The Jester | Character Archetypes | Flora & Fauna Symbolic Art

Here is “The Jester.”

The idea of the twelve character archetypes, invented by Carl Jung, is that there are universal, inborn models of people, behaviors, and personalities that influence human behavior.

Fiction writers and all kinds of storytellers use these archetypes as a helpful device when creating characters in a story. In real life, no one person fully embodies any one archetype. Rather, this is a useful device for us to describe parts of ourselves that we all have in different measures, which may come to the forefront at different moments in our lives.

Meditating on the essence of each archetype can be an inspiring and empowering reminder of the different strengths that exist within our own character. These ideas can help us answer the continual question of who we want to be in our lives.

I chose to paint animals and plants that humans have associated with the various traits inherent in the different archetypes. Some of these symbols are shared across different world cultures, others less-so.

Perhaps looking at this image will help awaken this part of your character a little bit, reminding you of a well within yourself that you can tap into when needed.

The Jester lives in the moment, enjoys life, and has fun.

The Jester’s spirit of fun is represented by a monkey.

The monkey holds a spray of baby’s breath, a flower that represents festivity and fun.

Hummingbirds represent playfulness, showing flashes of colorful feathers as they flit around from flower to flower with lightness and speed.

The sunflower filling the background symbolizes the Jester’s sunny disposition.

Contact me if you’re interested in purchasing the original painting or a print of this artwork.