Monday, September 1, 2008

Soul Journaling - Day Twenty One

Today's exercise was about misfits - make a random doodle, see what shapes emerge (I love how this process is both therapeutic, exploratory, and a darn fun way to learn new techniques), and create a figure from them that represents when you felt like a misfit. Of course, my squiggle looked like nothing until I turned it upside down, and lo an behold, it was a person's face! Of course my misfit was only revealed upside down. That's why it's a misfit, right?

I decided the image must be related to my being the runner up misfit (the second most unpopular person of my seventh grade class). If you had a good middle school/junior high experience, then congratulations - you must be the only one! I'd love to tell you that I grew to accept myself as I am and was no longer concerned with fitting in, blah blah blah. Not true. I grew acutely conscious of exactly how to fit in, and I became quite good at it by high school. Not that I was "A-list" popular, but I actually really enjoyed high school and am still friends with my best friends from then to this day.

However, I don't think I really got to be totally cool with who I am - and believe me, I still am a misfit in lots of ways, but I actually enjoy them now - until my 30's. I would be bored and disappointed with myself if I wasn't who I am now, but it took a long time to get there. So, here's to misfits - enjoy your eccentricities for without them, you'd be just like the rest. And who wants that?? Seriously.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

All of your journal pages are very insightful and it is wonderful that you have done this project for yourself...Often we forget that we are important!! I will have to try this looser form of journaling...
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Cindy said...

I love this spread. It looks so.. "free". The prompt sounds like a lot of fun. I think your observations of your own "misfit"-ism are interesting. I wouldn't use the term "misfit" to describe you, because it sounds kind of rebellious and almost angry. It implies that you are purposely breaking "the rules". I feel, instead, like you are the kind of person that completely ignores the notion of "rules" existing in the first place - you aren't rebelling. You are just being your truly original, awesome self! *end of speech*

Anonymous said...

This is a fabulous piece. Thanks for sharing!