When I create a character, their story slowly begins to unfold in my mind.
Sometimes the stories are short and sweet, sometimes surreal, sometimes deep and philosophical... and other times so bizarre that I begin to question my own sanity!
Below I would like to share with you 30 day challenge I embarked. I created a character and told their story over the span of 30 days.
More info: queenlardcake.com
Day 01: Little Lachrymose
Little Lachrymose is a truly lost soul who floats ghost like between reality and limbo eternally weeping. Clumpy mascara streams down her large porcelain cheeks, leaving in her wake a thick black trail. Bitterweet black nectar
Day 02: Nautical the Neurotic
Nautical the Neurotic used to be romantically involved Little Lachrymose (see Day 01) before she became a lost soul floating between reality and limbo. Albeit the fact that he was quite neurotic in general, her departure seemed to aggravate his neurosis and trigger a downward spiral of depression in him. He sat at home day in and day out dressed in Little Lachrymose favourite patterned onesie. It smelled of her. He felt safe in this cocooned existence which acted as an insulated barrier between him and the harsh realities of the outside world.
After a few days encased by his newly chosen existence, he began to question......was this it? Would he live out the rest of his days withering away, encased in this now foul smelling onesie? He closed his weary eyes and began to force his addled mind to remember a time when he had felt happy...
The sensation of the warm sun on his face. Carefree. Relaxed. The gentle sound of the waves crashing on the shore. The sea! The sea is the one thing that had always been a source of joy for him, and was always able to renew his weary soul. How had he forgotten this? Why had he continually denied himself the one thing that calmed his soul?
With all the strength he could muster, he pulled himself up and begin to amble in the direction of the sea. The fresh sea breeze assaulted him with such force that it seemed to at once dissipate the smell that he had accumulated through many days of sitting enveloped by the onsie.
He could feel the freezing sea water seep into every fissure and pore, and forcibly awaken all the cells in his body. His soul was now awake as he continued to wade into the water and slowly be submerged by the darkness of the water. A sense of eerie calm came over him as he conceded that here under the sea is where he would eternally reside, blowing bubbles until the day he and his one true love were once again reunited. Little Lachrymose.
Day 03: Lonely Lorn
Lonely Lorn hails from a tribe know as The Troglodytics who reside in the desolate wasteland of Bereft. They were forced into this godforsaken place many years ago after being shunned by the other inhabitants of the planet.
The Troglodytics were viewed as quite primitive creatures, as they would eat anything in plain sight.....including each other! This fact disgusted the rest of the inhabitants and ultimately led to their banishment to Bereft. This view is perhaps not unfounded........given the fact that the rest of Lorn's family actually ended up devouring one another once the soil fertility and food rations began to deplete.
Lorn narrowly avoided a similar fate, as he got lost en route home due to his poor mole-like vision. He now aimlessly wanders the vast wasteland of Bereft, hoping to find a friend.
Day 04: Sigmoid Spineofoids
(Please note that the below narrative is best read in the tone of voice of Sir David Attenborough)
And here we can see the Sigmoid Spineofoids in their natural habitat of Mobilia. Hundreds of Sigmoid Spineofoids. Their distinctive curved spines suggest a profile quite reminisecnt of Neanderthals. However, their sloped vertebrae is a relatively new development within the species. Up to a few years ago they walked in an erect and upright manner but a simple object brought into their environment by their neighbours the Apple Clan would change this forever.
This simple rectangular device know as a mobile had a bright flickering screen which enthralled the Sigmoid Spineofoids and they quickly adopted it into their everyday lives. Little people resided in the mobile and the Sigmoid Spineofoids would spend hours on end watching these tiny forms.
This activity impacted hugely on their vertebrae as a hunched over position is adopted when viewing the device. Given the fact that the Sigmoid Spineofoids would watch the mobile for hour and hours on end, this excessive viewing lead to the spinal issues evident in the species today.
