Isolation in our modern society is like a disease; with feelings of being disconnected and disaffected going beyond the boarders of teenage angst. I see many toys that give expression to this feeling, with their scary-cute edge. Toys like Gloomy Bear by Mori Chack for instance, a pink cute bear that has blood on its face, body and claws from where someone got too close.
Losing touch with the essential spiritual nature of man in search for an ego-only based identity has meant we have lost touch with the living spirit that breathes though the very pores of our surroundings. Stories and tales and urban legends interact with consciousness and the unconscious to form an ecology of imagination that leads to a connected experience in both the interactions between people and between people and the world, the trees and the beasts and the birds and the clouds and the wind, and with love.
William Blake expresses it thus:
"The Ancient Poets animated all sensible objects with Gods or Geniuses, calling them by names and adorning them with the properties of woods, rivers, mountains, lakes, cities, nations and whatever their enlarged and numerous senses could perceive."
Recently, my toys were described as wholesome. Words like thoughtful, meditative and gentle have been used to describe my work, but I think that wholesome truly expresses what the Flying Star Toys world stands for. The journey of Flying Star Toys is to express the bounty of love that I feel within me, to offer like the "Ancient Poets" that gift of imagination that connects the Self to its life in the world through an active imagination. I connect myself to my environment by making up stories, by making toys from that imaginative connection. Active participation brings richness. This subtle connection builds awareness and appreciation. The mind has in effect given something that was general and impersonal, a personal name within itself where by to become familiar with it - one might call it a mental friendship.I wonder if it might be that it is this lack of personal spiritual and mental participation (spiritual ecology) with our "environment" that has caused a great deal of the imbalances we currently experience?
Image 1: Single FlockA2
Image 2: The Little Correllas of my neighbourhood upon which FlockA2s are based.
This blog post has been a part of Blog Action Day.
Thanks go to Jaihn for letting me know about it.
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8 comments:
It is good to be reminded of "Wholesome", indeed, Florence. A great quality to be bringing on through in your work.
I love your sentence; "Active participation brings richness", too.
Thank you for this fine post, and for the acknowledgement+link, and for your kind words at truly spacious too.
xxx
Your toys are always so refreshing. 'Wholesome' is a good choice of words.
whole......some..... yes!
loverly take on blog action day. thanks for helping make the environment whole with you art and your craft. kim
i love this post for its purpose but also for its reference to story as a core to being. you have me thinking of a new post....thank you as always.
Thank you as always for your kind words.
Most of the time when people talk about the envirnoment and how to help, it is very material things, like what to buy wnd what not to do. But I thought I might look at our personal relationship with our surroundings that leads to the type of behaviour that causes problems in the first place. I'm glad you have enjoyed my musings.
xx
This bird is so funny :)
Thanks Karin :)
xx
You have a lovely, inspiring and creative blog. [newbie visiting from Poppalina]
Best wishes
This is my calling card or link"Whittereronautism"until blogger comments get themselves sorted out.
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