Our Home has always been an Addams Family Style blend of the Merry and the Macabre co-existing together in complete Harmony. To most that is very Odd and they're not quite sure what to make of it, especially when Experiencing it for the first time and beholding my Beloved Cabinets of Curiosities. And especially given that I am a Personality with a Sunny Disposition and presentation, so it isn't as outwardly Evident on me as my Home Reveals. Some peeps you can tell just by looking at them what their total Vibe might be and what they're most comfy around at Home... and that can sometimes shock peeps that Think they really Know me. *LOL*
Death and a Dark Gothic Atmosphere has always held a Fascination and Intrigue for me, I could have easily gravitated into a line of work that works alongside that Natural Event we all will someday Encounter... and at the end of my Corporate Life I did gravitate to a Career that dealt with the Darker side of Society and Life. I didn't go so far as being a Mortician or working at the Medical Examiner's Office, but I always felt that I easily could have seriously considered those Careers and done well at them.
I know myself well and have always been very Comfortable in my own Skin and with my own Peculiar Style. I always also knew and was very aware that it WAS Peculiar by most Standards and that was okay with me too. Even in Childhood I refused to Conform and be a People Pleaser, I didn't mind being Labeled Weird or Eccentric, because Clearly I AM. *Smiles* I don't like what I like just to be a Rebel or make a Statement, it Truly is what I Connect to at my Core for some Mysterious Reason I really cannot Explain fully, except to say I've ALWAYS been like this. My Parents even said I was a very Peculiar and Morose Child in many ways, with a Fascination and Curiosity with what typically Scared or even Terrified other Children or even most Adults.
And yet I always had a penchant for Beauty too... Traditional Beauty as well as Beauty that could only be considered Beautiful in the Eye of the Beholder, namely ME! *Winks* Yes, Gossamer Ostrich Feathers stuck into the top of our Christmas Tree are Beautiful to me... but so is the Cobweb that hangs above it that our Resident Daddy Long Legs spins. I banish him outside every so often, but he tenaciously finds a way back inside to his 'Spot' and diligently Creates another elaborate Web before you know it and sometimes I just let him stay for a while after all his Labor.
Most peeps would be loathe to co-exist with a Spider in their Home, but I've co-existed with many Strange Things Peacefully. I don't have any problem with it because our Resident Daddy Long Legs has eradicated many a nuisance creature that we don't want to co-exist with like Flies, the occassional Killer Bee {yes, we have them in Arizona} and even Black Widows. I once had an Old Timer tell me that if you have Daddy Long Legs around you won't have as many Black Widows because they don't get along so rarely share Territory. And since we have Acreage and Black Widows can also be a huge problem in Arizona, I'd prefer to co-exist with the Daddy Long Legs which are harmless, especially when you have Kids, Ailing Adults and Pets around.
It might run in the Family Line too because my Nanna had a Resident Spider in North Wales, he even had a Name and kept her Sunroom free of Flies... and my Mom, as meticulous as she was about Housekeeping, never minded the 'Good Spiders' dropping by so long as they didn't get too carried away with their Web Creations.
And my Family and Closest of Friends have gotten so used to my Quirkiness that they don't bat an Eye when I get beyond Excited and drag Home something absolutely off the wall because they realize it constitutes a Priceless Found Treasure in my Eyes. Yes, the Eyeless Mannequin Head with the long Blood Red streaked Hair wearing an Authentic Greek Fisherman's Cap... is definitely ALL Dawn. Creepy and Weird to most, but to me it's a Thing of Beauty! *Winks*
In fact, Vintage Mannequins, especially the dismembered and battle scarred ones, are all over the house as appreciated Art Forms... sometimes we even put clothes on them just so that more Modest Guests won't be totally Freaked out that we're totally Okay with buck neckid' ones being displayed. *LOL* Growing up with the Influence of a European Mom, in her Culture Violence was more worth strictly Sensoring and Shielding Children from than mere Nudity, which was a perfectly Natural Thing. And Traveling the World extensively we recognized that with the exception of America, Inhibitions about the Human Body were scarcer in other Countries and no Big Deal.