However, a few Sigmoid Spineofoids believe that the mobile is evil as viewers tends to forget about the world in which they live and their environment. They rarely take pause and actually look up. They are slowly being consumed and becoming a prisoner of the mobile. Their condition does however allow me to get closer to their species than ever before. As they now rarely look up from the screen of the mobile, they are unaware that they are being observed. To be so close to such a fascinating species is one of the most unforgettable moments of my career!
Day 05: Brave Bananafoot
Brave Bananafoot wakes each day before the dawn and is quite child-like in how she greets the day. She sits bolt-upright in her bed, her thoughts formulate with razor sharpness while her body crackles with electric energy after a restful sleep. She has yet to adopt the adult method of waking up - a torturous and laborious effort which they would prefer to avoid at all costs and instead assume the fetal position beneath the covers.
How? Why? Where does she acquire this ferocious will and energy from? For she knows she has a very important task ahead of her each morning. It fills her with energy. She leaves her house while the world is still sleeping and rambles in the direction of a a near by abandoned high rise building. She scales it to the tippy top and adopts a relaxed seated position once. She waits.
Each day before the dawn she comes here to collect all the bad thoughts and energy that have been let loose in the world over night. These are known as The Repugnants. She takes a deep breath when one passes by, inhaling it into her body, where she begins to dissolve it with her light and free spirit. These forms are only visible in the darkness so there is a window as to when they can be destroyed. The dawn indicates to her when her task is complete.
The Repugnants are no longer visible in the light of day. While exhausted, she gets a deep sense of satisfaction from this activity. She has prevented the bad thoughts from infiltrating someone else. After a brief nap followed by a yoga routine she is ready to face the day and go to her job! Yah!
Day 06: Decorative Danseur
"Rhythm is a dancer
It's a soul companion"
It's a soul companion"
The music boomed loudly through the auditorium, sharply cutting through the silence. The reverberations matched the thumping of Decorative Danseur's heart against her rib cage. "This was it..."she thought silently to herself. " It was all or nothing!"
"You can feel it everywhere
Lift your hands and voices
Free your mind and join us
You can feel it in the air"
Lift your hands and voices
Free your mind and join us
You can feel it in the air"
Her knees began to count the beats of the music. This was her secret weapon. Her knees simultaneously counted and produced fluid to aid her smooth transitions. Each strong pose congealed together seamlessly to create an elegant patchwork of beautiful movement.
When she danced, she truly felt free. Unchained from the usual inhibitions which dictate how we act during everyday encounters in society. She soared wild and free until the music came to an end. Then it was time to once again reign in her spirit. she neatly folded it into a compartmentalised conformed box until the next it was time to dance again
Day 07: Fearless Flow
Fearless Flow loves to dance. Despite the fact that many people have told her she cannot dance, she continues to dance with an audacity which rivals that of a child.
Why is it that when we are children we possess fearless-ness in abundance? Is it slightly ironic that the larger our bodies become our courageousness seems to shrink exponentially?
Children move with purpose, and each of their movements is fuelled by the importance of the mission that they are on. Yet, as we grow up we seem to get more unsure of what our actual purpose is. Things get a little muddled and we can become directionless.
'Oh, I just go with the flow' utter many adults. This relaxed pretence masks what is truly going on. It enables the person to take no action because 'they are going with the flow'. It means that no decisions are required as the outcome of any situation is dictated by the decision of others. You know what else goes the flow? A dead fish.
How different would our lives be if we treated the obstacles we face as Fearless Flow does.
Be bold.
Be brave.
Be courageous.
Be intrepid.
Be valiant.
Be valorous.
Be a Fearless Flow.
Day 08: Snuggly Seedlings
Snuggly Seedlings as the name suggests are caring creatures. As a seed is beginning to grow they sleep beside it and wrap their body around it to give both warmth and protection. This intensely intimate process leads to the Snuggly Seedlings and Seed becoming entangled and grow together as one.
A bittersweet day lies ahead. When the seed has ripened and transformed into a delicious fruit, the Snuggly Seedling is then cut from the seed. Their bond slashed and they are brutally forced apart to exist independently once again.
Ironically, while the luscious tasting fruit will forever transform the taste buds of the consumer. The Snuggly Seeds will lie in the dirt. Heartbroken and dejected, they will slowly shrivel and die as they have no love left to give.
Life is cruel.
Day 09: Generation Gowl
And here we can see the species Generation Gowl, who as you can see have developed a severe hunch at the top most point of their vertebrae. Their neck elongates and proceeds to hang down creating a near perfect curve, which enables their head to swing freely at the base. Their anatomy has evolved (or devolved) in such a way that they could re-enact a real life conked championship using their heads!
Why? Why have their necks developed in such a fashion? Is this an adaption of the species? Perhaps, it would be more accurate to note this as a devolution of the species. This devolution largely stems from the introduction of a tiny device into their environment. A device known as the mobile phone, or as some call it black box.
Each and every social and personal interaction is punctuated by a relentless series of electronic computerised beeps and rings. The majority of the species now communicate via this little rectangular boxed device rather than look up and speak to the creature in front of them.
Sadly, it will get to a point where they are unable to lift their head to see their nearest and dearest, or the beauty that exists in their world. The structure of the vertebrae has become integrally weak, due to the incessant hunching that eventually it will permanently result in their head hanging limp. They will be unable to look up at all.
Cherish your view of the world. Look up from the screen. Yes this mean you!
Day 10: Teeth Mountain
Welcome to the weird and wonderful world known as Teeth Mountain! Here in perfect harmony, there exists many species of mountain. For example Creamy mountain, Wooly mountain, Woody mountain to name but a few. While all the mountain species differ vastly in terms of aesthetic. They all share one core value. Each mountain has one aim in life, to keep its inner contents in tact which are actually composed of ice cream. This is why mountains are so large and immovable. They focus all their strength on protecting the ice cream within.
Tune in tomorrow to hear more about the character of Teeth Mountain and what happens when they can no longer control their inner selves....
Day 11: Teeth Mountain part 2
It is rather peculiar how being immovable and concentrating on minding your inner ice cream can attract the attention of so many Little People.
They are intent on manipulating our aesthetic appeal in the aim to attract even more Little People! This weird little ritual otherwise known as tourism really perplexes me.
In preparation, they trim and prune our rugged facades. They comb our long luscious hair. They bolt poles and lifts to our sides - this one really hurts and could potentially cause our ice cream to ooze out.
They attach swings to weird places so they experience 'swinging at the end of the world'.
They huff and puff as they traipse up to our summit points and make all merciful racket once they get there.
They tell each other stories about far away lands. It seems to be some sort of competition, who can travel to the furthest points of this earth in a quest for a unique experience, which these days is quite seldom.
Maybe if they were not so blind in their search, we would tell them our secrets : )
Day 12: Teeth Mountain part 3
Teeth mountain became increasingly frustrated at the sheer volume of Little People walking all over them. These frustrations seeped out and they began to lash out at the Little People. They jiggled their bellies which caused 'avalanches' and caused many Little People to plummet to the bottom of the mountains. They also opened their cave-mouths to consume tourist trains and various modes of transport. It was becoming something of an epidemic.
Little People TV was rife with stories of natural disasters, unbeknownst to them that at the root of the problem lay a population of disgruntled Teeth Mountains characters who were simply trying to protect their ice-cream contents.
However, a few Teeth Mountain inhabitants did not agree with the brute tactics that were being employed against the Little People. They searched for alternative solutions to the accumulation of mass Little People. They figured that if the mountains were not so large and immovable they could develop legs and run away from things which caused them distress.
Although in theory this was a perfect solution, in practice it led to many Teeth Mountain characters losing gallons of ice cream and collapsing in streams of white melted ice cream. It was an unmitigated disaster. But the search for alternative solutions continued...
