Artists, Alternative Personas and Living In Character...

[Dan Goodwin]

I wrote in another discussion:

I think it's one of the privileges of the artist to create alternative personas and characters through their work.

What experiences of this do you have in your work? What fictional characters have you created that have been alternative versions of yourself? Do you take on a different personality when you create, or when you perform, to be able to tap into a deeper creativity?

Is exploring a different artistic personality a way of avoiding your true self, or simply a way of connecting with other parts of yourself that are unexplored?

Leave your comments and experiences below:

[Dan Goodwin]

I'm intrigued by all the alternative elements and personalities which each have within us.

To start us off, the most current example I have in my own art is my ongoing saga of Caspian and Esra, a series of poems based on my enlightened dancing experiences in recent times.

I don't go out dancing wearing a mask and cape, carrying a sabre and insisting people address me only as Caspian Eratis, but having this fictional character does allow me to write in a more open and (I think) interesting way than writing just about Dan dancing. It allows my imagination to be more free, I can enhance the best parts when I write, which in turn does help me to enjoy dancing more, which means I have more heightened experiences to write about and so the cycle continues...

It's a way of having a muse, and I know I write best when I have this kind of focus, and a little structure, in this case the ongoing encounters of Caspian and Esra...

How do you relate to this kind of situation?

[Anne Westlund]

I have had many instances of creating characters or even writing poems where I get to (momentarily) become someone else. It's very freeing. You can act in a way or take a point of view that you would never in real life. I think we are all multi-faceted and creativity lets us explore the different sides to ourselves, when maybe we are stuck in certain roles in our real lives.

[Detta]

I'm with you there Anne..I have a little hero's & heroines team in my head to help me access different parts of my creative style and to spur me on. I will frequently ask myself what would x do how or how would I be creating if I were Y. Also depending on what it is I want to put out, I ask myself what's the feeling I am trying to capture and take on that persona to create it. I know just what Dan means also when he steps back and observes the flow - you can become lost, inspired and empowered by it. x D

[Dan Goodwin]

This I think is something we can also do in dreams, take on a different character or perspective. But in our waking creative projects is much easier to do!

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

Interesting topic. In thinking about it, I feel that the moments I most feel like I can be someone else ... someone who is more free than I normally am ...are probably in dancing. I don't really care what anyone thinks of my movements, I find joy in moving to the music and I also find joy in watching other people do so.

[Dan Goodwin]

I agree Barb, I have these beautiful lucid moments in between dances in Salsa clubs where I just pause and watch everyone in motion. In this moments it feels like this is what life is about, finding this kind of freedom and happiness and connection with the music, the dancefloor, yourself, your partner, and a like minded community...

[Laurie Rutan]

This makes perfect sense to me since we seem to do this in all our relationships. We are different with our parents, spouse, children etc. Easy to overlook the subtle changes!!
Laurie

[Dan Goodwin]

That's an obvious point I'd overlooked Laurie! Maybe sometimes the personas we explore in art are extensions of the parts of our personalities we like most or find most interesting when we're with specific other people? I know that's true for me in writing...

I remember when I was a kid, maybe 9 or 10 or so, I had 2 best friends, one from school, and the other my next door neighbour who went to school in another town. I got on really well with both of them, and one day brought my best school friend home to play with me and my other friend. They hated each other and ended up having a minor punch up in the woods! Strange how that can happen...

[Laurie Rutan]

I had to laugh when I read this Dan..I remember much of the same happening with my friends. Although, they didn't punch.
Laurie

[Dan Goodwin]

As we were in the woods I seem to remember sticks being more involved than fists!

It's odd how we assume that anyone who's a good friend of ours will all be friends with each other. I've always had trouble with girlfriends that way, I'm into them but don't like their friends, or they don't like mine. Or both!

It's good that we're able to adapt to different situations and people, and still remain ourselves...

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

I had the same problems with my friends. One on one we got along, but put the three of us together and jealousy reared its ugly head ...

[Dan Goodwin]

I've been thinking how this actually reaches out wider into everyday life than I first thought.

I've got involved with people in the past because I've shared certain writings of mine and they've been drawn to it, for whatever reason. You find yourself in a relationship which feels close and intimate in some ways, having had little physical real-time interaction.

There's a friend of mine at salsa at the moment who I have lovely dances with, and we've chatted quite a bit recently via text messages, exchanged some CDs and so on. In some ways we've really bonded, but in person we've haven't really had an in depth conversation, the communication almost feels awkward, and certainly doesn't come as easy as dancing, or writing...

I think it's possible to have wonderful romantic affairs simply via letter, and though personally I need contact with people, it's in written form I feel I communicate myself most fully, eloquently, and, well, poetically...

I think a form of communication like dancing or writing can be a short cut to the soul, that bypasses all the clumsiness of everyday conversation and social niceties, and gets to the true essence of the person/people within. That's sometimes exactly what art is for...