![\"oil](\"http:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWould you like to:<\/h1>\n\n- deepen your creativity;<\/li>\n
- enrich your sense of who you are and what is possible for you;<\/li>\n
- introduce more playfulness into your life;<\/li>\n
- find out more about a particular side of yourself;<\/li>\n
- get a bit clearer about a situation that feels problematic and stuck;<\/li>\n
- or gain clarity when you\u2019re feeling torn between two choices?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Well – have you ever thought of using puppets?<\/h2>\n
Puppets!<\/i>\u2026 hearing that word, do you get a curious tingle inside, your heart beating a little faster? Or perhaps, on the contrary, you\u2019re thinking: \u2018What??? I hope no-one expects me<\/i> to use puppets!\u2019<\/p>\n
Some people love puppets, some absolutely hate them (which is fine!); and most aren’t quite sure until they\u2019ve tried.<\/p>\n
So I’m going to give you a few ideas about why (and how) might you use puppets by yourself, on your own at home*.<\/strong><\/h2>\nI\u2019ll show you:<\/p>\n
\n- how to choose a puppet<\/li>\n
- how to dialogue with it<\/li>\n
- what\u2019s happening when the puppet won\u2019t \u2018speak\u2019<\/li>\n
- what to do if you don\u2019t feel comfortable with your puppet\u2019s \u2018personality\u2019<\/li>\n
- how to build on what you discover<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHow to find out more about yourself - in a playful kind of way! <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n
1 Choose a puppet<\/strong><\/h2>\nTo start, you’ll either need to make a puppet, or buy one<\/strong>. Making a puppet can be a very enjoyable creative activity. It can be as simple as an old sock, with a couple of buttons sewn on as eyes. If you like, you could sew more details on to create a really elaborate puppet. Or draw a figure on card and stick it to a lollipop stick. You don\u2019t have to like what you\u2019ve made \u2014 but you do have to be open to what it might have to show you.<\/p>\nIf you prefer to buy a puppet, spend some time in a toyshop checking out the hand puppets; or look online at the wide range available at specialist online stores.<\/p>\n
Notice what are you drawn to<\/strong>.<\/h3>\nCuteness? Quirkiness? Mischievousness?<\/p>\n
It helps if you choose a puppet that you are drawn to \u2014 but you can also discover a lot from working with a puppet that you find unappealing.<\/p>\n
If you can afford it, perhaps you might buy two puppets, each with different qualities.<\/p>\n
![\"puppets](\"http:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/puppets-image-300x300.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n2 Dialogue with your puppet<\/strong><\/h2>\nOnce you\u2019ve got your puppet, find somewhere that you can be alone and undisturbed for at least half an hour.<\/p>\n
Put your puppet on your hand and get to know it. You may find it helps to walk slowly around; or you might prefer sitting.<\/p>\n
Let your puppet speak.<\/p>\n
What does it want to talk about?<\/p>\n
If no words come, that\u2019s okay. Sometimes these things take time. The part of you that \u2018knows\u2019 the puppet\u2019s character may be very wary of revealing itself. This might be the most vulnerable, fragile part of you that has been crushed and hurt in the past, and it might need a lot of patience and gentle acceptance before it can safely be seen.<\/p>\n
You might like to dialogue with your puppet. You could try asking it questions<\/strong> such as:<\/p>\n\n- Who are you?<\/li>\n
- What do you know about you?<\/li>\n
- How do you show up in my life?<\/li>\n
- What do you need?<\/li>\n
- What are your strengths?<\/li>\n
- What is a gift or quality that you have to offer?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3 What\u2019s happening when the puppet won\u2019t \u2018speak\u2019?<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt\u2019s important to note that although the answers may come in the form of words, they may come instead as body sensations, feelings, memories or images<\/strong>.<\/p>\nWork on bringing your awareness to these other forms of knowing.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible that you may need to allow yourself several sessions of trying to open yourself to picking up any subtle messages that are coming from your body, your feelings, and your imagination.<\/p>\n
4 What to do if you don\u2019t feel comfortable with your puppet\u2019s \u2018personality\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou may feel quite charmed and delighted by your puppet!<\/p>\n
It might be very loveable, sweet, brave or quirky.<\/p>\n
But equally, the character of your puppet may seem obnoxious or disappointing to you in some way.<\/p>\n
Perhaps your puppet is a show-off, mean, nasty, sexist, racist, or just stupid and dull. Perhaps it flirts in a way you disapprove of, or it wants to criticise you.<\/p>\n
All of this is valuable information.<\/p>\n
See if you can allow yourself to hear it, for now. You don’t<\/i> have to agree with it.<\/p>\n
If the criticism feels overwhelming, take the puppet off your hand and consider using another puppet to speak, one which represents the \u2018underdog\u2019, the criticised part.<\/p>\n
Like it or not, everything that the puppet \u2018says\u2019 or \u2018feels\u2019, is actually a part of you. It might be a part that you\u2019re familiar with already; or it may be a part that is in your \u2018shadow\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Shadow is a Jungian concept that refers to all the qualities, feelings etc that you have inside but which you don\u2019t recognise as part of you.<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re shy, your shadow may be assertive and love to show off.<\/p>\n
If you feel ugly, your shadow holds your disowned beauty.<\/p>\n
If you see yourself as always good and kind, hidden in your shadow is your unrecognised capacity for meanness, selfishness and cruelty.<\/p>\n
It can be very helpful to be familiar with your shadow. It can open up more richness and depth<\/strong> in your experience of yourself, and it can also help you have compassion for other people (even the ones who seem very different to yourself).<\/p>\nGetting familiar with your 'Shadow' can open up more richness & depth inside. Here's one easy way... <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n5 Build on what you discover<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt can be enormously helpful to follow through on your puppet work by spending a bit of time reflecting and recording through drawing or writing<\/strong>, so that any insights you gained don\u2019t disappear. Bear in mind that there will be other aspects of you that might emerge in puppet work at other times, or with other puppets.<\/p>\nIf you encountered a puppet that was very critical of you, I\u2019d recommend that you contact a therapist or counsellor who specialises in working with the Inner Critic. A lot can be done to\u00a0loosen the critical part of you, and strengthen your inner confidence<\/strong>.<\/p>\nI specialise in working with creative, sensitive women who struggle with their inner critic. You can contact me here<\/a>, for online therapy<\/a> or for\u00a0Integrative Arts Psychotherapy<\/a>\u00a0in Essex using puppets and other art media.<\/p>\nIf puppet work appeals to you, and isn’t contra-indicated*, have a go. I\u2019d love to hear how you found it, in the comments below.<\/p>\n
