn, support, and share decolonized knowledge to allow flourishing, reflexive, and open anti-oppressive WEllness spaces. For her, decolonized and intersectional knowledge is always keeping a critical view on research conducted and made by mostly Global North leading countries.
Lily recognizes the immense amount of privilege she had in her academic life, growing up in an academic oriented house. It was a home built by two complex humans with complex intergenerational traumas. However, as an empath, she acknowledges she was always able to find safe haven with her chosen family: friends. She is deeply grateful to all the humans who have supported her through her meltdowns, moments of openness to vulnerability, moments of academic brain fog to push through study times, and so many adventures throughout life with lots of beauty and lots of dark moments, through a constant sough of light and hope. If you had a deep impact on my life, chances are you are mentioned somewhere in my research, theses, or somewhere.
Creative art therapists as a racialized woman I encourage you to not let the systems put you down, float when you can, and swim when you have the strength, with time you will find spaces where the water is not as deep and you can find safe land to rest, restore and (re)connect with us all. Please be awkward, reach out even if you just feel like a funky meme will resonate with your experience listening to this interview. Again, deep gratitude to Kristy for this beautiful space of connections.
