JEN DEGNAN SMITH, PhD
Jen Degnan Smith has a Ph.D. in Jungian and Archetypal Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and an MA in Applied Psychology from New York University. She is an independent scholar and consultant exploring sociocultural issues, particularly around the cultural feminine. She spent eight years traveling to Greece, exploring ancient myth and modern Greek culture, including the prolific street art of Athens. She began painting with acrylics 13 years ago in an effort to make sense of life and found that the images that emerged provided insight into the collective and the individual psyche, as does the poetry that often appears with them.
Psyche's Reeds
(3'4" x 2'6")
My artwork focuses on the power of image and the capacity of psyche to create healing images. The paintings that materialize are unpredictable although I often have a sense of what might be coming before I cast the first stroke of the paintbrush. I focus on color as I appreciate Josef Albers’s views on the potency, interaction, and relativity of color. Color changes our view; it impacts our moods; it changes based on what’s around it.
The image of Psyche’s Reeds emerged while I studied the myth of Psyche and Eros. In the myth, Psyche endures four seemingly impossible tasks in order to be reunited with her love, Eros. Viewed through a metaphorical lens, the tasks reflect stages of women’s psychological development.
The green reed was Psyche’s guide during her second task in which she had to retrieve golden fleece from dangerous sheep. The reed offered her sage advice by suggesting she avoid the sheep during the heat of the day when they were most ferocious. Rather, Psyche should wait until dusk and instead of gathering the fleece directly from the sheep, she should retrieve the remnants stuck to the trees.
Viewed through a psychological lens, reeds may reflect what grows from our own waters—that which rises from our unconscious. The reeds are those parts of us—the intuitions and somatic senses—that guide us and provide us with a sense of agency. They are the gold in our unconscious waters. In our culture dominated by ration and logic, we easily lose our connection to these wise parts of ourselves, which help bring coherence to chaos.
The reeds also show an alternative approach to power than the one patriarchal culture promotes, which, like the sheep, is generally aggressive and confrontational. The reed teaches Psyche a more nuanced approach to dealing with difficult situations. One that requires patience, reflection, and consideration, yet is still effective. This is a good, and safe, way for Psyche to get “in touch” with the power that the sheep offer. Historically, women have been discouraged from creating a healthy relationship with their power, which is an important part of a healthy psychological life.
Psyche’s Reeds initially emerged upside down. The sky first appeared as snow on the ground. The coldness of it dulls the hot sun in the myth. It brings in a cooling of the energy of the sheep.