*Note: Puppet work is safe for most people who try it. However, if puppet work begins to make you feel a bit strange or worried, don\u2019t make yourself keep going \u2014 it might not be the right time for you to do this. <\/b><\/h3>\nAnd if you already have a diagnosed mental health problem, or you have a history of trauma, do discuss beforehand with your doctor or therapist whether you’re okay to do puppet work.<\/b><\/h3>\n
This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or psychological evaluation or treatment.\u00a0 If you are concerned about your mental or physical health, please see a doctor or mental health professional to address your concerns. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please seek emergency treatment immediately.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Would you like to: deepen your creativity; enrich your sense of who you are and what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life; find out more about a particular side of yourself; get a bit clearer about a situation that feels problematic and stuck; or gain clarity when you\u2019re feeling torn between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[12,11,13],"class_list":{"0":"post-184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creativity","8":"tag-creative-techniques","9":"tag-puppets","10":"tag-the-shadow","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n
A playful, creative way to understand yourself<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"emmacameron.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"headline\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"wordCount\":1257,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"creative techniques\",\"puppets\",\"the shadow\"],\"articleSection\":[\"creativity\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"name\":\"A playful, creative way to understand yourself\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\",\"name\":\"emmacameron.com\",\"description\":\"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\",\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Emma Cameron\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"},\"description\":\"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","og_description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","og_url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_site_name":"emmacameron.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_published_time":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Emma Cameron","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_site":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emma Cameron","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"author":{"name":"Emma Cameron","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"headline":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"wordCount":1257,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","keywords":["creative techniques","puppets","the shadow"],"articleSection":["creativity"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","name":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","width":800,"height":800,"caption":"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/","name":"emmacameron.com","description":"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e","name":"Emma Cameron","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","caption":"Emma Cameron"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/"},"description":"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2326,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions\/2326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Well – have you ever thought of using puppets?<\/h2>\n
Puppets!<\/i>\u2026 hearing that word, do you get a curious tingle inside, your heart beating a little faster? Or perhaps, on the contrary, you\u2019re thinking: \u2018What??? I hope no-one expects me<\/i> to use puppets!\u2019<\/p>\n
Some people love puppets, some absolutely hate them (which is fine!); and most aren’t quite sure until they\u2019ve tried.<\/p>\n
So I’m going to give you a few ideas about why (and how) might you use puppets by yourself, on your own at home*.<\/strong><\/h2>\nI\u2019ll show you:<\/p>\n
\n- how to choose a puppet<\/li>\n
- how to dialogue with it<\/li>\n
- what\u2019s happening when the puppet won\u2019t \u2018speak\u2019<\/li>\n
- what to do if you don\u2019t feel comfortable with your puppet\u2019s \u2018personality\u2019<\/li>\n
- how to build on what you discover<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHow to find out more about yourself - in a playful kind of way! <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n
1 Choose a puppet<\/strong><\/h2>\nTo start, you’ll either need to make a puppet, or buy one<\/strong>. Making a puppet can be a very enjoyable creative activity. It can be as simple as an old sock, with a couple of buttons sewn on as eyes. If you like, you could sew more details on to create a really elaborate puppet. Or draw a figure on card and stick it to a lollipop stick. You don\u2019t have to like what you\u2019ve made \u2014 but you do have to be open to what it might have to show you.<\/p>\nIf you prefer to buy a puppet, spend some time in a toyshop checking out the hand puppets; or look online at the wide range available at specialist online stores.<\/p>\n
Notice what are you drawn to<\/strong>.<\/h3>\nCuteness? Quirkiness? Mischievousness?<\/p>\n
It helps if you choose a puppet that you are drawn to \u2014 but you can also discover a lot from working with a puppet that you find unappealing.<\/p>\n
If you can afford it, perhaps you might buy two puppets, each with different qualities.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n2 Dialogue with your puppet<\/strong><\/h2>\nOnce you\u2019ve got your puppet, find somewhere that you can be alone and undisturbed for at least half an hour.<\/p>\n
Put your puppet on your hand and get to know it. You may find it helps to walk slowly around; or you might prefer sitting.<\/p>\n
Let your puppet speak.<\/p>\n
What does it want to talk about?<\/p>\n
If no words come, that\u2019s okay. Sometimes these things take time. The part of you that \u2018knows\u2019 the puppet\u2019s character may be very wary of revealing itself. This might be the most vulnerable, fragile part of you that has been crushed and hurt in the past, and it might need a lot of patience and gentle acceptance before it can safely be seen.<\/p>\n
You might like to dialogue with your puppet. You could try asking it questions<\/strong> such as:<\/p>\n\n- Who are you?<\/li>\n
- What do you know about you?<\/li>\n
- How do you show up in my life?<\/li>\n
- What do you need?<\/li>\n
- What are your strengths?<\/li>\n
