The Chair

Here's a narrative about 'The chair'.

'The chair'... will always be, a chair.

No matter how much you wish it to be a table or desk or sofa...it will always be a chair.

So, now that I have you all confused and thinking I've 'lost the plot'. let me explain and explore this with you.

'The chair' isn't a real, physical or literal chair that we sit on.

'The chair' metaphor can be used to truly see and understand many things. It can explain why you are struggling with your art, your feelings, your creativity.

Let's now briefly look at a more subtle way this metaphor can be helpful to use.

It may be that you have noticed a style of art that you would love to be able to create. That style of art is 'The chair'.

You try and try to recreate 'The chair', to paint with its style, to recreate the marks, the expression, the mood, the function...but it's never quite right. You become frustrated with yourself and with what you may see as your lack of ability...but wait. Maybe you are and were never meant to be that particular chair. You are as unique and individual as that chair is. You cannot become 'That chair'.

So you see, this metaphor about a chair being a chair. can be useful when applied in many ways.

Often, this 'The chair' metaphor is used to help people who have experienced a negative, harmful situation with another person, who has been harmful and abusive. In that sense, the metaphor is used to help the 'survivor' understand that the person who has harmed them, will never change. They are a chair, a damaged diseased chair, created from sour wood. All attempts to reason with it or repair or help it to be better, will fail. Trying to apply the usual ways of thinking to it, is like trying to make it into something else, a reasonable healthy table for example. It just doesn't work. 'The chair'...is 'The chair', and will always act as one. It will never deviate from its core, only superficially in order to mimic or manipulate.

Clearly, if you are in a situation where you are being harmed by a person, then realising this 'chair' metaphor is helpful in enabling you to diminish their control over you and hopefully, to get rid of the chair!

With art, it can be a useful way of helping artists to realise that they are unique and that is a good thing. Embrace it and evolve. Be the best you can be...however, don't fall into that common trap of trying to be something else...if you are a chair, don't try to become the table!