Imaginary children: Emotional landscapes of involuntary childlessness – personal reflections, sketching, diary and picture book | Intellect Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Journal of Illustration
  4. Volume 7, Issue 1
  5. Article
Volume 7, Issue 1-2
  • ISSN: 2052-0204
  • E-ISSN:

Abstract

The act of drawing is still an underestimated, powerful and simple means of expression for adults. It represents an odd, unconventional and hence exceptional channel to self-awareness. This article is a phenomenological study of the author’s path from sketching to an emerging visual narrative about a prolonged period of unsuccessful attempts at conceiving a child. The emotional states that arose and the transitions that occurred during this period are discussed through the prism of matrescence, a transitional period to motherhood. It starts with a conscious decision to have a child. Through the biology and by means of drawing and illustration, the author explores the inner workings of the mind, decodes visual metaphors and symbols, and explores emotional and menstrual cycles of conceiving and losing, searching for lost connections to the body and processes within. Motives of and recur in the sketches and drawings. The also appears through the metaphor of tides on the seashore. The fjord – the sea as the origin of life in a biological sense – becomes a place for emotional transformation. In this article, emotional landscapes hold a special place as a helpful tool for working with emotions and developing the story. The initial sketches are examined along with the text of the diary. The phenomenon of disconnection is discussed in a social context to reveal how it is shown in the illustrations. Finally, the egg becomes a strong visual trigger and a link between biology and art, and a character in the narrative.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Norwegian Illustration Fund scholarship in Autumn 2018
© 2020 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/jill_00026_1
2020-08-01
2024-04-26
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Archetti, Cristina. ( 2019;), ‘ No life without family: Film representations of involuntary childlessness, silence and exclusion. ’, International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, 15:2, pp. 175–96.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Bang, Molly. ( 1991), Picture This: How Pictures Work, San Francisco:: Chronicle Books;.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Barton, Lacy J.,, LeBlanc, Michelle G., and Lehmann, Ruth. ( 2016;), ‘ Finding their way: Themes in germ cell migration. ’, Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 42, pp. 128–37, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955067416301181?via%3Dihub. Accessed 20 January 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Carter, Rita. ( 2010), Mapping the Mind, London:: Phoenix Books;.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Davis, Michael, and Sommerfield, Anne. (dir.) ( 2015), Great Barrier Reef ( December 2015–January 2016 , UK:: BBC;).
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Foster Andrew Official Website ( 2016;), ‘ Foz Foster Studio. ’, http://fozfosterstudio.com/. Accessed 20 February 2020.
  7. Guðmundsdóttir, Björk. ( 1997;), ‘ Jóga. ’, Homogenic, CD, Málaga:: El Cortijo Studios;.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Hirsch, Anna M., and Hirsch, Stephen M.. ( 1995;), ‘ The long-term psychosocial effects of infertility. ’, Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing, 24:6, pp. 517–22, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1552-6909.1995.tb02389.x. Accessed 20 January 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Iashchenko, Varvara. ( 2016), personal diary .
  10. Manley, Janet. ( 2019;), ‘ Infertility still the “journey” we don’t have the words for. ’, Romper, 22 May, https://www.romper.com/p/infertility-is-still-the-journey-we-dont-have-the-words-for-17910164. Accessed 16 October 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Patel, Ansha,, Sharma, P. S., and Kumar, Pratap. ( 2018;), ‘ “In cycles of dreams, despair, and desperation”: Research perspectives on infertility specific distress in patients undergoing fertility treatments. ’, Journal of Human Reproduction Science, 11:4, pp. 320–28.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Podestà, Sofia. ( 2020;), ‘ Emotional landscapes. ’, Wild Dogs in Paris , http://www.wilddogsinparis.com/project/emotional-landscapes. Accessed 20 January 2020.
  13. Podestà Sofia Official Website ( 2016;), ‘ Sofia Podestà, about. ’, https://www.sofiapodesta.com/about. Accessed 20 January 2020.
  14. Radiolab Presents: Gonads ( 2018;), ‘ The Primordial Journey. ’, hosted by Molly Webster , New York:, NWYC Studios, USA;, 15 January, https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/projects/radiolab-presents-gonads. Accessed 10 October 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Rafael, Dana. ( 1975), Reproduction, Power, and Change, Berlin:: Mouton Publishers;.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Ramezanzadeh, Fatemeh,, Aghssa, Malek Mansour,, Abedinia, Nasrin,, Zayeri, Farid,, Khanafshar, Navid,, Shariat, Mamak, and Jafarabadi, Mina. ( 2004;), ‘ A survey of relationship between anxiety, depression and duration of infertility. ’, BMC Women’s Health, 4:1, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC534113. Accessed 20 January 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Regev, Dafna, and Cohen-Yatziv, Liat. ( 2018;), ‘ Effectiveness of Art therapy with adult clients in 2018 – what progress has been made? – A systematic review. ’, Frontiers in Psychology, 9:1531, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6124538/. Accessed 14 June 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Sacks, Alexandra. ( 2017;), ‘ The birth of a mother. ’, New York Times, 8 May, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/well/family/the-birth-of-a-mother.html. Accessed 16 October 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Sarton, May. ( 1973), Journal of a Solitude, New York:: W.W. Norton;.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Shubin, Neil. ( 2009), Your Inner Fish, Harmondsworth:: Penguin;.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Streeter, Kaitlyn, and Deaver, Sarah. ( 2018;), ‘ Art therapy with women with infertility: A mixed-methods multiple case study. ’, Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 35:2, pp. 60–67.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Veness, Karen. ( 2013;), ‘ Infertility is still taboo. ’, Racounter: IVF, 29 May, https://www.raconteur.net/healthcare/infertility-is-still-taboo. Accessed 20 January 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Verhaak, Chris,, Smeenk, Jesper,, Van Minnen, Agnes,, Kremer, Jan, and Kraaimaat, Floris. ( 2005;), ‘ A longitudinal, prospective study on emotional adjustment before, during and after consecutive fertility treatment cycles. ’, Journal of Human Reproduction, 20:8, pp. 2253–60.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Iashchenko, Varvara. ( 2020;), ‘ Imaginary children: Emotional landscapes of involuntary childlessness – personal reflections, sketching, diary and picture book. ’, Journal of Illustration, 7:1&2, pp. 87–108, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/jill_00026_1
     [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/jill_00026_1
Loading
Imaginary children: Emotional landscapes of involuntary childlessness – personal reflections, sketching, diary and picture book
Journal of Illustration 7, 87 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1386/jill_00026_1
/content/journals/10.1386/jill_00026_1
/content/journals/10.1386/jill_00026_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): autobiographical graphic novel; cycles; emotional distress; graphic memoirs; matrescence; mental health; self-awareness; sketchbook

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error