- What is a gift or quality that you have to offer?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3 What\u2019s happening when the puppet won\u2019t \u2018speak\u2019?<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt\u2019s important to note that although the answers may come in the form of words, they may come instead as body sensations, feelings, memories or images<\/strong>.<\/p>\nWork on bringing your awareness to these other forms of knowing.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible that you may need to allow yourself several sessions of trying to open yourself to picking up any subtle messages that are coming from your body, your feelings, and your imagination.<\/p>\n
4 What to do if you don\u2019t feel comfortable with your puppet\u2019s \u2018personality\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou may feel quite charmed and delighted by your puppet!<\/p>\n
It might be very loveable, sweet, brave or quirky.<\/p>\n
But equally, the character of your puppet may seem obnoxious or disappointing to you in some way.<\/p>\n
Perhaps your puppet is a show-off, mean, nasty, sexist, racist, or just stupid and dull. Perhaps it flirts in a way you disapprove of, or it wants to criticise you.<\/p>\n
All of this is valuable information.<\/p>\n
See if you can allow yourself to hear it, for now. You don’t<\/i> have to agree with it.<\/p>\n
If the criticism feels overwhelming, take the puppet off your hand and consider using another puppet to speak, one which represents the \u2018underdog\u2019, the criticised part.<\/p>\n
Like it or not, everything that the puppet \u2018says\u2019 or \u2018feels\u2019, is actually a part of you. It might be a part that you\u2019re familiar with already; or it may be a part that is in your \u2018shadow\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Shadow is a Jungian concept that refers to all the qualities, feelings etc that you have inside but which you don\u2019t recognise as part of you.<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re shy, your shadow may be assertive and love to show off.<\/p>\n
If you feel ugly, your shadow holds your disowned beauty.<\/p>\n
If you see yourself as always good and kind, hidden in your shadow is your unrecognised capacity for meanness, selfishness and cruelty.<\/p>\n
It can be very helpful to be familiar with your shadow. It can open up more richness and depth<\/strong> in your experience of yourself, and it can also help you have compassion for other people (even the ones who seem very different to yourself).<\/p>\nGetting familiar with your 'Shadow' can open up more richness & depth inside. Here's one easy way... <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n5 Build on what you discover<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt can be enormously helpful to follow through on your puppet work by spending a bit of time reflecting and recording through drawing or writing<\/strong>, so that any insights you gained don\u2019t disappear. Bear in mind that there will be other aspects of you that might emerge in puppet work at other times, or with other puppets.<\/p>\nIf you encountered a puppet that was very critical of you, I\u2019d recommend that you contact a therapist or counsellor who specialises in working with the Inner Critic. A lot can be done to\u00a0loosen the critical part of you, and strengthen your inner confidence<\/strong>.<\/p>\nI specialise in working with creative, sensitive women who struggle with their inner critic. You can contact me here<\/a>, for online therapy<\/a> or for\u00a0Integrative Arts Psychotherapy<\/a>\u00a0in Essex using puppets and other art media.<\/p>\nIf puppet work appeals to you, and isn’t contra-indicated*, have a go. I\u2019d love to hear how you found it, in the comments below.<\/p>\n
*Note: Puppet work is safe for most people who try it. However, if puppet work begins to make you feel a bit strange or worried, don\u2019t make yourself keep going \u2014 it might not be the right time for you to do this. <\/b><\/h3>\nAnd if you already have a diagnosed mental health problem, or you have a history of trauma, do discuss beforehand with your doctor or therapist whether you’re okay to do puppet work.<\/b><\/h3>\n
This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or psychological evaluation or treatment.\u00a0 If you are concerned about your mental or physical health, please see a doctor or mental health professional to address your concerns. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please seek emergency treatment immediately.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Would you like to: deepen your creativity; enrich your sense of who you are and what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life; find out more about a particular side of yourself; get a bit clearer about a situation that feels problematic and stuck; or gain clarity when you\u2019re feeling torn between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[12,11,13],"class_list":{"0":"post-184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creativity","8":"tag-creative-techniques","9":"tag-puppets","10":"tag-the-shadow","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n
A playful, creative way to understand yourself<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"emmacameron.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"headline\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"wordCount\":1257,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"creative techniques\",\"puppets\",\"the shadow\"],\"articleSection\":[\"creativity\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"name\":\"A playful, creative way to understand yourself\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\",\"name\":\"emmacameron.com\",\"description\":\"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\",\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Emma Cameron\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"},\"description\":\"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","og_description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","og_url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_site_name":"emmacameron.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_published_time":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Emma Cameron","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_site":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emma Cameron","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"author":{"name":"Emma Cameron","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"headline":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"wordCount":1257,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","keywords":["creative techniques","puppets","the shadow"],"articleSection":["creativity"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","name":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","width":800,"height":800,"caption":"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/","name":"emmacameron.com","description":"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e","name":"Emma Cameron","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","caption":"Emma Cameron"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/"},"description":"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2326,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions\/2326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
