Identities in motion
and resources to pinpoint *some* of them
Dear wonderers,
What identity do you hold dearest?
In many shapes and forms, the theme of shifting identity(es) has been following me lately (and most of my life, to be honest). Or should I say that my brain was primed to see it in all the stories, art, and professional conversations surrounding me these past few weeks?
Human history has this bad habit of repeating itself. Of course, it’s our bad habit — because we forget and ignore these shifts. So we fracture. And split. And repeat.
In the realm of marketing, there’s this obsessive conversation around product marketers being or not being marketers. Yet, we forget that the definition of marketing is rightfully mixing the 4 Ps - product, price, place, and promotion - to begin with.
In the realm of art and stories, form has depleted most of its meaning. Yet, we forget that it should be about the human experience for it’s what makes us understand and feel beyond our selfishness.
In the realm of History, the capital H one, the personal has trumped the community (all puns intended). Yet, we forget that the personal can’t exist in a vacuum, ever.
Of course, it is the universal “we”.
That’s why, I invite you on a journey of remembering. Or, even better, choosing:
#ToSee
1.
If you’ve ever wondered how you’d get along with your alter-ego, what kind of other personality you could have/live, or how to make your unconscious conscious — just go watch Severance now.
Apart from its deeply philosophical themes and unsettling corporate zealotism, it is a gem of visual explorations, showcasing what a split identity looks like. Pay close attention to how each composition is carefully divided. I’ll give you a hint (thanks, Vali, for this one).
Also, if you need even more convincing, it’s one of the best-written shows in the last decade.
2.
Our identities are also shaped by the cities we inhabit. Right?
3.
Have you met the paintings of Hilma af Klint?
I recently discovered this amazing artist and her abstract spiritual musings — not only a way to delve into the world’s identity with a capital I maybe, but a way to gain independence in the late 19th century.
#ToRead
1.
Natsume Sōseki’s Kokoro tells the story of a coming-of-age, falling in love, jealousy, male friendships, and accepting who you become across time — are we just a single self, in the end? Are we ultimately good or evil?
“You seem to be under the impression that there is a special breed of bad humans. There is no such thing as a stereotype bad man in this world. Under normal conditions, everybody is more or less good, or, at least, ordinary. But tempt them, and they may suddenly change. That is what is so frightening about men.”
2.
The Hollow Men - T.S. Eliot
Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow
You’re probably more familiar with the final verse of this poem, but it’s always good to remember the full “story” and that the choice is ours.
3.
How about the identities we share without questioning their origins or usefulness?
This is not a call to abandon caution, but an invitation to think critically about why we follow the rules we do.
Enter Stuart Hall and his theory of encoding/decoding which is at the heart of mediated communication — are you aware of the stories you consume every day and how they shape your identity? Yes, news, TikToks, ads, or that latest meme you received, they all count! The message, or what Hall calls “the programme as ‘meaningful’ discourse” is the end result of this long process of encoding, which converts reality into a media product. He is careful to call this message “‘meaningful’ discourse” with those ironic scare quotes because he wants to remind us that this message is not neutral.
&
Identity is not a set of fixed attributes, the unchanging essence of the inner self, but a constantly shifting process of positioning…identity is always a never-completed process of becoming — a process of shifting identifications, rather than a singular, complete, finished state of being. (Hall)
#ToListen
What better time to revise the story of you than in your final days? Ikiru (the Japanese version) and Living (the British version) — both inspired by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Did you fall into the autopilot identity? Here’s an interesting thought-experiment.
Beirut is back with a song about a fake unicorn and an album titled “A study of losses” which, this article terms, is inspired by the chilling tale of a man obsessed with archiving all of humanity’s lost thoughts and creations. How’s that for a study in identities?
#ToTry
This prompt to explore the masks you wear: “I want to uncover the masks I'm currently wearing, the roles I'm playing, and the illusions I'm believing. Please guide me through this process by asking me 10 reflective questions - one at a time - to help me recognize the stories I'm telling myself. After I answer the 10th question, please step into the role of my higher self and analyze my responses. Identify the top negative patterns present in my life and the top positive patterns I can embrace and grow. Be direct and truthful, tough love is welcome. Provide me with actionable steps to change my behaviours and embody my authentic self.”
I did this exercise with ChatGPT and found some helpful action points — like making space to write more of this newsletter, for instance (more about that coming soon).
#ToPonder
Thank you to all of you here — you make me want to keep on writing, exploring, and being curious about the world. So let’s be curious and unravel identities, together!
Please share your thoughts and suggestions as a reply or in the comments. I read them all even if sometimes I’m slow to react.
Onwards!