Eight Slices of My Emotional Cheese

Do not underestimate Fruitloop !

I might get on people’s nerves singing her praises, but praise where praise is due. This week’s Art Therapy was an eye opener. Ok, so I didn’t follow the rules – it wouldn’t be the first time. Let’s follow this thing.

The task is to draw a circle, divided it into 8 ‘Cheeses’ and attach each corner to an emotion. My brain is far too restless, jumps around too much and too many questions come up.

Why 8?
And can I come up with 8 emotions?
At 6am, probably. At 5pm. Most likely not.

Step one. I need 8 basic emotions. Phone, ChatGPT, prompt…….answer…..pause….okay, so behind the simplified task description lies something deeper.

Why am I not surprised? Fruitloop strikes again. The woman is brutal.

I get my emotions ok. But why these? It turns out there was an American psychologist named Robert Plutchik (1927 – 2006). He reduced emotions and colours, created opposites, stuck them in a wheel and bingo, there you have it.

Just remember, the Mystery Box is Art Therapy. And Fruitloop studied Graphic Design, I’ll bet you, this concept crossed her path at some point.

I take a glass and carefully draw my circle. I want to do this properly…this exercise needs the respect it deserves. Dividing the big cheese into four wedges is not a problem. Another four? Well, if you take a ruler, measure the distance between where the lines meet the circumference, divide by two, four become eight.

We had discussed last week that maths wasn’t our best subject at school, but a little thinking and logic, and out comes the answer. My positive feeling, ignited at the beginning, increases in intensity.

So, circle, cheeses, emotions, and colours are now in situ. Time to colour. Funnily enough, it turns out that the felt pens match these emotions. All except olive. So, how do I create olive?

I ask. Not Fruitloop – she has other things to do. How do you learn? How do you acquire knowledge? In my time, it was books. Now it’s ChatGPT on my smartphone. In goes the prompt, out comes the colour combination. The result is, well, not bad.

Colours applied. Cheese looks good. A feeling of pride wanders through me. I think I can show this to people….

I extend the lines to create a writing space. I deviate from the original task, but that’s allowed. And anyway, I’m on a roll.

Then I ask myself, how was the last week? Put what happened and how I felt into the appropriate colour. Maybe I was lucky. It was a good week. Maybe doing this exercise was such a positive experience that it blocked all negative thoughts.

I could not think of anything negative. One small incident, which could have been avoided. And I tried really hard. No dice.

Sitting at my bistro table outside, I stare at this little creation. Dumbstruck. It took me an hour, the time flew, I know not where.

The little boy inside me jumps up and down as if he had just been given the biggest ice-cream of his life.

People, do this. Let yourself be surprised or confirmed. There was “me” time. Yes, even Mayors need this. Maybe the circumstances were just right. If you don’t know, use whatever resources there are, even ChatGPT to learn.

Art Therapy, Mystery Box, English. It’s a long arc. But at the end of it, even if you don’t do it yourself, but you read about my experience?

In which language?

English.

You can’t escape. Enjoy the ride.

You will come out wealthier.