1 Choose a puppet<\/strong><\/h2>\nTo start, you’ll either need to make a puppet, or buy one<\/strong>. Making a puppet can be a very enjoyable creative activity. It can be as simple as an old sock, with a couple of buttons sewn on as eyes. If you like, you could sew more details on to create a really elaborate puppet. Or draw a figure on card and stick it to a lollipop stick. You don\u2019t have to like what you\u2019ve made \u2014 but you do have to be open to what it might have to show you.<\/p>\nIf you prefer to buy a puppet, spend some time in a toyshop checking out the hand puppets; or look online at the wide range available at specialist online stores.<\/p>\n
Notice what are you drawn to<\/strong>.<\/h3>\nCuteness? Quirkiness? Mischievousness?<\/p>\n
It helps if you choose a puppet that you are drawn to \u2014 but you can also discover a lot from working with a puppet that you find unappealing.<\/p>\n
If you can afford it, perhaps you might buy two puppets, each with different qualities.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n2 Dialogue with your puppet<\/strong><\/h2>\nOnce you\u2019ve got your puppet, find somewhere that you can be alone and undisturbed for at least half an hour.<\/p>\n
Put your puppet on your hand and get to know it. You may find it helps to walk slowly around; or you might prefer sitting.<\/p>\n
Let your puppet speak.<\/p>\n
What does it want to talk about?<\/p>\n
If no words come, that\u2019s okay. Sometimes these things take time. The part of you that \u2018knows\u2019 the puppet\u2019s character may be very wary of revealing itself. This might be the most vulnerable, fragile part of you that has been crushed and hurt in the past, and it might need a lot of patience and gentle acceptance before it can safely be seen.<\/p>\n
You might like to dialogue with your puppet. You could try asking it questions<\/strong> such as:<\/p>\n\n- Who are you?<\/li>\n
- What do you know about you?<\/li>\n
- How do you show up in my life?<\/li>\n
- What do you need?<\/li>\n
- What are your strengths?<\/li>\n
- What is a gift or quality that you have to offer?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3 What\u2019s happening when the puppet won\u2019t \u2018speak\u2019?<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt\u2019s important to note that although the answers may come in the form of words, they may come instead as body sensations, feelings, memories or images<\/strong>.<\/p>\nWork on bringing your awareness to these other forms of knowing.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible that you may need to allow yourself several sessions of trying to open yourself to picking up any subtle messages that are coming from your body, your feelings, and your imagination.<\/p>\n
4 What to do if you don\u2019t feel comfortable with your puppet\u2019s \u2018personality\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou may feel quite charmed and delighted by your puppet!<\/p>\n
It might be very loveable, sweet, brave or quirky.<\/p>\n
But equally, the character of your puppet may seem obnoxious or disappointing to you in some way.<\/p>\n
Perhaps your puppet is a show-off, mean, nasty, sexist, racist, or just stupid and dull. Perhaps it flirts in a way you disapprove of, or it wants to criticise you.<\/p>\n
All of this is valuable information.<\/p>\n
See if you can allow yourself to hear it, for now. You don’t<\/i> have to agree with it.<\/p>\n
If the criticism feels overwhelming, take the puppet off your hand and consider using another puppet to speak, one which represents the \u2018underdog\u2019, the criticised part.<\/p>\n
Like it or not, everything that the puppet \u2018says\u2019 or \u2018feels\u2019, is actually a part of you. It might be a part that you\u2019re familiar with already; or it may be a part that is in your \u2018shadow\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Shadow is a Jungian concept that refers to all the qualities, feelings etc that you have inside but which you don\u2019t recognise as part of you.<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re shy, your shadow may be assertive and love to show off.<\/p>\n
If you feel ugly, your shadow holds your disowned beauty.<\/p>\n
If you see yourself as always good and kind, hidden in your shadow is your unrecognised capacity for meanness, selfishness and cruelty.<\/p>\n
It can be very helpful to be familiar with your shadow. It can open up more richness and depth<\/strong> in your experience of yourself, and it can also help you have compassion for other people (even the ones who seem very different to yourself).<\/p>\nGetting familiar with your 'Shadow' can open up more richness & depth inside. Here's one easy way... <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n5 Build on what you discover<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt can be enormously helpful to follow through on your puppet work by spending a bit of time reflecting and recording through drawing or writing<\/strong>, so that any insights you gained don\u2019t disappear. Bear in mind that there will be other aspects of you that might emerge in puppet work at other times, or with other puppets.<\/p>\nIf you encountered a puppet that was very critical of you, I\u2019d recommend that you contact a therapist or counsellor who specialises in working with the Inner Critic. A lot can be done to\u00a0loosen the critical part of you, and strengthen your inner confidence<\/strong>.<\/p>\nI specialise in working with creative, sensitive women who struggle with their inner critic. You can contact me here<\/a>, for online therapy<\/a> or for\u00a0Integrative Arts Psychotherapy<\/a>\u00a0in Essex using puppets and other art media.<\/p>\nIf puppet work appeals to you, and isn’t contra-indicated*, have a go. I\u2019d love to hear how you found it, in the comments below.<\/p>\n
*Note: Puppet work is safe for most people who try it. However, if puppet work begins to make you feel a bit strange or worried, don\u2019t make yourself keep going \u2014 it might not be the right time for you to do this. <\/b><\/h3>\nAnd if you already have a diagnosed mental health problem, or you have a history of trauma, do discuss beforehand with your doctor or therapist whether you’re okay to do puppet work.<\/b><\/h3>\n
This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or psychological evaluation or treatment.\u00a0 If you are concerned about your mental or physical health, please see a doctor or mental health professional to address your concerns. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please seek emergency treatment immediately.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Would you like to: deepen your creativity; enrich your sense of who you are and what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life; find out more about a particular side of yourself; get a bit clearer about a situation that feels problematic and stuck; or gain clarity when you\u2019re feeling torn between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[12,11,13],"class_list":{"0":"post-184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creativity","8":"tag-creative-techniques","9":"tag-puppets","10":"tag-the-shadow","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n
