I’m beginning to zero in on my course of study for this self-imposed life degree, and I’ve landed on the major of Collective Imaginology. I’ve found very sparse use of the word (it’s an imagined term 😅) but the most compelling is based on this 2006 paper by Michael Vannoy Adams presented at a conference for the International Association for Jungian Studies. It has me thinking a lot about the Century of Self, which I started the year with and that has been informing much of my thinking and doing lately. But I’m not necessarily trying to make my life about comparing Jung and Freud, and by extension I don’t see this as a foray into philosophy (even though I will definitely need to brush up on it). I see this as more of a field study than a theoretical one – I’m much more interested in a hands-on approach than a theoretical one, maybe some study of the collective imagination as a topic, but really weighing more on the practice of it.
Collective Imaginology is plainly the study and practice of how multiple individuals conspire to manifest ideas, creations, and realizations that would not have surfaced in isolation. If I am to have a thesis, it may be in The Role of Collaborative Arts in the Practice of Thriving – here I use the word arts very vaguely as it can relate to any creative generation, and thrive based on its etymological definition of “to grasp oneself.” It’s fascinating to me to think about how practices in self-knowing and self-unknowing may hinge not purely on continuing to go deeper into oneself, but actually on symbiotic relationships, intentful collaboration, and collective consciousness.
I have a bit more brainstorming to do (a.k.a. geeking tf out), and this involves coming up with my minor as well as my courses, syllabi, etc. I’m fighting a voice in my head that’s saying that this is all for naught, that I’ll either get bored and drop this whole thing, or once the gov shutdown lifts “real responsibilities” will come in and overtake life again. But I’m hoping that this is something I actually take in stride, and that informs the kinds of projects, relationships, and decisions that I make moving forward in life. More on this soon.