ichigo_pinkchan - inside

Thanks for the kind words. I've seen some very good crits on DA, but, I agree, the majority are limited to single adjectives and exclamations. Time and writing ability may explain this to some extent, as well as language barriers.

As for your project, I was very impressed. The fold out page with the ponies shown as adorable and beloved on the top half and detested on the bottom half is a fantastic concept. I like the shift in mental gears you're asking of the viewer. I looked at the unfolded image and started to roll my eyes. Oh no, I thought, a woman who hasn't let go of her childhood toys. But then when I saw the lower portion of the piece, I was pleasantly surprised.

We all have things we wish we didn't like or had never liked. In terms of your project, this shows a part of the self at war with itself in terms of taste and unwillingness to give up things considered to be childish and (IMHO) tacky. The headless pony made me laugh. I like that it's set apart, but the same size as the whole ponies above. Very subtle. The dramatic dark reddish smear obliterating what the viewer can assume would be more horridly sweet pastel plaid-like grid and more parading ponies and other examples of cuteness -- made me feel rather happy.

Looking at this piece got me thinking about the 'cute' toys of my childhood -- mostly baby dolls. These toys encouraged nurturing and thoughts of future motherhood. I lost interest in them eventually and latched onto Barbies. My Barbies were doctors, astronauts and political leaders. But for most girls Barbies are a symbol of female sexuality and beauty. I have four daughters who have had different levels of attraction and attachment to images and toys aimed at girls, and at some point, each one of has shown the same ambivalence as you have. One day, Child #3 systematically tore the heads from all of her Barbie dolls. I took this as her rejection of the Barbie style of womanhood -- obsessive shopping and fashion consciousness. Does the desire for little ponies and whatnot come from little girls or is it imposed upon them by our culture? I suspect the latter. And what on earth do ponies represent? (I am almost afraid to contemplate this last question.) Anyway, a good piece of art generates questions in the mind of the viewer, so I think you've done well on that score.

One thing you may want to fix: The upside-down peace symbols didn't register strongly enough. I may be a bit dull, but I only grasped the humour and meaning of them on the third look. Perhaps adding a dark shadow behind each would bring them forward a little. However, I really enjoyed finding the despairing image of you at the bottom.

I left a few comments on your gallery regarding this project. The most striking thing is your openess and honesty. Your notion of the self -- as being discoverable in part via alternate names -- is thought- provoking. We all have alter egos, some of which are apparent in early childhood. When I was small I used to call myself Miss Crystal and preside over tea parties, serving up invisible tea. I'd like to think that playing at being someone who is a lot like you and yet is you is pretty normal. The self isn't a single definable entity, but as you suggest some aspect of it can be understood by exploring it's self-applied names.

This idea is of particular interest to me. It is one of the themes of a novel I've put on the back burner in order to work on shorter writing projects. In the opening scene I describe the main character as "collecting names for himself in the same way that other collect butterflies or stamps". (The novel isn't in my gallery, because I'm hoping to finish it and have it published in the traditional way.)

I also wanted to remark on your craftmanship. A lot of forethought and care went into the design and final presentation of this project. From what I can tell, in additon to the themes presented within its pages, it is interesting as a physical object to pick up and look at. Thanks for drawing it to my attention.

Cheers!