A playful, creative way to understand yourself<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"emmacameron.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"headline\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"wordCount\":1257,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"creative techniques\",\"puppets\",\"the shadow\"],\"articleSection\":[\"creativity\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"name\":\"A playful, creative way to understand yourself\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\",\"name\":\"emmacameron.com\",\"description\":\"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\",\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Emma Cameron\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"},\"description\":\"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","og_description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","og_url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_site_name":"emmacameron.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_published_time":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Emma Cameron","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_site":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emma Cameron","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"author":{"name":"Emma Cameron","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"headline":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"wordCount":1257,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","keywords":["creative techniques","puppets","the shadow"],"articleSection":["creativity"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","name":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","width":800,"height":800,"caption":"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/","name":"emmacameron.com","description":"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e","name":"Emma Cameron","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","caption":"Emma Cameron"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/"},"description":"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2326,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions\/2326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
If you prefer to buy a puppet, spend some time in a toyshop checking out the hand puppets; or look online at the wide range available at specialist online stores.<\/p>\n
Notice what are you drawn to<\/strong>.<\/h3>\nCuteness? Quirkiness? Mischievousness?<\/p>\n
It helps if you choose a puppet that you are drawn to \u2014 but you can also discover a lot from working with a puppet that you find unappealing.<\/p>\n
If you can afford it, perhaps you might buy two puppets, each with different qualities.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n2 Dialogue with your puppet<\/strong><\/h2>\nOnce you\u2019ve got your puppet, find somewhere that you can be alone and undisturbed for at least half an hour.<\/p>\n
Put your puppet on your hand and get to know it. You may find it helps to walk slowly around; or you might prefer sitting.<\/p>\n
Let your puppet speak.<\/p>\n
What does it want to talk about?<\/p>\n
If no words come, that\u2019s okay. Sometimes these things take time. The part of you that \u2018knows\u2019 the puppet\u2019s character may be very wary of revealing itself. This might be the most vulnerable, fragile part of you that has been crushed and hurt in the past, and it might need a lot of patience and gentle acceptance before it can safely be seen.<\/p>\n
You might like to dialogue with your puppet. You could try asking it questions<\/strong> such as:<\/p>\n\n- Who are you?<\/li>\n
- What do you know about you?<\/li>\n
- How do you show up in my life?<\/li>\n
- What do you need?<\/li>\n
- What are your strengths?<\/li>\n
- What is a gift or quality that you have to offer?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3 What\u2019s happening when the puppet won\u2019t \u2018speak\u2019?<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt\u2019s important to note that although the answers may come in the form of words, they may come instead as body sensations, feelings, memories or images<\/strong>.<\/p>\nWork on bringing your awareness to these other forms of knowing.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible that you may need to allow yourself several sessions of trying to open yourself to picking up any subtle messages that are coming from your body, your feelings, and your imagination.<\/p>\n
4 What to do if you don\u2019t feel comfortable with your puppet\u2019s \u2018personality\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou may feel quite charmed and delighted by your puppet!<\/p>\n
It might be very loveable, sweet, brave or quirky.<\/p>\n
But equally, the character of your puppet may seem obnoxious or disappointing to you in some way.<\/p>\n
Perhaps your puppet is a show-off, mean, nasty, sexist, racist, or just stupid and dull. Perhaps it flirts in a way you disapprove of, or it wants to criticise you.<\/p>\n
All of this is valuable information.<\/p>\n
See if you can allow yourself to hear it, for now. You don’t<\/i> have to agree with it.<\/p>\n
If the criticism feels overwhelming, take the puppet off your hand and consider using another puppet to speak, one which represents the \u2018underdog\u2019, the criticised part.<\/p>\n
Like it or not, everything that the puppet \u2018says\u2019 or \u2018feels\u2019, is actually a part of you. It might be a part that you\u2019re familiar with already; or it may be a part that is in your \u2018shadow\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Shadow is a Jungian concept that refers to all the qualities, feelings etc that you have inside but which you don\u2019t recognise as part of you.<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re shy, your shadow may be assertive and love to show off.<\/p>\n
If you feel ugly, your shadow holds your disowned beauty.<\/p>\n
If you see yourself as always good and kind, hidden in your shadow is your unrecognised capacity for meanness, selfishness and cruelty.<\/p>\n
It can be very helpful to be familiar with your shadow. It can open up more richness and depth<\/strong> in your experience of yourself, and it can also help you have compassion for other people (even the ones who seem very different to yourself).<\/p>\nGetting familiar with your 'Shadow' can open up more richness & depth inside. Here's one easy way... <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n5 Build on what you discover<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt can be enormously helpful to follow through on your puppet work by spending a bit of time reflecting and recording through drawing or writing<\/strong>, so that any insights you gained don\u2019t disappear. Bear in mind that there will be other aspects of you that might emerge in puppet work at other times, or with other puppets.<\/p>\nIf you encountered a puppet that was very critical of you, I\u2019d recommend that you contact a therapist or counsellor who specialises in working with the Inner Critic. A lot can be done to\u00a0loosen the critical part of you, and strengthen your inner confidence<\/strong>.<\/p>\nI specialise in working with creative, sensitive women who struggle with their inner critic. You can contact me here<\/a>, for online therapy<\/a> or for\u00a0Integrative Arts Psychotherapy<\/a>\u00a0in Essex using puppets and other art media.<\/p>\nIf puppet work appeals to you, and isn’t contra-indicated*, have a go. I\u2019d love to hear how you found it, in the comments below.<\/p>\n