Day 13: Teeth Mountain part 4
As Teeth mountain island became increasingly popular as a tourist destination, this resulted in the inhabitants becoming more and more reclusive. They began to question their own identities, as the Little People incessantly trod on their facades with their tiny sharp spiked feet. Thousands of sharp pricks sent ripples of pain through the mountain. They were tired of people walking all over them and had reached breaking point.
In a quest to re-establish their identity, a select few Teeth mountain inhabitants began to explore the area of Drag Queens and discovered a whole new world in addition to rediscovering themselves. They mined the red pigments in the earth as a source of make up. While the black ashes from the lava-esque mountains could be repurposed as mascara. The make up did not serve as a mask between them as the world. It became a safe haven, where they could explore their own identities and rediscover who they are. Their self confidence and personas grew and blossomed like a fledgling phoenix rising renewed and reborn from the ashes of what had come before.They were no longer mountains being trampled on, they were a force to be reckoned with. True divas.
Day 14: Teeth Mountain part 5
Teeth mountain are a very close knit community. When one of them passes away, it wrenches open a deep sore within the community, leaving in its wake a void which is impossible to fill.
Cocoon is a ritual which has become increasingly popular in recent years, and basically consists of wrapping the mountain in highly decorative bandage material. This ritual initially originated in order to preserve the inner ice cream contents from melting. Previous Melts resulted, in a White Sea washing through the environment and leaving a thick white sticky trail.
While the birth of this ritual was originally out of necessity it has developed into a cathartic process for the family who have lost a loved one. The wrapping signifies the last nurturing act they can carry out. It is a slow and peaceful event, but done with great care and precision. The Mountains must look their best before their penultimate journey - into the blissful After Life.
Day 15: Queen Fennel
Queen Fennel rules the land of liquorice. Her high taut pigtails project an assuming air which lead people to underestimate her capacity as a fennel.
She stands firm in her ruling and dominates the chopping board with her mere presence.
Her sweet smell relaxes you when you are next to her. You secretly want to lick her face but refrain. You as her subtle curves delicately blend into one another to create a solid yet beautiful facade.
Ode to a Fennel.
Day 16: Heart Healers
"Crack!"........ Now you might not have heart that subtle sound. Reminiscent of a twig snapping under footstep in a deep forest . But they heard it ...... The Heart Healers. However, they did not mistake it for a snapping twig underfoot, nor a joint cracking. This distinctive yet barely audible noise was the sound of some one's heart breaking.
So who are the Heart Healers who can actually hear a Heart Break? They are a tiny species who travel around the world in search of people whose hearts are in need of repair.
They have a miniature truck which is kitted out with a disproportionate fig horn through which they listen for the soft sounds of hearts breaking.
When they hear this, they track down the heart broken individual, penetrate their heart and proceed to massage their broken little heart.
Right at the point when you begin to feel better after a traumatic experience - is when the Heart Healer make their exit. They continue their search for the next heartbroken individual. Needless to say they never have too far to travel...
Day 17: Falling Feline
The trouble with falling feline is that they were always falling utterly, hopelessly.......in love.
Within mere seconds of a first sighting, their vision would become rose tinted, blurry and blind to the harsh reality of the situation. Infatuation.
Their bodies would become weak and jelly like as they fell through the air. Existing in a parallel dream like world to the rest of the world's cynics and the broken hearted.
A sheepish dreamy smile would take hostage of their face, contorting their mouths into compulsive and permanent goofy grins.
It was only when their bodies came in contact with the cold, damp ground that they were awakened from this slumber and reality attacked them like the searing pain of a thousand splinters at once.
Their bodies which once floated airily through this world now trudged along while sighing deeply.
Their sheepish grins gave way to tired grimaces and upside down smiles.
Love hurts.
Day 18: The Whoes
They live deep in long grassed meadows. Hypnotised as they watch the grass sway gently to the rhythm of the sun. Their eyes grow large like saucers.
They are The Whoes , a bulbous headed species who reside in long grasses around the world. While their bodies are quite soft and weak due to thevlack of any activity whatsoever. While their heads are quite large...... Probably due to their sizeable brains which question everything they encounter.
