I am always processing something through the dolls. Each doll is a totem of resurrection, and tenderness for me. Even when creating them with someone else in mind. The doll lives with me in an embryonic cerebral form, sometimes for days until I pick up the scissors and cut the shapes that will come together to form a symbol of healing. All my whimsy, and mothering comes to play, as I sew together the colorful fabrics, buttons, and beads. Choosing my color scheme is intuitive but based on something very real I see in the person it is being made for.
Recently, I began this process for a woman I met in a local coffee shop. Her strength, and courage in moving through the obstacles she was facing impressed me. In trying to imagine what doll would be best for her, I asked her what her favorite animals were. She replied: “I like dog, cats and chickens.” The chicken stood out in my mind because it seemed connected to fond memories of her father, and her place of origin. Those connections seemed powerful, and also, creating wings for the chicken seemed very appealing to me. Like myself, she had surgeries on her leg. Wings seemed like a wonderful flight of fancy, since walking had become so challenging. Also, in researching chickens, I discovered the chicken was an animal totem for clearing and protection. This seemed like a perfect spirit doll for my friend.In putting together this doll it served that purpose for me as well. I often wake up in the middle of the night contemplating the certainty of death, and uncontrollable pain but I think of my chicken fertile in my imagination, glorious in her wingspan, and I come to rest again, in more delightful musings.
