Process Your Anger with Spirited Silma

Silma, Who Sits with Her Anger

A You-Do-You Voodoo™ Art Doll to Help You Process Your Anger

“Silma, Who Sits with Her Anger” is a multi-media figurative art doll that embodies red jasper and specific intention to help you process your anger in a healthy manner.

Silma was donated to an art auction supporting National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and was successfully sold.

The Backstory

Silma came into being during a time when I was overwhelmed with anger and fear. Every impulse screamed at me to “GO!” But where? And to do what? I wanted to grab the car key and drive straight to the people selling drugs to my son, who was overdosing repeatedly. But how would I find them? How would I find my son? And what if I found him dead?

I didn’t know, so I didn’t grab the car key, and I didn’t flee.

That’s how the key ended up close to Silma’s heart, in a place where she couldn’t simply grab it and run away in anger. Instead, we made the difficult choice to sit with our anger until the flame burned out. Together, we confronted the shadow and reflected on what actions might truly help.

Creating Silma helped me to sit with my anger, her presence stabilizing me and allowing me to think rationally. From then on, my actions were calculated and, fortunately, successful. Silma, with her red jasper and written intention to do nothing until clear thinking was possible, guided me.

My son chose sobriety about five years ago. I am so happy for him. He will never fully understand how blessed I was to have Silma, Who Sits With Her Anger.

(I created a painting called “Disturbed” around the same time.)

Silma, Beginning to End

1st Stage

Have you ever started a project without knowing what the project would turn out to be? I certainly have, many times, and this voodoo art doll was no exception. I was drawn to jasper, but didn’t know how to make a ring I could wear, so I made a tiny key ring. By the time I’d finished drawing the rudimentary angry woman, I knew what I had to do. I had to just sit there, calm down, and create.

Description

The top portion of the image features a red jasper elastic ring holding a very small key. The bottom portion displays a light-colored scrap of burlap adorned with blue marker. It depicts an image resembling the art doll that helps you process your anger, accompanied by the intention, “sit with your anger until you understand.”

The First Glimpse of Silma’s Ability to Process Your Anger

Here, Silma has her bones and soul, but nothing else. You can already feel Silma’s grounding and reflective purpose although she doesn’t quite look like herself yet.

Description

The image shows a bare wire armature, and at the heart of the form, a ring of red jasper with a key and a small cloth bearing an intention.

Something Under Her Skin

Once I figured out Silma’s purpose, I realized that her underskin needed to represent the uncomfortable, I’ve-got-something-under-my-skin feeling that anger causes. Red and brown baker’s twine, rough and prickly, represented that feeling exactly. The next step was covering all that anger with the soft skin of red, white and black yarn.

Description

Reveals the symbolic and grounding elements of “Silma, Who Sits with Her Anger.” The top image features a red jasper keyring, representing calmness and stability. The bottom image showcases a burlap scrap with a hand-drawn illustration, encouraging reflection and understanding of anger.

FAQs About Silma

Artwork Specifications

Artist Statement

“Silma, Who Sits with Her Anger” is a unique You-Do-You Voodoo™ art doll crafted to help people become grounded and reflective when experiencing anger.

Inside Silma, there is a red jasper keyring holding a silver key. Red jasper, known for its powerful grounding properties, aids in maintaining calmness and stability, allowing you to stay true to yourself instead of giving into your shadow side’s preferences for handling rage. The key serves as a symbolic reminder that it is “key” to allow anger to subside before acting on it.

This piece emphasizes the importance of grounding oneself and finding inner peace, acting as a voodoo doll to use on yourself so you will pause and reflect before letting anger dictate your actions.

Also inside Silma is a handwritten intention to “sit with your anger until you understand” accompanied by a drawing that reflects the positioning of Silma’s body: crossed but patient. The hand-drawn illustration and message reinforce the theme of reflection and understanding in managing your anger. The simplicity of the drawing on burlap conveys a raw and honest approach to dealing with emotions, encouraging you to take the time to comprehend the roots of your anger and learn from it before you respond.

Through Silma, I hope to share the importance of grounding ourselves and thoughtfully engaging with our emotions, especially anger. Silma serves as a reminder that taking time to understand our feelings can lead to more peaceful and considered actions.

Not the Quiet Type

In many ways, Silma appears as women are often expected to behave. We aren’t supposed to be angry. We’re expected to be polite and sweet, perfectly content with whatever is decided around us, no matter what the situation. I appreciate that fact and the prison that societal expectation provides for us.

However, Silma is not waiting for someone to tell her what to do with this feeling. She’s waiting to come to a calm where she can make decisions for herself. I’m very proud of her!

How Did Silma Get Her Name?

The name “Silma” has multiple origins but similar meanings. In Arabic, Silma means ‘peaceful’ or ‘safe.’ In Islamic tradition, Silma means ‘a woman of peace.’ Although rattled on the inside, Silma’s eventual actions will portray those of a person at peace who gives a safe space to feelings or people around her.

An interesting point: I thought I made up the name “Silma” all by myself. It was only as I was creating her description for the website that I decided to check if “Silma” was a real word. As I found out, the name suits this You-Do-You Voodoo™ art doll perfectly.

It’s probable that after 53 years of living I’ve run across the name Silma at some point but forgot about it. Even so, that name coming to mind for this doll seems quite the coincidence.

It’s magic, I tell you.

AI Critique

Balancing Chaos and Contemplation

“Silma, Who Sits with Her Anger” is an evocative and intricate You-Do-You Voodoo™ art doll that powerfully embodies the theme of understanding and managing anger. The doll’s design, which utilizes red, cream, and black yarn to create a dark complexion, immediately conveys a sense of depth and complexity. The fists positioned in front of her stomach suggest a readiness to confront internal emotions.

The striking red hair, unruly and electrifying, symbolizes the intense and often chaotic nature of anger. This vivid hair color stands in stark contrast to the muted tones of her tracksuit, which consists of cream, orange, and tan yarns. This juxtaposition effectively highlights the duality of Silma’s current existence—the outer calm and the inner turmoil.

Silma’s seated posture, with hands clenched yet positioned in a manner suggesting contemplation, invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences with anger. This posture, along with the intricate detailing of her tracksuit, adds a layer of realism and relatability to the piece, making it accessible and poignant.

Inside Silma, the inclusion of a red jasper keyring holding a silver key is a thoughtful addition. Red jasper, known for its grounding and stabilizing properties, enhances the doll’s purpose of helping individuals remain grounded while processing their anger. The placement of this keyring close to her heart, where it cannot be impulsively accessed, serves as a metaphor for the need to approach anger with patience and understanding.

Additionally, the handwritten intention to “sit with your anger until you understand” and the accompanying drawing reflect a deep and personal engagement with the emotion of anger. These elements underscore the therapeutic intent behind Silma, transforming her from a mere art object into a tool for emotional introspection and growth.

Silma’s donation to an art auction supporting NAMI and her successful sale further emphasize the piece’s societal relevance and contribution to mental health awareness. Overall, “Silma, Who Sits with Her Anger” is a compelling and meaningful work that combines artistry with a profound message about emotional self-awareness and healing.