In another “lifetime,” I worked for an individual who deflected criticism of her planning decisions by saying, “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”
The comment squashed and squished any further discussion because who wants to have a simple mind?
However, last week’s look at consistency brought the quote alive, and I asked myself a question that I had never before bothered to pose: What exactly IS a hobgoblin?
Surprisingly, I found that a hobgoblin is not the terrifying, evil ogre who lives under our beds and grabs the foot of any unsuspecting person who ventures out of bed at night. No, a hobgoblin, also known as Puck or Robin Goodfellow, is a mischievous fairy of the hearth or “hob,” born in times when the inexplicable was considered magic.
A hobgoblin is playful but also does favors or work (like fine handwork) for the person or family with whom he is associated…if he is provided with a small gift, like milk and cookies. This sprite loves practical jokes, but they always are in good fun – like keeping the butter from churning, souring the ale that is aging, or changing into a stool that suddenly disappears so the unsuspecting will land on their backsides.
In short, our hobgoblins are not under control. As part of the unseen, they perhaps have served as symbols of our subconscious minds and spirits. And if that is the case, doesn’t the hobgoblin work in the place where the creative spirit plays and turns the world upside down? And isn’t that where every artist wants to be?
If so, then the artist and the hobgoblin share common space. And, if one believes the quote, they also both deal with consistency…
Ah…THAT word. Remember the meaning for consistency from Part I? “Able to retain its identity” in addition to “knowing one’s strengths and having the commitment to express them.”
Such a consistency pushes the creative spirit, whether artist or hobgoblin, to stretch the edges. It is a consistency that protects freedom of the spirit, a consistency that insists on playing and taking adventures in making – whether it be painting a picture, carving a figure, or writing a story. Or making mischief!
Through that consistency of doing, the creative spirit (whether artist or hobgoblin) makes things happen, removing obstacles that the “real” world encounters, uncovering the order that resides in disorder, and showing new possibilities.
It is consistency at its best!
Stay tuned for a conclusion (finally?) in Part III…
[Photo courtesy Arthur Rackham (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons]
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