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Joyce's thoughts: I've done a lot of thinking and growing this time around. I'm thinking more about the doll in my possession and less about "my doll" and where he is right now. Although I've wondered what is happening to him & how he looks it seems less important this month than it did last month. Does this mean that "absence" doesn't make the heart grow fonder? Perhaps I'm more the "out of sight, out of mind" type person. Hmmm.
Now that we're at the midway point of this project, I wonder about things and how they might have been done differently. What would have happened at the beginning if we had discussed our plans more & had a more cohesive game plan in place for each doll's progression. Would we have done things differently? Assigned tasks or made creative suggestions? I think maybe if we had, there would be more discussion amongst ourselves as a group, and then perhaps they truly would have been more of a "group" doll. Not that what we are doing is a bad thing, or wrong…I guess it's like middle age; it sneaks up on you and you think about what ifs every now and then. Hmmm.
That makes me wonder about the final stages of this project. Will it be like the end stages of life? Will there be a sense of finality and letting go of things to move on to the next level…hmmm.
I've spent a delightful afternoon with an artist friend of mine. She is older than me and wiser too, I suspect. Over a delightful pot of chamomile tea, I shared with her some of my experiences with this project and she explained that it's a good thing for me…I'm remembering how to "play". I think that as artists, we occasionally forget why we do this stuff in the first place…Thanks Virginia, for reminding me what's important.
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Jana's thoughts:
At this point in the adventure, I continue to consider my essence doll mostly "my doll." Judging by comments from some of the other dollmakers, they feel the same way about their dolls. Some of the dollmakers talk about their dolls as if they were children. I have made similar analogies. But the more I think about it, the difference with me is that I never considered my doll my child; I considered her to be me -- not me exactly, but a symbol of myself. So passing along the doll I started was not like sending a child out into the world. It was like putting myself out there for a makeover.
Until a few days ago, I still felt strongly about Anaj being "my doll." I think that's because I hadn't seen any pictures of what had been added to her. As soon as I saw Lee Ann's photo of her with Jeanette's jewelry and Lee Ann's dress, I started to think of her a little more as a "group doll."
When Steve's Anya came to me, I definitely saw her as "his doll." I was the first to add to it. When I got Joyce's doll from Steve, it felt like it belonged to both of them. I hadn't seen the doll in person in its original state, so Steve's additions were an integral part of the whole, to my mind.
In short, this seems to be an evolving process. As the dolls evolve, my view of them evolves. At the end, I may consider them all "group dolls," but I think I will still be attached to the one I started.
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Steve's thoughts:
From the time I found out that I had been chosen to participate in this 'doll adventure' I spent almost every day planning the construction of my doll. Then, I worked on my doll nearly every single day of the first month. I became very attached to Anya. I knew everything about her, and when the time came that I had to send her to Jana, it was almost as bad as sending my son off to the Marines. As it turns out, I was able to meet Jana after she had made her contributions to Anya, and I was very happy with the results. Everyone has their own perspective on things. I would never have thought to do the things that Jana did, but she took a plain canvas and painted a very beautiful scene. I love artists, and the very many different ways they think.
At the first rotation, I was presented with the challenge of Joyce's doll, Jett. I never expected to get a copper tubing sculpture from a fabric artist! As soon as I saw Jett my mind began whirling, and I knew what I must do. Joyce had proclaimed her doll "Jett" to be a boy doll. I made it so. When I showed Joyce what I had done, she was delighted (I think!).
Then, at the second rotation I received Arlene's doll from Joyce. It is easy to spot Joyce's contributions to Arlene's original doll. You can just see their different personalities. I have found that this project forces me to abandon my usual way of approaching art. Adding on to another's piece is very different than creating my own and seeing it through to completion. I have to think in terms of enhancing, then passing it on. I must leave something for the next artist to do. I try to make improvements to what is already there.
And so it goes. This is an interesting 'adventure'. It is cool to see the different ways the artistic mind thinks. I'm sure all of us in the group have gone to galleries, or have seen artworks that we think " I wouldn't have done it THAT way", or, "I would have added this or that". My point is, we are all different. We create art, but in different ways. This is our opportunity to take someone else's creation and making it yours…for a month, and then giving it up to someone else's creativity.
I won't see Anya again until Joyce sends her to me. I have no idea what she will look like, but I think it is so cool to know that she has passed thru the hands of 5 wonderful people who wanted to make her better, and put a little bit of themselves in her.
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