Changing babynames
Naming and shaping a book definitly has some similarities to naming and growing a baby. All
three of my children had different names before they were born, until the point
came, somewhere during the last weeks before birth, that what had to become
their real name revealed itself to me/us. Livia was once called Vashti, before
I got pregnant I used to think of her as Elva. I can't remember what we used to
call Davin when he was a bellybaby, but it for sure wasn't Davin all along but
if he would have been a girl I liked the name Kamille. Remi was once called
Elliot or Rosa Lee for a girl.
Why Ink-bird?
In the case of the book, the name has changed as well, from Deciduous
Woman to Call Of The Ink Bird. The birds naturally flew into my
illustrations and than I found them in many poems as well. The woman that goes
through the seasons like the deciduous tree, the earthy illusion of
transformation, is still a strongly present subject. The birds are
manifestations and mirrors of the muse. It is their call that inspires and
reminds her of the creative expression, their song that makes the ink flow. Of
course this is a metaphor, I hear this call to create from inside, from the
quiet song that is darkness. The ink symbolizes this darkness, which is the
darkness of the womb, the darkness of the sea and the night-sky. But the ink
has stars. Look, there is life in the ink! You, me, plants, minerals, animals,
our stories, our creations, our thoughts and emotions. And your face is also in
the beauty of a feather.
Do you have a special connection to birds or a certain type of bird? I might have a few lines of poetry in my book that I can share with you. Just mention your bird of choice in the comments and I will see if I can find it!