One Rare Bird

Matryoshka Mother

I have a Matryoshka doll that my grandparents brought back for me from Russia when I was a little girl. It is by far one of my favorite possessions and I used to spend hours opening up each doll, lining them up, then putting them back together. The magic of all those little ladies tucked inside   never lost it's marvel. I have gone on to collect a few more, but what I love more than the dolls themselves is their symbolism. Matryoshka means "mother" in Russian. The doll celebrates the mother-daughter story and represents the unfolding line of mothers and daughters~ we're all nested in one another and have birthed one another.

In Dance of the Dissident Daughter Sue Monk Kidd describes why the M doll holds so much meaning for all of us.

"Our mother's are the first word we know, the source of our lives and stories. They tie us to the great web of kin and generations....we're not only connected through blood, tissue, and female likeness, but through feminie heart, memory, and soul. Inseparable but separate---a mystery."

 

"Every mother contains her daughter in herself and every daughter her mother and every mother extends backwards into her m other and forwards into her daughter." ~Carl Jung

 

And even if we are without a mother, they are all around us--- always present, always inside us, always our teachers.

Sports Utility Mom

Family Back Massage

 

Since I started yesterday off with a tribute to "mother" I thought I'd continue the theme for the week. Next up is an artist I discovered through the documentary Who Does She This She Is?. Her name is Janis Wunderlich and she puts into words and art what I can barely articulate in my own thoughts about being a mother.

"My imagery captures the exhaustion and exhilaration of life as both a creative artist and busy parent. My children inspire me with both their imaginative minds and animal-like energy. As I nurture and care for them, they continually feed my thoughts with their “fairytale-like” quirkiness.

But parenting is physically and emotionally demanding! The cleaning, cooking, chores, and laundry never end. The tantrums, messy diapers, and adolescent “sassiness” are emotionally draining. The babies are always clinging to me, hanging onto my arms and legs. Sometimes I look like a playground! But I love it!

My recent work explores the idea of “accessorizing” with children. Sometimes I feel as though my wardrobe consists of kids from head to toe. Instead of “artsy” or fancy accessories and jewelry, I have children hanging from my ears, neck, and arms! In a sense, the mother figure seems hidden or lost behind all the clingy creatures. But in reality, she is strengthened, clothed, and made beautiful by them. They give her layers, textures, identity."

Family War Zone

 

 

Sports Utility Mom

 

TBA

 "Motherhood fills my mind and life with such incredible images and experiences. The challenge for me is to keep my sanity and sense of humor as I balance my time between all the fun and craziness of parenthood and art-making. It’s been an amazing journey so far!"

Well put. Well put.

Mother Mother

This week my mom is coming for a visit so I'm dedicating this mornings music to the woman we all call "Mother."

  Lightning Crashes by Live

 

Mother Mother by Tracy Bonham

 

Mother by Danzig

 

 

My Feet Follow Me Wherever I Go

 

I am currently enrolled in an e-course that consists of weekly photography and writing assignments, and is meant to cause me to take pause and start seeing myself and my place in the world around me. I have been loving it, and it has caused me to really think about my life from a new perspective. Using my camera to document my life has been fun and insightful. I also realize that writing is very cathartic for me, and I think I need to get myself a guided journal to help get me writing and thinking about myself in ways I haven't before. At this time in my life I desperately need to learn and practice "staying with myself," and what better way than to focus on where my feet take me on any given day?

I Love Me Some Bus

It has been a lifelong dream of mine to own a VW Bus. It is something I fantasize about constantly. I could own twenty of them and they would all be different. My dream bus would be candy apple red or kelly green with a white top and chrome detailing. It'd have white wall tires, four porthole windows along each side, and a sunroof. I would also cover the back of my bus with funny bumper stickers, nothing too seriously political or religious, things like: "Jesus loves you but everyone else thinks you're an asshole" or "You're just jealous because the voices talk to me". The interior would be white leather with wood floors and ceiling. The front would have bucket seats, white dash and steering wheel, and a magic 8 ball on the stick shift. The seats in the back could be moved around so that they could either face each other or face forward, and they could definitely be made into a bed. Under the seats would be room for storage, and there would probably be a table or two that could fold down from the walls. I would have adorable curtains, probably something by Orla Kiely or Julia Rothman, plus cute throw pillows for lounging on. Oh, and another bumper sticker would say "If the bus is a rockin' don't come a knockin'."

 

I also love love love this crocheted bus (but I'm not quite sure what I'd do with so much bus)...

 

What's Up Loser Creep?

I thought a little music would be a good way to get this blog rolling, so I'm going to start with a Radiohead song that I heard on the radio yesterday, a song I happen to LOVE and that reflects some of how I've been feeling this week. Listening to this song also made me think of two other songs, so I'm thinking that in the future maybe I'll have a "Music Monday" on this blog where I post a song along with two other songs that all have something in common. We'll see. For now, here is "Creep" by Radiohead.

 

Vidivodo.com : creep radiohead  Etiket: radiohead creep music video

 

 

This is the song I immediately thought of while listening to "Creep". Here is 4 Non Blonds with "What's Up"

 

4 Non Blondes - What's Up (Video) - Funny home videos are a click away

 

 

And finally, "Loser" by Beck