So yes, a Bald and Naked dismembered Vintage Mannequin is a Thing of Beauty to me and I was totally Jazzed to drag each one Home to add to my Macabre Collection of them. They are great for Displaying and Organizing my Vintage Hats and Bohemian Bling.
And Taxidermy, we've always had an Affinity for it even though we are also Animal Lovers... some totally don't understand that or perhaps Approve, I don't care. Not every Animal Lover I've ever met is a devout Vegan, so I'm certainly not in the Minority of folks that can Appreciate and Support the Welfare of Living Creatures and yet not have a particular problem with the dead ones that ended up as food or were Preserved in the Art of Taxidermy or a Skully. If someone would never own Taxidermy, a Fur or eat Animal Products, I Respect that as their prerogative and Lifestyle, it just doesn't happen to be mine and I believe in being mutually Respectful of Freedom of Choice and differences.
I actually find it rather Ironic how uptight some folks can be about how other people choose to Live, especially if it's not really bothering nor affecting them at all. When I hear anyone being Critical about how someone else Styled their Home, Lives or Dresses it is very tempting to ask why it bothers them? I recognize that it isn't always all about me and my preferences, each Individual is Unique and that Variety adds to the Spice of Life. How boring would it be if we were all so Uniform, Conforming and Identical?
Actually THAT I WOULD find to be SCARY! I've seen many a Horror Movie that didn't make me flinch or particularly disturb me, but THE STEPFORD WIVES Movie, that Terrified me! *LOL* Maybe that's why I find Cookie Cutter Subdivisions to be particularly Disturbing, I dunno, a perceived precursor to Stepford Living and giving up Personal Identity and Individual Character perhaps? *Smiles*
I'd much rather gravitate towards the Weird and the Wonderful, I find it to be far more Interesting to me. And it has been a great Conversation Starter too, especially to the Curious! *LOL* I mean, someone walking down the street carrying half a Mannequin is bound to prompt some Curiosity or at the very least a second look. *Ha ha ha*
And as my Dear Ole' Mom would say, it is much better to be Looked Over than Overlooked! *Winks*
Is there anything that you Enjoy putting together in your Styling or Wardrobe that might be across a vast and broad spectrum? Maybe not Merry with Macabre, but perhaps say, Traditional with Unconventional? Rustic with Oppulence? Simplicity with some Over-The-Top Excess too? Organic with Synthetic? Expected with Unexpected?
What Things of Beauty do you recognize that may be overlooked by most others? Or at least not Cherished in quite the same way by the masses? Or is there something that the masses Adore that absolutely Repulses you? And have you ever thought to Wonder, Why?
Not that it really matters, the Whys... if you like or Love it then it just is what it is, a Sentiment you Feel or a Connection you've made for whatever reason with a Person, Place or Thing.
And especially during the Holiday Season it really brings it more into focus for me, what other People really like or Love, because we're preparing to present Gifts to those who are Special to us and we want it to be Special for and to them. There is nothing quite like a Thoughtful and Heartfelt Gift is there?
I had Visited a Lovely New Blog the other day THOUGHTS FROM ALICE and it had a very Profound Quote that I just Loved and I thought was fitting to Share in Today's Post:
"When a child gives you a gift, even if it is a rock they just picked up, exude gratitude. It might be the only thing they have to give, and they have chosen to give it to you." ~Dean Jackson
Wow! That really touched my Heart and Soul!
And I realized that I'm a Person of Great Sentiment and I HAVE chosen to particularly Cherish those types of Gifts from others, especially Children, and exude Gratitude, no matter how Odd or Quirky or Kitsch the object and I've Valued it for my own reasons. But I never thought about that second and most important part of the Quote... that it might be the only thing they have to give... and they have Chosen to give it to YOU!!! When you contemplate that Thought and Sentiment, how could you NOT Feel intensely Grateful and Truly Special?
May an Attitude of Gratitude always prevail in your Lives my Friends... and you Celebrate who you Uniquely are and Whose you are... Merry Christmas from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian