a more-than-Basic-editing version of this challenge entry:
The image is intended as a psychological study, and is meant to accompany a poem, which provides the context for understanding this image. You can find the poem here..
I interpreted the poem as being about an angry daughter, who had a mother who was in some way abusive or emotionally damaging. Her mother sews, and the imagery in the poem related to her mother is centered on sewing.
I thought of the psychology of people who have been abused and thought they, generally speaking, would be strongly desirous of safety, and protection - they wouldn't be inclined to take emotional risks.
And then I thought, all our emotions and needs tend to have outward expressions, particularly unconscious outward expressions, so I started to think about this particular woman, the woman of the poem, and what the externalization of her inner anguish would be. Since she sees her mother, the source of her pain, in terms of sewing, I thought: what is the quintessential symbol of safety and protection for sewing?
The thimble.
I decided the woman would be a thimble collector. But not just any thimble collector - not decorative thimbles, collectible thimbles - she would be a horder of thimbles, masses and masses of them, with no particular regard for their beauty or individuality. The thimbles' sole purpose would be almost talismanic, their presence meant to soothe her.
But they don't soothe, or the effect is fleeting, and she is fated to continue to desperately horde more and more, to feed her compulsion for safety.
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