I've recently been talking and sharing about the Archetypes and how these can affect you as an artist and creative person.
These are based on a few of the great many of archetypes described by Carl Jung and developed by many people since to describe our habitual behavioural patterns. These are within all of us and it is important to remember that balance for the light and shade as equal partners, without judgement.
There are shadow and enlightened archetype patterns in all of us. Light and Shade need each other. They are all part of us, they just are, no judgement. But recognising where these are activated in you, can give greater self knowledge and help us change our behaviour and decisions.
In balance, these help us be in our full wholeness, expand into our highest potential and potency!
Here I will give a simple outline of 5 shadow and 5 enlightened archetypes to give an introduction to see where these concepts lead you.
The Child Archetype (shadow)says “It’s not fair!”
“It’s not my fault” “I need to ask if I am allowed..”
It seeks permission, lacks self-worth, blames others.
Needs attention, security, permission, keeps it’s standards low, it makes assumptions and needs validation. Things happen to the child, out of its control and the world seems “so unfair!”
The Sovereign Archetype (enlightened) says “I am on the right path” “I trust myself” “I have this!”
The Sovereign seeks support from others, makes decisions, is accountable, eager to learn, holds good boundaries
it has self-respect, trust, self-confidence, is aware of it’s power and vision
Next time you feel your petulant inner child react, put on your crown, feel your shoulders let go and widen, move with grace.
The Victim Archetype (shadow) says "Why does this always happen to me?"
"That person said something hurtful, I can't do this anymore"
"This is too hard, it's easier to do nothing"
The victim has no boundaries, but is defensive. They are blaming, self-pitying and self-centered. They lack trust and come from a place of scarcity. They feel like bad stuff always happens to them.
The victim needs empathy, support and to feel safe.
The Warrior Archetype (enlightened) says "Let me at this!" "I'm on it, get out of my way!"
The warrior shows courage, boldness, leadership and bravery. They are resolved and determined, have faith in themselves and the work and are resilient, quick to bounce back from knocks.
The warrior needs to have others to lead, to collaborate with and be well armed with tools.
The Saboteur Archetype (shadow) says "I've tried this before and it didn't work"
"This is terrible, it's never going to work"
"I'll never be as good as ?, I may as well give up"
"I need to know this will work before I try it"
The Saboteur procrastinates, compares themselves to others, seeks perfection and prof things will work out exactly as they envision. They find it difficult to finish projects, as they feel they never come up to their own high standards. The Saboteur is often snobbish and judgemental, cynical and in constant comparison with others.
They need accountability and evidence that they are on the right path.
The Alchemist/Magician Archetype (enlightened) is the Artist in full flow, bold, brave, working with their intuition, decisive. They sat "I have an exciting idea"
"I can't wait to explore this"
"How amazing can we make this?"
They experiment and explore, take risks, trust in serendipity are flexible and easily adapt to change.
The Alchemist is in abundance and trusts in the magic of their own work.
The Alchemist/Magician needs inspiration.
The Prostitute Archetype (shadow) says "OK, I'll just do it myself"
"I want to offer this for everyone"
"By the time I have shown someone else how to do this I may as well have done this myself"
"I can't afford that"
"I don't want to appear greedy or grabbing"
"I'll do that for you if it makes you happy"
They are the eternal people pleaser, always trying to serve and please everyone, even if it is not the work/art that they want to do. They give their work away for free, under-price, undervalue and overwork. They also often feel resentful towards the people they are trying to please, and stop loving the work, lose self-respect.
The Prostitute Archtype needs to know that they are loved and that they are enough.
The Lover Archetype (enlightened) says "I love my work"
"Let's make this the best it can possibly be"
"If I love my work, someone else will too"
They are in flow, magnetic, welcoming, playful, warm and happy people, respectful of others and their own boundaries. They are curious, keen to learn and are easeful.
The Lover Archetype needs exciting collaborations with others.
When observing the archetypes of behaviour in ourselves we only need to notice what is activated or triggered in us. We can use this awareness then, to behave differently, with intension and to allow our full self expression to come through...to create a life of our fullest potential and potency.
By way of an experiment, when you feel you are activated in one archetype, create from this mindset, then step into it's opposite shadow/light archetype and create from that mindset and see how this alters your creative work.
This is just a short introduction into a few of the most common and useful Archetypes. i trust this will enable and inspire in some way. Mindset is something that I weave throughout my online and in-person courses and play-shops, as I believe it is a vital part of being a liberated, expressive artist. It helps us make sense of our own experiences and the wider world.
Kate Moores is an expressive, figurative artist, founder of the Creative Hands Courses and the facebook group Creative Hands Tribe. You can find her courses "Get This Arty Started" and "Step into your Artistic Style Through Sketchbooks here Creative Hands Courses (katemooresartist.com)
KM 5/5/2021