"I like to imagine a person's psyche to be like a boarding house full of characters. The ones who show up regularly and who habitually follow the house rules may not have met other long-term residents who stay behind closed doors, or who only appear at night. An adequate theory of character must make room for character actors, for the stuntmen and animal handlers, for all the figures who play bit parts and produce unexpected acts. They often make the show fateful, or tragic, or farcically absurd" James Hillman
Does this at least partly explain why we have different rooms in our homes, each designed and decorated to satisfy our different characters, their particular moods, fetishes and indulgences? I'm inclined to think so.
So, how do we create individual spaces for our soul dwellers, some of whom are only too ready to show up for extravagance and vulgar ostentation and others who must be lured out with the assurance of quiet, reflective nooks and brooding crannies.
"Ah, the perfect brood 'bode"
Image from here
"Now she won't be able to see me"
Image from here
"Oh, come on Henry, don't be such an insufferable bore"
Image from here
What about you? What kinds of spaces do your characters seek out?
Really enjoy the stay at your blog. Specially I enjoy pictures than reading but the pictures you have presented makes me read it.
ReplyDeleteGood one keep it up the interesting stuff and hope to visit again for more and really like the template.
Right throughout the history of architecture and interior design, people were (and still are) chiefly motivated by the desire to impress others and show off their wealth, status and authority. This usually accounts for the "extravagance and vulgar ostentation" as they often went overboard to make this abundantly clear to everyone else.
ReplyDeleteIt is only in recent times that we have become more self-expressive or self-absorbed in creating our living spaces, but always it seems, at the back of our minds is the thought that visitors will have a nose around and comment (although often too polite to say so) - comments we often take personally! So a fear of being judged is often a limiting factor in our desire or willingness to create spaces as we would really like.
So while I agree with what you said, I also wonder if we are truly liberated in our thinking or comfortable enough in ourselves to actually put all our characters on display, warts 'n' all, for the whole world to see. ;)
@sjay Thanks for your visit and feedback. Glad you enjoyed your short stay. Do come back as there will always be something new!
ReplyDelete@DOD Speaking for myself, I know I'm not 'truly liberated' though I do wish I were. I am working my way towards it though, baby step by baby step, until I gain enough momentum to leap of the edge with total abandon!
It's a really good point you raise. Like, how would I design and decorate my living space if I was certain no one else would see it? What would I put on the walls? What colors would I use? Would I turn my bathroom into something else, like a study, for instance? Would I swap my bed and the lounge around? You've certainly got my imagination going...
I guess it's the same inhibitions/fears that govern the way we dress and whether or not we keep a diary, and if we do, what we would omit recording...
Oh, to break free from it all..