Journal Entry 9.22.23

The three fates, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, were sisters who tied knots in fibers to determine the destinies of mortals.  Clotho, the Spinner, spins the destiny of each person as they lie in the womb, determining their life.  Lachesis, the Alloter, measured the length of the string of life, or when a person would die.  Atropos, is “the one who cannot be turned”.  Atropos determined how a person’s thread would be cut or how they would die.  I imagine them more like harpies, cruel beings delighting in the suffering of men.  Mortals who tried to have self-determination quickly learned that their destinies were determined in advance by the three sisters. 

Growing up, I felt the same way.  But my destiny was determined by my entire family.  No matter what I did, the family story defined me.  I was bound to the story that was told about me.  No matter how successful or brave I was, I was still treated like a young, frail failure.  Slowly, I have broken away from the strand of fiber tied by my family stories.  Art gave me a thread of my own, an opportunity to tell my own story not determined by anyone but myself and how people received my art.  My thread of destiny extends between me and the people I connect with now.