When Words Fail

“A big part of what happens when you interact with a piece of artwork, or when you find something aesthetically pleasing, is that there is an aha! moment where you feel like you’ve seen the world in a new way. Or, as a maker of art, you’ve been able to look at a problem in a new way because art has enabled you to express things that you couldn’t before.” -Ed Vessel

I created this image after reading about Image Psychology and eidetic images. When I look up eidetic images, the common definition involves something similar to photographic memory, seeing an image in your mind as if it is still there. The definition I was reading about, however, is based on the work of Akhter Ahsen.

According to Ahsen, “an eidetic image is different than a memory in that you are not recalling a specific situation and series of events; rather, you are envisioning a picture in your mind that reflects an emotional state.”

Eidetic images contain three components. 1) the image that emerges is a picture seen in the mind’s eye, 2) these images are highly sensorial, they were taken in through the sensory system and contain stored memory not just in the brain but in the body, and 3) the meaning, or message, the image conveys provides the reason it has been stored this way within the mind. (from Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross)

It is so inspiring to me to learn more about the ways that art can help us understand ourselves and our place in the world, process stuck emotions, and expand our current perspectives. I wanted to create more images. I wanted to create spontaneously, playfully.

I started with this reverse freelensed flower image. I wanted to allow for something a little more unexpected, maybe even a little disorienting. When I was scrolling through my images, it was the gaze in the portrait that caught my attention. The gaze contrasted with the body posture.

I layered in this painted texture. I was drawn to it because of the open spaces on the black canvas. I was curious how it would work with the black background. When I used the Hard Light blending mode, the pinks turned to deep reds. In procreate, I used a palette knife brush to make the paint mark over my mouth. I tried this several times. It needed to be a swift, decisive stroke.

The images that emerge when we spontaneously [create] are the language of the unconscious, offering insights into our emotional state. These [images] are capable of “speaking” when our voice cannot and when it comes to anxiety and stress, working with imagery stored in our brain and connected to our somatic experience has profound results. -Carl Jung paraphrased by Magsamen and Ross

I tried to put words to this image. It was especially difficult this time. To me, the image is a complex narrative of different experiences, of mixed emotions. And I thought, struggling to find words to caption this image may be just another repetition of this emotional experience. Words fail, so why bother?

Is this the task then, the push back against the impulse to shrink and silence? To keep trying to find words to say. Or maybe sharing words about the process of creating this image and thoughts surrounding it is enough. Or maybe the value sometimes plays out just below our conscious awareness, and words are not always needed.