*Note: Puppet work is safe for most people who try it. However, if puppet work begins to make you feel a bit strange or worried, don\u2019t make yourself keep going \u2014 it might not be the right time for you to do this. <\/b><\/h3>\nAnd if you already have a diagnosed mental health problem, or you have a history of trauma, do discuss beforehand with your doctor or therapist whether you’re okay to do puppet work.<\/b><\/h3>\n
This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or psychological evaluation or treatment.\u00a0 If you are concerned about your mental or physical health, please see a doctor or mental health professional to address your concerns. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please seek emergency treatment immediately.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Would you like to: deepen your creativity; enrich your sense of who you are and what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life; find out more about a particular side of yourself; get a bit clearer about a situation that feels problematic and stuck; or gain clarity when you\u2019re feeling torn between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[12,11,13],"class_list":{"0":"post-184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creativity","8":"tag-creative-techniques","9":"tag-puppets","10":"tag-the-shadow","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n
A playful, creative way to understand yourself<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"emmacameron.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"headline\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"wordCount\":1257,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"creative techniques\",\"puppets\",\"the shadow\"],\"articleSection\":[\"creativity\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"name\":\"A playful, creative way to understand yourself\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\",\"name\":\"emmacameron.com\",\"description\":\"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\",\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Emma Cameron\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"},\"description\":\"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","og_description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","og_url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_site_name":"emmacameron.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_published_time":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Emma Cameron","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_site":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emma Cameron","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"author":{"name":"Emma Cameron","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"headline":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"wordCount":1257,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","keywords":["creative techniques","puppets","the shadow"],"articleSection":["creativity"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","name":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","width":800,"height":800,"caption":"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/","name":"emmacameron.com","description":"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e","name":"Emma Cameron","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","caption":"Emma Cameron"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/"},"description":"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2326,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions\/2326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/a><\/p>\n2 Dialogue with your puppet<\/strong><\/h2>\nOnce you\u2019ve got your puppet, find somewhere that you can be alone and undisturbed for at least half an hour.<\/p>\n
Put your puppet on your hand and get to know it. You may find it helps to walk slowly around; or you might prefer sitting.<\/p>\n
Let your puppet speak.<\/p>\n
What does it want to talk about?<\/p>\n
If no words come, that\u2019s okay. Sometimes these things take time. The part of you that \u2018knows\u2019 the puppet\u2019s character may be very wary of revealing itself. This might be the most vulnerable, fragile part of you that has been crushed and hurt in the past, and it might need a lot of patience and gentle acceptance before it can safely be seen.<\/p>\n
You might like to dialogue with your puppet. You could try asking it questions<\/strong> such as:<\/p>\n\n- Who are you?<\/li>\n
- What do you know about you?<\/li>\n
- How do you show up in my life?<\/li>\n
- What do you need?<\/li>\n
- What are your strengths?<\/li>\n
- What is a gift or quality that you have to offer?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3 What\u2019s happening when the puppet won\u2019t \u2018speak\u2019?<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt\u2019s important to note that although the answers may come in the form of words, they may come instead as body sensations, feelings, memories or images<\/strong>.<\/p>\nWork on bringing your awareness to these other forms of knowing.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible that you may need to allow yourself several sessions of trying to open yourself to picking up any subtle messages that are coming from your body, your feelings, and your imagination.<\/p>\n
4 What to do if you don\u2019t feel comfortable with your puppet\u2019s \u2018personality\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou may feel quite charmed and delighted by your puppet!<\/p>\n
It might be very loveable, sweet, brave or quirky.<\/p>\n
But equally, the character of your puppet may seem obnoxious or disappointing to you in some way.<\/p>\n
Perhaps your puppet is a show-off, mean, nasty, sexist, racist, or just stupid and dull. Perhaps it flirts in a way you disapprove of, or it wants to criticise you.<\/p>\n
All of this is valuable information.<\/p>\n
See if you can allow yourself to hear it, for now. You don’t<\/i> have to agree with it.<\/p>\n
If the criticism feels overwhelming, take the puppet off your hand and consider using another puppet to speak, one which represents the \u2018underdog\u2019, the criticised part.<\/p>\n
Like it or not, everything that the puppet \u2018says\u2019 or \u2018feels\u2019, is actually a part of you. It might be a part that you\u2019re familiar with already; or it may be a part that is in your \u2018shadow\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Shadow is a Jungian concept that refers to all the qualities, feelings etc that you have inside but which you don\u2019t recognise as part of you.<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re shy, your shadow may be assertive and love to show off.<\/p>\n
If you feel ugly, your shadow holds your disowned beauty.<\/p>\n
If you see yourself as always good and kind, hidden in your shadow is your unrecognised capacity for meanness, selfishness and cruelty.<\/p>\n
It can be very helpful to be familiar with your shadow. It can open up more richness and depth<\/strong> in your experience of yourself, and it can also help you have compassion for other people (even the ones who seem very different to yourself).<\/p>\nGetting familiar with your 'Shadow' can open up more richness & depth inside. Here's one easy way... <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n5 Build on what you discover<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt can be enormously helpful to follow through on your puppet work by spending a bit of time reflecting and recording through drawing or writing<\/strong>, so that any insights you gained don\u2019t disappear. Bear in mind that there will be other aspects of you that might emerge in puppet work at other times, or with other puppets.<\/p>\nIf you encountered a puppet that was very critical of you, I\u2019d recommend that you contact a therapist or counsellor who specialises in working with the Inner Critic. A lot can be done to\u00a0loosen the critical part of you, and strengthen your inner confidence<\/strong>.<\/p>\nI specialise in working with creative, sensitive women who struggle with their inner critic. You can contact me here<\/a>, for online therapy<\/a> or for\u00a0Integrative Arts Psychotherapy<\/a>\u00a0in Essex using puppets and other art media.<\/p>\nIf puppet work appeals to you, and isn’t contra-indicated*, have a go. I\u2019d love to hear how you found it, in the comments below.<\/p>\n
*Note: Puppet work is safe for most people who try it. However, if puppet work begins to make you feel a bit strange or worried, don\u2019t make yourself keep going \u2014 it might not be the right time for you to do this. <\/b><\/h3>\nAnd if you already have a diagnosed mental health problem, or you have a history of trauma, do discuss beforehand with your doctor or therapist whether you’re okay to do puppet work.<\/b><\/h3>\n
This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or psychological evaluation or treatment.\u00a0 If you are concerned about your mental or physical health, please see a doctor or mental health professional to address your concerns. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please seek emergency treatment immediately.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Would you like to: deepen your creativity; enrich your sense of who you are and what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life; find out more about a particular side of yourself; get a bit clearer about a situation that feels problematic and stuck; or gain clarity when you\u2019re feeling torn between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[12,11,13],"class_list":{"0":"post-184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creativity","8":"tag-creative-techniques","9":"tag-puppets","10":"tag-the-shadow","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n
A playful, creative way to understand yourself<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"emmacameron.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"headline\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"wordCount\":1257,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"creative techniques\",\"puppets\",\"the shadow\"],\"articleSection\":[\"creativity\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"name\":\"A playful, creative way to understand yourself\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\",\"name\":\"emmacameron.com\",\"description\":\"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\",\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Emma Cameron\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"},\"description\":\"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","og_description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","og_url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_site_name":"emmacameron.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_published_time":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Emma Cameron","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_site":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emma Cameron","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"author":{"name":"Emma Cameron","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"headline":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"wordCount":1257,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","keywords":["creative techniques","puppets","the shadow"],"articleSection":["creativity"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","name":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","width":800,"height":800,"caption":"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/","name":"emmacameron.com","description":"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e","name":"Emma Cameron","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","caption":"Emma Cameron"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/"},"description":"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2326,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions\/2326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- \n
- Who are you?<\/li>\n
- What do you know about you?<\/li>\n
- How do you show up in my life?<\/li>\n
- What do you need?<\/li>\n
- What are your strengths?<\/li>\n
- What is a gift or quality that you have to offer?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3 What\u2019s happening when the puppet won\u2019t \u2018speak\u2019?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
It\u2019s important to note that although the answers may come in the form of words, they may come instead as body sensations, feelings, memories or images<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Work on bringing your awareness to these other forms of knowing.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible that you may need to allow yourself several sessions of trying to open yourself to picking up any subtle messages that are coming from your body, your feelings, and your imagination.<\/p>\n
4 What to do if you don\u2019t feel comfortable with your puppet\u2019s \u2018personality\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
You may feel quite charmed and delighted by your puppet!<\/p>\n
It might be very loveable, sweet, brave or quirky.<\/p>\n
But equally, the character of your puppet may seem obnoxious or disappointing to you in some way.<\/p>\n
Perhaps your puppet is a show-off, mean, nasty, sexist, racist, or just stupid and dull. Perhaps it flirts in a way you disapprove of, or it wants to criticise you.<\/p>\n
All of this is valuable information.<\/p>\n
See if you can allow yourself to hear it, for now. You don’t<\/i> have to agree with it.<\/p>\n
If the criticism feels overwhelming, take the puppet off your hand and consider using another puppet to speak, one which represents the \u2018underdog\u2019, the criticised part.<\/p>\n
