Creative Themes, Breeder Ideas and Personal Mythology...

[Dan Goodwin]

WildCherry talked on her Unfinished Revolution blog post about this and suggested a discussion, and Robyn posted on her Art Propelled blog about Breeder Ideas in June:

"...Apparently an artist has about 4-5 breeder ideas in his lifetime, when one good idea leads to a whole sequence or series..."

What themes, breeder ideas, or, as Cherry put it, "Personal Mythology" have you noticed recurring in your own creative projects and art work?

It could be a particular symbol, image, character, message or some other element that keeps returning in multiple works.

Share your experiences, and what you think they might mean, with us below...

[Anne Westlund]

Dan-I'm not sure exactly what you mean. I've always been fascinated with the Wizard of Oz movies and books. That movie has been seen on TV by millions of American children. It is part of my personal mythology, I'm sure. The Tin Man especially, for me personally. I guess this is really out there. I just got a Wizard of Oz tarot deck. The Patchwork Girl is the Star, the Deadly Desert the Tower, the Cyclone is the Wheel. It's really cool!

[Dan Goodwin]

Anne that is what I mean, it seems for you that the Wizard of Oz is a recurring theme. Interestingly Hannah said in another thread yesterday a similar thing about the Wizard of Oz.

So how does this film and its themes appear in what you create? Are there other themes, ideas, characters, symbols, that keep reappearing in your writing and other artwork?

[Anne Westlund]

The journey, hearts, love, multiple characters (ensembles), color to represent feelings, divination, gods and goddesses, pop culture, fairy tales, depression, loss....

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

I'm one of those millions who grew up watching that movie once a year, along with my three siblings ... it's a big part of my personal mythology. I had a long time friend who was an only child and never saw that movie, and never had any desire to see it, ever. Different strokes for different folks ...

[Shayla]

The number three keeps returning in my work and trees. I'm still watching the process and haven't come to the bottom of it. There are many reasons why I love threes. It's both balance and tension. In stories the main character often has three major challenges. Three to me means power. I think it may be about the search, and finding of stability in chaos. The trees are an echo- they represent the place of stability as opposed to the search.

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

I also often create in threes. I can see the stability of two holding up one, and on the other hand, tension with one going to another against the third in dysfunctional triangle relationships. Interesting!

[WildCherry]

My number is 7 in terms of series but I often feature threes within the work. In taoism, three is the one plus one that makes a whole like the two halves of a yin yang...the sum of two parts...and represents the ultimate knowing that cannot be described....In my work it usually takes the form of a darker and lighter female figure and a child that represent the duality of a woman's nature and how it is all held within the child-self...or the moon, the sun and the earth...

And like you, Shayla, trees are a recurring theme in my work though I'm not really sure why...something to do with the fact that they have as much of themselves below the ground as above, perhaps? And also the changes they go through during the seasons which correspond to the seasons of our lives...

Apart from that there are hands esp painted with henna, eyes, birds of various sorts - soaring, injured, caged...fish...flowers...

[Dan Goodwin]

Cherry, you're saying in Taoism, 1 + 1 = 3, ie the two parts, plus the whole unit they make up by becoming joined?

Like man + woman = man + woman + child?

Does this also apply within one person - a female side + a masculine side that adds to a whole person?

[Shayla]

I like the meaning you mentioned for three, Cherry, "ultimate knowing." It resonates.

[Dan Goodwin]

There are no obvious visual symbols or recurring images in my writing, that I can think of. But there's certainly a theme of loss, more specifically in the romantic sense, lost love rather then death itself. Even if the happier things I write, there's a feeling of we must enjoy what we have because one day it will be gone, and that day may be tomorrow... Sounds a bit bleak doesn't it!

I go through phases of writing where a character or character type will keep reappearing, until I've reached some kind of peace or accomplishment with them. Then they'll be gone.

In visual art, narrow vertical lines and bands appear often, the fine line separating two people, or two viewpoints, sanity and insanity, fidelity and promiscuity, happiness, then loss. Again!

[Jules]

Another tough question for me. Personal mythology. I will have to give that some thought.
There are several patterns that will show up and repeat themselves in various forms in my zenish doodles I have been doing.
Other art, I seem to keep going back to nature, trees, tree spirits, trees as spirit...reflections of all types.
The illusionary nature of physical reality is a theme that has been with me for quite some time.

Although a western writer, Louis Lamour was an exceptional story teller. I read his entire collection more than once. His main characters were strong, loyal, honest, sincere, independent and caring individuals. I liked the values displayed and choose to adopt them in my life- so I would have to say his books would be a strong influence in my life and a big part of my personal mythology.

I also saw wizard of oz every year. In fact, in high school we had a kegger on that night- turned down the sound and recited the words and songs along with the picture. Kind of a massive karaoke wizard of oz. We all knew all the words- noone skipped a beat. That was a fun night :-)

[Dan Goodwin]

That's amazing, the karaoke Wizard of Oz showing! We have it on often here, and I saw it a few times growing up, but it seems like it's part of the national curriculum in the US by what you all have said!