Ellen Anne Eddy's Thread Magic Studio: archetypes

Showing posts with label archetypes. Show all posts

Friday, January 6, 2012

Bad Raps, and Bad Wraps

9:53 AM |

Posted by Ellen Anne Eddy |

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I grew up reading the Jungle Books by Kipling, so I've always loved wolves. The wolves take this baby in and raise him as one of their cubs. Like most adoptive processes, there's a bit of cognitive dissonance about the whole thing. He doesn't fit in well.

So this video touched me. It's about perception and reality. For all of her obvious concern when she sees the wolves, they scatter when she says "Git!" The wolves are not evil. They're just wolves.

This last year I've been working on the issue of bullies. I really don't want to go to my grave grieving over things that happened when I was seven. And like all really good emotional issues, the opportunities come back again and again until I can find better solutions. There's two schools of though on this. "Oh no! Not another learning experience!" And, "There you are again!"

Bullies function on a wolf perception.Someone has to be perceived either as a wolf to be driven away or a wolf who will probably eat you. Like most binary systems, it has some serious limits.

It occurs to me that two things have to happen to create a wolf perception. We have to give someone a bad rap. We give ourselves reasons why they've done what they've done. Maybe it's true. Often enough, that's a fantasy too. We just convince ourselves of their bad action and intent.

And then we dress them as villains. Give them a bad wrap to wear: a black hat, a swirling evil cloak, an evil glint to their eye.

I've had it happen to me as well. I've had people hand me my black cloak and hat and tell me why I'm a danger.

It's not that I believe there is no evil in the world. It's there. Nor do I believe it my job to change people's choices. I wouldn't take someone's path away from them like that. If we don't walk our path as best we can, we won't learn from it.

But after years of dressing people in bad wraps and giving them bad raps and being dressed in the same, it occurs to me that they might just scatter if I said, "Git!" My perception is power I give or take, all by myself.

You'll find the Jungle Book at Amazon.com. Skip the Disney copies. They're cute but a completely different story.

You'll find people who want to dress up in funny black cloaks and be icky and people who want to dress you too in all kinds of odd places. I hope you can say "Git!" to them too.

Labels: archetypes, life as an artist, lifestyle, lunatic fringe, story telling |

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Friday, December 23, 2011

The Wizard of Odd

11:22 AM |

Posted by Ellen Anne Eddy |

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Having fun being weird today? Thank an artist!

Lately, they've been playing the Wizard of Oz again. It occurred to me just how much of our language comes from that amazing movie.

Most movies are a cultural moment at best. They expand on a moment in time. What is a classic changes with the wind, but I think we can say that it's about how it changes the way people think.

I was going through the number of phrases that the Wizard cemented into my verbal landscape:

"If I only had a brain."
"Ding, dong, the witch is dead."
"Over the rainbow."
"And your little dog too."
"I hope my courage holds out. I hope your tail holds out."
"I'm melting."

And of course,

" Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

Frank Baum, the author, had a rather unsuccessful life outside his books. He bounced from one thing to another until he wrote this odd and lovely tale, largely about politics. The politics have disappeared in time leaving a wonderful story about friendship, challenges, appreciating weird and very kind help, and finding your heart. Who would any of us be without it?

That being said, I take heart in this. When someone says, "You quilt, right? Can you make me a bed quilt? In beige?"

I remind myself that my glory and my crown, my hope and my consolation is that I be as gloriously odd as I am. And that if I do it well a small part of the world will shift for it.

Those of us doing our art shift the archetypes. Not purposely, or with cause, but simply by bringing our vision to the world. It's not something one picks and chooses. It's simply an act of trust to bring what your heart demands into being. We bring it all to the table and let time sort it out.