freudspenis-blog

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References

Cranny-Francis, Anne 2008, 'Touching skin: embodiment and the sense in the work of Ron Mueck', in Anderson, Nicole Cultural Theory in everything practice, OXfor University Press Australia and New Zealand

* Mansfield, Nicholas 2000, Subjectivity: Theories of the seld from Freud to Haraway, Allen $ Urwin, St Leonards, NSW pp. 29

* Barker, Chris 2012, "issues of subjectivity and identity', in Cultural studies: theory and practice, 4th ed,. SAGE London, pp. 220 - 225

* Howes, David 2005, 'skinscapes: embodiment, culture and environment', in Classen, Constance The Book of touch, Berg, Oxford pp. 27

* Jeffrey, Scott (Unknown Year), "SAGE: You're creative identity, the whole page

* Dutton, Denis, 2003' Introduction', The Oxford Handbook of Aesthetics, Oxford University Press

* Hope, Daniel, 2014 ' Creative Influence isn't an excuse for plagiarism', Lit Reactor Online magazine.

* A. Bargh, John & Morsella, Ezequiel, 2008, The Unconscious Mind, NCBI website

* McLeod, Saul, 2009, Updated 2015, ‘Unconscious Mind’, Simple Psychology Website 

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhtBNxh6wM8

* Leav, Lang 2014, The Garden, “Lullabies”, pp. 83, McMeel, Andrews Publishing. 

*Kafka, Franz “Metamorphasis” adapted by Kuper, Peter “The Metamorphosis: Graphic Novel” 2003, Random House publishing pp. 30 - 31

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My Discipline

I am a creative writer, but I have a strong interest in multiple mediums outside of writing. As seen in this blog, I draw examples and inspirations from both television and music as well as from literature. All of the selected examples have one common theme, however, which is that they all feature metaphorical imagery and content which evade the audience and require an extra level of critical thinking. Where my examples may seem random, my interests can be streamlined in my love of dark humour and “mind-blowing,” socially inquisitive art. 

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“A creative identity is your internal representation of how you see yourself, a composite of our imagination, skills and talents” (Jeffrey, year unknown) A creative identity affects not only how the artist creates,  but how that art is the perceived by a prospective audience. Creative identities are imperative for all artists as they allow for a more channelled artistic approach. An example of an artist with a strong artistic expression is singer/songwriter Melanie Martinez (featured above). Her unique style combines Freud’s theories of the uncanny by utilising childhood symbols and caricaturing them to fit an eery nightmare-scape world. This unique creative identity also plays with the similar metaphorical and non- sensical devices that have been featured in past post’s, and aids in portraying my own creative identity. 

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Authenticity as a concept can connote more than one meaning when relating to the artistic world. The most common, however, is that the concept of authenticity has a relation to the object’s character as a true expression of an individual’s or a society’s values and beliefs (Dutton, 2003, chp 1) In the world of “Black Mirror” (2011–) the concept of authenticity is used mainly in its ability to allow for the expression of unconventional societal beliefs and values. The symbolic and metaphorical nature of the respective episodes portrays the continual artistic authenticity of the program, in that it “mirrors” societies behaviours and twists them to portray its detrimental effects. 

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Social Identity 

“we live our lives in the context of social relationships with others... without language, the very concept of personhood and identity would be unintelligible to us”(Barker 2012, pp. 222) In George Orwell’s 1984, the notion of social relationships and language are both heavily monitored and oppressed, meaning true social identity is not able to be expressed. By understanding the effects of a society that does not have a social identity, we can truly appreciate its necessity in our modern society.  

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Sensory Knowledge 

The ability for our senses to interrelate and engage with each other affords us the ability to further understand and engage with the world around us. This can be associated with sensory knowledge, a concept which allows for a heightened intelligence regarding our identity and the identity of those around us. (Cranny-Francis 2008, pp. 36-37) “many people have thought of the skin as in some way knowing” (Howes 2005, pp. 27) The poem “Touch Me” (Thomas Hawkins 2010) involves visceral visual imagery which describes the need to be touched to feel something. This desire can be attributed to sensory knowledge, as the presence of touch allows for not only intellectual knowledge but also emotional knowledge to be gained.  

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Mansfield (2000 pp. 29) describes overdetermination as the most trivial of behaviours being the focus of the most plural and deep psychological complexity. Televisions Show “Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency”(2016 - 2017) deals with the idea of overdetermination heavily, as the main concept of the show is to heavily scrutinise every action taken by the characters in the show, relating to the theory that “everything is connected.” The abstract concepts of the television show relate to my discipline as they are created through concrete storytelling and metaphorical devices. 

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Unconscious 

The unconscious mind acts as a repository containing primitive wishes and impulse’s kept at bay by the preconscious area. (Mcleod, 2009) The definition within cognitive psychology equates the unconscious as a subliminal ideology. (Bargh & Morsella, 2008). In “Train Journey” (Judith Wright, 1955) Metaphorical language is merged with descriptive imagery to blur the lines between the unconscious and reality. This allows for the subliminal and impulses of the author to directly displayed to the reader. 

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Subjectivity 

Subjectivity refers to the condition of being a person and the process by which we become a person. (Barker 2012, 220) The connotation of the word ‘subject’ alludes to the concept of individual awareness to the label of subjectivity; rather than an autonomous being, untouched by internal and external forces (Bennett & Royle, 2016 p 151) Black Mirror (2011–) episode “Ark Angel” (season 4, episode 2, directed by Jodie Foster) explores subjectivity in both a literal and metaphoric sense, as the process of subjectivity shapes the main character both before and after she becomes aware of the act. It allows for an exploration of how an unawareness to one's subjectivity can be detrimental and indoctrinate the identity of the subject. 

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Essentialism

Identity can be identified by “an essence of self.” This means that essentialism is the direct manifestation of the concept of the essence of identity. By this same token, there would be a fixed essence of feminity, masculinity and all other social categories. ( Barker 2012, pp. 221) American television show “girls” (2012 - 2017) uses the idea of essentialism in identity as the main theme of the show, focusing heavily on the aspects of “finding oneself” and establishing one’s identity. 

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Fractured Identity

Identity is a notion that is seeded in the conceptions that we hold about our emotion identifications and ourselves. When an identity becomes fractured it can mean that the subject creates different identities that are not unified or centred around a coherent self. (Barker, 2012, pp. 220 - 225) The fracturing of identity is explored in Frank Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”, as the main character is subjected to a metaphorical identity transformation, which physically displays the manifestation of the characters inner identity crisis, as well as mirroring the authors' own identity crisis. The above images, taken from Peter Kuper’s graphic novel adaptation (pp. 30 - 31) display the fracturing of the identity of the main character and the emotional flippancy he displays. 

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Creative Identity 

Artists from all disciplines draw artistic influence and inspiration from consumed media and experiences.  “... combinatorial creativity helps us to understand how something can be genuinely ‘new’ and still owe a debt to everything that has come before.” (Hope, 2014)  In the poem “The Garden” (Leav, 2014, pp. 83) the use of metaphorical imagery, such as “... the curtain...his hand reaches for the cord” is used as the basis for the creative influence found in the poem “Tainted” (Tsinganos, 2018 - My own poem). The imagery, although influenced by Leav’s earlier work, has been intertwined with different themes and poetic styles in order to create a ‘new’ piece, a concept which is identified by Daniel Hope above.