IFS Parts and Creativity II

Jung encourages us to explore images that appear in our dreams, in our art, or just before our eyes. If you think about it, it makes sense that what is captured in our brains has something to do with our subconscious minds.

Just consider how images we are presented with in any given day. Right now, just sitting in my kitchen, I could perceive (should I wish to, and why would I?) the iron and ironing board, a sewing project, holiday cards to be sent, a calendar. In a few seconds I will have forgotten these (except, of course, I won’t, because I wrote them down, which took a little extra notice).

So why do the things that stick in our mind do so? Who knows? Usually because they are making some kind of emotional impression on us. For some reason I can vividly picture Peter Brady’s smirk (of the Bunch). Why? Maybe I had a crush on him. Maybe I have the same smirk. Maybe somebody hit me in the head when I was watching a scene of Peter Brady smirking (it was the 70’s; we did a lot of hitting).

Recalling last week, I had made a drawing of a shark, representing the creative impulse, which in extreme becomes quite destructive for me, and a starfish that opposes going anywhere outside of its shell, much less near the shark. At Jung’s distant urging, I got some modeling clay and just began playing with it while looking at the painting I had done of these two creatures. (Yes, I used images to help me paint. I’d have no idea how, otherwise). In my inept hands the shark began to look more like a whale – an animal I adore, for its social, peaceful and communicative nature. And the starfish became a hand, which at some point curled around the whale in a tender embrace.

Before my very eyes, the whole scenario changed – just like Jung said it would! Instead of having two polarized parts – the devouring shark, the immovable starfish – I had a little tableau of cooperation and care. The hand held the whale of creativity with kind attention, and the whale knew that it could not survive alone – that it had to seek out others in order to be what it wanted to be. I’d love to say shark work alone but that seems to be largely an unearned reputation, according to a quick Google search. Nonetheless that’s how they are in my mind, which here is all that matters.

This exercise was such a good reminder to me of how to think about the creative parts, which need our tenderness, our acceptance, our care and the care of others. When I think of my creative shark raking the waters, vindictive and starving, my jaw tightens, my hands and my stomach clench. When I think of my creative part as a gentle, solid whale moving peacefully through the sea, always in close and supportive relationship to the hand (my Self) and loving others, my whole body relaxes. I feel much more like doing the writing work. If I were a tattooing kind of person, a hand holding a whale is the one that I'd get. Although I'd forever be explaining it to people.

You can try this exercise yourself, very easily. In fact I’ll drop [this video of this lovely woman explaining the steps][1], which I followed along with myself, although you can also read them here:

1. Make a collage of images, or choose a recent dream. The content doesn’t really matter; almost any dream will do.
2. When you’ve made the collage or drawn out the dream as best you can, let your eyes wander over the picture, taking in all the various parts of it.
3. Close your eyes now and meditate for 2-3 minutes, letting the image change as it wants to in your mind’s eye.
4. Choose a new medium to capture what the image has now become, again, letting it change as it wants. You may find your lack of skill changes the image even more, but Jung says just go with that!
5. Lastly, write a paragraph or more on the experience. What images did you start with, how did they change?

I’d love to hear about your experience with this exercise!