The sit in the long grass, watching the world go by, debating the artwork formulated by the clouds. It is a very peaceful existence.......until the rains come! Then, they need to burrow underground. Given their bulbous head and lack of upper body strength this can be quite a comical scene.
All in all, not a bad life!
Day 19: The T-Bag Adventurers
Welcome into the fold as we join the T-bag adventurers during a mission to spread delicious tea leaves to worlds near and far.
There are many different strains of these species.
One strain of the tiny little creatures live inside tea bags in dehydrated form, awaiting the splash of hot boiling water to inflate their souls and bring them to life. Their mission is to infuse the tea leaves correctly in the water by swimming vigorously for a set amount of time in tea pots, mugs and cups across the nation.
While other strain set out into the world, using the tea-bag with a draw string as a vehicle which they all clamber upon. They set out on voyages where they advocate hybrid teas and loose leaf tea. They float by adjusting to the air thermal as they go.
Free the tea! (This story was inspired by Laura)
Day 20: The Plum Puddings of Pudding Lane
Meet the Plum Puddings who hail from Pudding Lane, a delightful place where the snow topped hills resemble plum puddings with a thick serving of clotted cream.
The Plum Pudding are a delightful species and are quite happy and jolly most of the time. However, they are easily scared. If scared the tend to jiggle like a bowl full of jelly and flee on their stumpy legs.
They rarely get very far.....which is largely due to their rotund shape and stubby legs. If they fall they tend to bruise, dent or crumble. Leaving behind a terrible mess indeed.
So if you ever visit Pudding Lane please do be vigilant to not give the poor creatures a fright. Or you will be obliged to deal with the mess.....
Day 21: Emotional baggage
This is a story about emotional baggage. Maggie was a little female heart who for a long time tried to be very strong for herself and those around her. From her perspective, to not be emotionally strong and tough was a sign of weakness. She detested weakness.
Ironically, however this was detrimental to both her and those around her. She slowly began to collect emotional baggage through her lifetime as she continued to internalize painful encounters and experiences.
She always felt like she had to keep up a wall between her and those she grew close to. She trudged through life, continually weighed down by this baggage that was forever growing larger.
One day she met a young male heart while walking. Initially he looked at her in surprise. Shocked by the sheer amount of baggage she was carrying and her bruised and battered interior.
He took one look at her and said " Let me help you with that ". She looked at him with a mixture and shock and awe.
He took one look at her and said " Let me help you with that ". She looked at him with a mixture and shock and awe.
For the first time she realized this tough front not only was hurting her but also prevented others from getting close to her. True strength was actually lowering your guard and opening yourself up to their people and the world. To be vulnerable was actually what took the most strength.
Day 22: Abstract Faces Series: The Smilers
The Smilers have quite a good approach to life. Everyday they smile. Albeit, it is more difficult on some days yet it always helps to smile.
The smile not only helps you shift your own perspective, but can also aid those around you.
On the good days, they paint their tongues in decorative patterns, sit and feel the sun shine on their face and listen to good music.
On the not-so-good days (otherwise known as bad days), they paint on a smile. This is not a forced smile. They accept the bad days for what they are and don't smile out of fake ness. Rather, they smile as they know it will not last forever. They are content that sleep will soon come and bring with it the start of a new day.
The good days far eclipse the bad.
Be a smiler.
Day 23: Abstract Faces Series: The Frownies
The Frownies never smiled, upside down smiles were permanently etched into their faces. Thus, they were now a fixed feature.
They viewed life as an uphill struggle, and met each adversity with a negative attitude. This attitude soon dominated their perspective and it began to slowly gnaw away at their positivity reserves until there was nothing left.
Each day, they would tell everyone their troubles and soon were a shell of who they used to be.
Each day, they would tell everyone their troubles and soon were a shell of who they used to be.
Don't be a Frownie.
Day 24: Abstract Faces Series: The Criers
The Criers are an emotional bunch to say the least. Their response to times of stress and hardship is usually quite dramatic and results in tears.