Like it or not, everything that the puppet \u2018says\u2019 or \u2018feels\u2019, is actually a part of you. It might be a part that you\u2019re familiar with already; or it may be a part that is in your \u2018shadow\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Shadow is a Jungian concept that refers to all the qualities, feelings etc that you have inside but which you don\u2019t recognise as part of you.<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re shy, your shadow may be assertive and love to show off.<\/p>\n
If you feel ugly, your shadow holds your disowned beauty.<\/p>\n
If you see yourself as always good and kind, hidden in your shadow is your unrecognised capacity for meanness, selfishness and cruelty.<\/p>\n
It can be very helpful to be familiar with your shadow. It can open up more richness and depth<\/strong> in your experience of yourself, and it can also help you have compassion for other people (even the ones who seem very different to yourself).<\/p>\nGetting familiar with your 'Shadow' can open up more richness & depth inside. Here's one easy way... <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n
5 Build on what you discover<\/strong><\/h2>\n
It can be enormously helpful to follow through on your puppet work by spending a bit of time reflecting and recording through drawing or writing<\/strong>, so that any insights you gained don\u2019t disappear. Bear in mind that there will be other aspects of you that might emerge in puppet work at other times, or with other puppets.<\/p>\n
If you encountered a puppet that was very critical of you, I\u2019d recommend that you contact a therapist or counsellor who specialises in working with the Inner Critic. A lot can be done to\u00a0loosen the critical part of you, and strengthen your inner confidence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
I specialise in working with creative, sensitive women who struggle with their inner critic. You can contact me here<\/a>, for online therapy<\/a> or for\u00a0Integrative Arts Psychotherapy<\/a>\u00a0in Essex using puppets and other art media.<\/p>\n
If puppet work appeals to you, and isn’t contra-indicated*, have a go. I\u2019d love to hear how you found it, in the comments below.<\/p>\n
*Note: Puppet work is safe for most people who try it. However, if puppet work begins to make you feel a bit strange or worried, don\u2019t make yourself keep going \u2014 it might not be the right time for you to do this. <\/b><\/h3>\n
And if you already have a diagnosed mental health problem, or you have a history of trauma, do discuss beforehand with your doctor or therapist whether you’re okay to do puppet work.<\/b><\/h3>\n
This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or psychological evaluation or treatment.\u00a0 If you are concerned about your mental or physical health, please see a doctor or mental health professional to address your concerns. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please seek emergency treatment immediately.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Would you like to: deepen your creativity; enrich your sense of who you are and what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life; find out more about a particular side of yourself; get a bit clearer about a situation that feels problematic and stuck; or gain clarity when you\u2019re feeling torn between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[12,11,13],"class_list":{"0":"post-184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creativity","8":"tag-creative-techniques","9":"tag-puppets","10":"tag-the-shadow","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n
A playful, creative way to understand yourself<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"emmacameron.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EmmaCameronArts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma Cameron\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"headline\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"},\"wordCount\":1257,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"creative techniques\",\"puppets\",\"the shadow\"],\"articleSection\":[\"creativity\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\",\"name\":\"A playful, creative way to understand yourself\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/\",\"name\":\"emmacameron.com\",\"description\":\"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e\",\"name\":\"Emma Cameron\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Emma Cameron\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"},\"description\":\"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","og_description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","og_url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","og_site_name":"emmacameron.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","article_published_time":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Emma Cameron","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_site":"@EmmaCameronArts","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emma Cameron","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"author":{"name":"Emma Cameron","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"headline":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"},"wordCount":1257,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","keywords":["creative techniques","puppets","the shadow"],"articleSection":["creativity"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/","name":"A playful, creative way to understand yourself","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","datePublished":"2015-06-05T19:34:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-01-13T22:41:26+00:00","description":"Would you like to be more creative; enrich your sense of who you are & what is possible for you; introduce more playfulness into your life? Try puppets!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Heres-a-playful-creative-and-unusual-2.png","width":800,"height":800,"caption":"oil painting \u00a9Emma Cameron 2009"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/creativity\/a-playful-creative-and-unusual-way-to-understand-yourself-better\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A playful, creative and unusual way to understand yourself better"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/","name":"emmacameron.com","description":"Art Therapy and Creative Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0617c7d7ce5205d02517f7d4e6ef2b3e","name":"Emma Cameron","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8897f9507bdfd4fa16180e229def0d51?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","caption":"Emma Cameron"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/"},"description":"I'm Emma Cameron: UKCP accredited Integrative Arts Psychotherapist & clinical supervisor, AEDP level 3 therapist, ACTO reg. online therapist, and HCPC reg. art psychotherapist. I specialise in helping sensitive, creative, soul-centred women transform, heal and grow. I'm based in Colchester, UK.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.emmacameron.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emmacameronarts\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EmmaCameronArts"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2326,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions\/2326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmacameron.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}