Wings Story.
When I was little, I went to ballet lessons where this Russian lady would yell at us all the time. I’ve pretty much blocked all memories of her, but I do remember how we had these wonderful butterfly wings.
They were made of colorful see-through fabric. You’d pin them on your back and then wear the little elastics on your fingers. This meant you could move your arms and the wings would float with your movements. I remember running all over the house flapping my arms. Hilarious.
Creepy Caterpillar.
I remember being fascinated as a kid by the fairy tale The Ugly Duckling (Hans Christian Andersen, 1843). Remember how the little duckling is rejected for being different? But then eventually grows into a beautiful swan - and shows them all!
It always made me feel hopeful about things working themselves out in the end.
And many years later, I was delighted when I came across a book called Creepy Caterpillar*. It was the same ugly duckling story, but from the viewpoint of a cute little caterpillar. Poor little guy just wanted someone to play with, but nobody had the time.
Illustration: Fred Crump, Jr., *Book: Smith, G., & Smith, V. (1961). Creepy Caterpillar. Steck-Vaughn Company.
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
And I fondly remember being little and watching Mr. Rogers on TV. I loved how he talked to people and puppets in exactly the same way. He made everyone feel important. Everyone deserved his attention. And he’d always say, You are enough, exactly as you are.
I think it’s fair to say Mr. Rogers gave voice to the good stuff, the wisdom, of our fairy tales growing up, like The Ugly Duckling. He wanted kids to love themselves as they are. And he believed everyone deserves kindness and understanding.
©2018 Alex Mitchell, KEEPING FAITH 1, Painting: Acrylic and paper on wood, 13x20 cm / 5x8 in.
Creative Fingerprint.
My latest obsession is about investigating my creative fingerprint. I’ve been excavating memories and photos, and digging through my artwork archives. It’s astonishing to me how my childhood loves show up over and over and over again in my creations. My whole body of work is clearly sparked by my childhood.
Ya see, there’s a spark that drives your creative expression throughout your life. And all the different things you create are simply all the different ways of saying the same thing in response to this spark inside you.
This spark lives inside of you as a question - your fingerprint question.
My fingerprint question = What do I do with this deep yearning to belong?
And today. I’m sharing artwork that’s been sparked by The Ugly Duckling and Mr. Rogers.
It’s not hard to see how my art has always evoked a yearning to belong. But for the longest time, I thought it was all about me making art that helped me relive my childhood.
But ever since I started down the rabbit hole of my fingerprint question, I can see there’s more going on beneath the surface.
Within each of us, there are light and dark qualities. Belonging to the world means belonging to yourself first.
And belonging to all of yourself is about being fully alive.
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
- Dr. Seuss
©2018 Alex Mitchell, KEEPING FAITH 5, Painting: Acrylic and paper on wood, 13x20 cm / 5x8 in.
Keeping Faith.
Here’s a sweet series of small self-portraits I created called: Keeping Faith (2018). I was exploring the theme of giving yourself away, bearing witness to the mystery, and deep stuff like that. Smile.
I painted myself as both the caterpillar and also the winged fairy. Yep, I literally collaged my eyes on the caterpillar and my face on the fairy. Here’s a poem I wrote about this:
in spite of
the hardships
the questions
the doubts
in spite of
everything you think you know
changing
to love being alive
to give yourself away
that is the fire of your soul
©2015 Alex Mitchell, ARE YOU READY illustration, A Poem Picture Book
Are You Ready Little Caterpillar.
This image (above) is from a picture book I wrote and illustrated called: Are You Ready Little Caterpillar (2015).
I have to say, my little caterpillar is just the cutest! Throughout the book, he’s striving to improve, struggling to feel worthy, and putting his little life on hold, all in an effort to be something other than his true self.
He’s nudging you to embrace your own journey of becoming. Just like he’s destined to turn into a beautiful butterfly, you too are on an incredible path of transformation.
“What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.”
- Lao Tzu
Come Play: Clothespin Butterflies + Caterpillars
In honor of my pet caterpillar and love of butterflies, I’ve created a fun play break for you! Smile.
Well, that’s all for today’s post. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little detour down creative-fingerprint-memory lane. There’s more to come!
p.s. If you're curious about your own fingerprint question, I give you the steps to a little exercise here: https://twinkiwinki.com/pages/following-joy