Flowers of Solitude Tote Bag

Individuation. How do we become an individual separate and apart from our parents and others? Is this even possible when humans have a ‘social brain’ wired to connect with others? Which external forces compel us to differentiate ourselves from or to assimilate ourselves to the standards around us? At one end, families and societies organize themselves around collective thought and behavior; at the other end, an individual organizes the self around brain activity that only they experience (e.g., a unique desire, a particular goal, etc.). The brain can also simulate worlds that do not exist outside the individual, but that the society involves itself with at the level of the individual, such as in the case of hallucinations and delusions. Some societies regard these individuals as visionaries in contact with unseen powers; others regard them as chemically imbalanced or neurologically compromised. Either way, the individual and the collective are involved with each other in structuring the identity and the meaning of thought and behavior.

As social animals, we are constantly negotiating these two extremes. We are perpetually navigating worlds within us and worlds outside of us. We are always already involved both with ourselves and with others. The internal and the external are always already merged in a matrix of identity. My anthropology professor made a powerful statement about this: “People in individualistic societies believe they are not a society at the level of society.” It was such a simple yet fascinating observation. I had grown up believing that I was a unique individual without any ties to a ‘society.’ Yet, this belief took place at the level of the civilization because everyone was believing it. As a society, we denied we were a society.

This painting represents these dynamics. The flowers are all the same color set against the same blank background. Yet, each flower is different and each flower drips into (influences) the next. The blank background (society) provides the structure for the individuation of the flower to bloom in its own way; but the structure will always be there. In a healthy society, this structure allows for individuals to pursue their brain activity (a unique desire, a particular goal, etc.) in harmony with others doing the same. We collectively build a structure that allows for self-development and introspection; the collective structure allows individual growth. To use a biological example, the same soil can produce wildly unique plants. The ideal environment, then, is a foundation that will give us healthy roots of thought and behavior; a universal ‘soil’ that will nurture and sustain unique growth and a diversity of life.

My hope is that each time you use your new tote bag, you feel that you are both your private self and the collective structure that has nourished your roots; that you feel both separate enough from others to introspect and self-develop, but connected enough to others to assimilate and belong.

• 100% polyester
• Bag size: 15″ × 15″ (39 × 39 cm)
• Capacity: 2.6 US gal (10 l)
• Maximum weight limit: 44lbs (20 kg)
• Dual handles made from 100% natural cotton bull denim
• Handle length: 26″ (67 cm), width 1″ (2.5 cm)

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