This suggests that something in their life is maybe a little unbalanced or out of alignment.
Although , sometimes we all just need a bit of an ole cry. It might indicate that we have tried to be too strong for too long.
Sometimes, we are all Criers.
Day 25: Abstract Face Series: The Shouties
Let's just say you can hear a shoutie before you see them. They try to talk the loudest, constantly interrupt the flow of conversation in a group setting.......ironically without saying very much substance.
There is a great quote by the Dalai Lama
" when you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new."
Take note Shouties.
Day 26: Abstract Face Series: The Freaker
The Freakers are a select group who tend to over react in any given situation. They not only stress themselves out but also induce stress and anxiety in those around them.
They tend to think at lightening speed and imagine all the multiple and ultimately awful scenarios that could occur from any one incident.
However, stress rarely solves any problem and serves only to aggravates it. The best we can do is step back and think about what we can do to remedy the situation at hand.
Please don't be a Freaker.......they stress me out.
Day 27: Abstract Face Series: The Smilies
The smilies as the name suggests...smile quite a lot! This is not because their life path is any easier than most. They too face hardships and suffer from the 'trance of unworthiness' that we all succumb to from one time or another.
For a while they too subscribed to the 'burn out' regime and if everything on their precious to do list was not complete before the end of day they would go into visible melt down.
However they took a step back to breathe, and think. How had the ratio of joy to joylessness become so unbalanced in their life ?
Maybe it was not so important to be productive over omitting all joy from their day to day lives. They started to sleep more. They started to smile more. They began to see and seek joy wherever they could find it. And ironically they became more productive!! Productive and smiling vs burnt out and miserable.
Which do you choose?
Day 28: Abstract Face Series: The Theatrics
Meet The Theatrics, a select group of articulate and cultured individuals with a distinct love of well.......drama.
However, they crave it so much that sometimes they create it in their own lives. Drama. Everything needs to be dramatic and intense and full of emotion. While thrilling in the short term. In the long term, it is simply exhausting.
A simple trip to the shops can end in a full blown sobbing episode. Nobody has time for that! Or the patience.
In the end, everyone leaves.........eventually. The drama is too much to be contained within the confines of normal life and is best left perhaps, on stage.
Day 29: Abstract Face Series: The Woodies
Please meet The Woodies - a small group of woodland creatures indigenous to the dense and mossy woodland of Norway.
They create elaborate and decorative crowns from twigs and various moss materials. These can extend to great heights, and the person who wears the highest crown rules the tribe. Hence, each day the sub groups within each tribe work on re-engineering their crown techniques in order to build even higher crowns.
The tribe even had to implement an exercise regime so the crown wearers would have the strength to wear these ever extending crowns without injuring of damaging themselves. YouThey looked to gymnastic strength training to build a strong foundation with compromising on flexibility as they were avid Tim Ferris fans!
They also visited women of the Luo and Kikuyu tribes of East Africa in order to understand how they can carry loads up to 20% their own body weight without expending any extra energy, beyond what they'd use by walking around unencumbered.
The woodies have continued to thrive and out do one another based on their curiosity to learn and willingness to seek out people who are more intelligent and have more effective processes. They seek to connect and learn from others, outside of their own tribe.
Other tribes could take note of this... ????
Day 30: Abstract Face Series: Meet the Cone-Headed Elders and the Young Hippy Dippies
The Cone-Headed Elders and the Young Hippy Dippies all co-exist together on an island called Sicamorious. An Idyllic island off the South of Swedeland.
Although, in some societies there is a lot of friction between young and old here on Sicamorious they exist peacefully learning from one another.
Conflict usually stems from misunderstanding. Misunderstanding can be a breathing ground for contempt.
On Sicamorious, the core belief held by all its inhabitants is ' everyone is trying their hardest in this life'. Once you utter these words, it is hard to hold onto any anger or resentment. It melts away.
You have empathy for those within your community. You are interested in the story they have to tell and not merely the generic story that is being projected by their demographic in society.