Prince Charming Must Die
I’m on the phone, telling my friend Sarah about a new guy I’ve met. I’m worried I’ll ruin it all with my fantasies of the perfect man.
“Destroy him,” she suggests. “Wreck your fantasies about the perfect man. Total destruction!” I laugh, imagining myself ripping Prince Charming’s photo viciously to shreds.
Over breakfast the next day, my roommate Katherine and I are discussing her imminent trip to Germany…which is also a romantic reconnaisance mission. I tell her about the Prince Charming Shredder, and we have another good laugh.
Fast forward to today. I wake up to discover Katherine has posted this lovely story on her blog, about using her Wreck This Journal to literally obliterate her image of the ideal man. In Katherine’s own words, “It was satisfying to physically create, then destroy, an image that can block what is truly present for me.”
Ahhhh, so wise. I’m really getting how useful it is to embody destruction in such a physical way! Thank you, Katherine, for a well-timed reminder.
Fellow Wreckers — Do You Have Art to Submit?
Many world religions have death and resurrection stories. This week I resurrected my journal from the water-logged ashes of destruction by creating a new cover (see picture above). Look closely, and you’ll see the sneak preview of the brand new MuseCubes logo. I’ll be unveiling it for real sometimes this summer.
Speaking of MuseCubes, I’m redesigning and looking for art! Here’s my call for art submissions. It’d be so much fun to have fellow wreckers’ art on the cubes.
Clearing Up Misconceptions
By the way: I’m not actually wrecking my real journal. I’m wrecking a pretty book that I bought at Barnes and Noble called “Wreck This Journal.” It’s designed to be wrecked. Jamie Ridler decided to have her blogger’s book group “read” this book over the summer. Have no fear, we’re not destroying our real journals. That would be devastating to the archivist in me.
Wow, how profoundly this is reaching out and changing lives. Really neat what this little book can do! (Well, this little book in the hands of a wild woman who’s not afraid of adventure, art, learning and mess, lol)
haha…I find it amazing so many of us have ideas of a man right now or our ideal man and what he would be like.
Gretchen,
so funny–I did this piece a few years ago where I shredded a bunch of my journals –it was fun and very upsetting to some members of the audience–others cheered on–“Yeah! Get rid of that” Lots more to chat about on that experience off line–lemme know if you’d like to resurrect something like that.
Name of my piece was “nothing leaves the universe”. Later I expanded the piece to include shredding stations throughout the South Loop in Chicago where folks could shred things they wanted to get rid of–it was so fun to watch folks of all ages and socio-economic groups blythely write out what they wanted shredded. Then all the shreddings were carted off and made into an installation–it was all very fetish-y and compost-y. Nothing does leave the universe. Yeah–wreck the journal!!
I love your new cover. I hardly recognize it. Good luck with the new guy.
wrecking your perfect man fantasies – great idea. We all know he doesn’t exist anyway! Perhaps you should add that to the suggestion list at the back.
The muse cube project sounds interesting. I’m not quite sure, if I have understood this properly. You’re looking for art, only via www, not the real one?
Great cover.
Love the idea of destroying our not so realistic notions.
Keep on wrecking.
Loving the new cover and the wrecking of fantasy man idea. Now that’s what I call great wreck work! 🙂
Hi!!!
Prince Charming is Dead!!!
LOL
Im wondering if the bloom of all this wrecking will wear off and somday down the line I will burn it like i did all my previous journalling..do you suppose these are purges?
I am enjoying everyone posts , its opened my eyes to a lotand my brain is on overload
love your cover,,i am off to look for colored duct tape!!
I’m excited about the Muse Cubes! They look like fun. What a fabulous gesture to ask other wreckers to submit their art for the cubes. 🙂
I have given you a little award on my creative blog…
A Prince Charming Shredder is a brilliant idea! It’s amazing the things that open up once we embrace destruction!
Looking forward to your MuseCubes! I hope you get lots of gorgeous art!