Day 1: Mythology Influenced Design

Conceptual Framework and Research:

Over winter break I happened upon an interview with Joseph Campbell that I found very inspirational. Joseph Campbell has written many books on mythology and the role it plays in our lives. I began thinking about the potential for mythology to influence the designs for my t-shirts. In the past week I have been doing a lot of research on mythology and its psychological benefits, I have also been reading many ancient myths. I am interested in looking at the potential for mythology as a way to understand and communicate struggles/triumphs experienced by diabetics. My idea for Day 1 project was to practice the methodology of choosing the story of a specific diabetic person and designing something for that individual that references what they are going through with mythological symbols.

I chose to design for a well-known diabetic blogger I've been following for a while named Kerri Morrone Sparling (check her blog here - - http://www.sixuntilme.com). Right now she is pregnant, which as a Type 1 Diabetic is considered high risk. It's something many diabetics are cautious about, as it could be dangerous for the diabetic and their child. I wanted to design specifically for this type of situation, as it represents a kind of Hero's Journey, and see what kind of mythological symbols came out of this creative process and design constraints.

After much research I decided that I wanted to create a maternity shirt for Kerri that has a silkscreened large body of water. Where her insulin pump lives would be covered by a whale. I also want to create a little onesie for her soon-to-be baby girl (due in May) that has a lotus flower and stem on the side.

Meaning of these symbols:

Water: Source of all potentialities in existence. Symbolic of The Great Mother and associated with birth. The universal womb. Water is the liquid counterpart of light. Immersion in water not only symbolizes the return to the primordial state of purity, death to the old life and rebirth into the new, but also the immersion of the soul in the manifest world.

Whale: The power of the cosmic waters, hence regeneration, both cosmic and individual; also the engulfing grave. The belly of the whale is both a place of death and rebirth. Being swallowed by the whale is entry into the darkness of death, and emerging from the whale, after the traditional period of three days, is the emerging from the cavern of initiation into new life.

Lotus: The glorious lily of the great waters. Flower of Light. The lotus is a symbol of a superhuman or divine birth issuing unsullied from the muddy waters.

What I made so far:

Sketches of whales on transparent paper (to be transferred to Mylar and exposed on my silkscreen for printing)

Other steps forward:

I emailed Kerri Morrone Sparling and asked if she would be willing to let me design something for her at no charge and send it to her for some feedback, so keep your fingers crossed!


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