“To get ahead,” I’m told, I should, “get a hat!” Hats make a statement. One of the events we’ve been seeking to attend for years is the annual hat festival at Bridport in Dorset. This Saturday, torrential rain was also in attendance! We were too late to see the big group photograph but it was fun to see people walking around this market town confidently sporting their creations.

Each hat was a statement about the life or character or tastes of its owner. There were many Steampunks – and they went well beyond their hats to include whole outfits. Perhaps I could be as bold as to suggest many of the hats were metaphors for the people’s lives and aspirations.

This reminded me of the impact on me of a Portrait Exhibition at Montacute House – in association with the National Portrait Gallery. I suddenly became aware of the props that were painted in each portrait to make symbolic references to what was important to each subject. We talk about, “Wearing our heart on our sleeve,” and upon these canvases, each person broadcast their messages about what themes, roles, or artefacts were most important to them.

An explorer may have an Astrolabe or a Compass or a Telescope. To express wealth, a Pineapple may have been added. A scholar would have books, and usually instruments for writing. A geologist may have a fossil skull and a large Ammonite, and a hammer. Jewellery is also important, as indeed are the clothes each model chose. And for an added sense of mystery, you could even signal your allegiance by how your hands were portrayed.

Which three items would you add to a hat or have surrounding you in a portrait to show the world what is most important to you? Include people and pets in what you consider – for they feature frequently in portraiture. If you’d like a bonus, choose a location.

I’m going to go for a camera, a guitar, and a glass of wine in the setting of a library or a Victorian-style glass house. What that says about me is for you to guess. I’m far more interested in what you’ll choose to reveal more of what matters to you.

Here’s the wellbeing bit. When you’ve chosen your three (with the bonus of the location), ask yourself if you’re giving enough time and energy to your priorities.  Wellbeing is well-aligned with what we value most.

Lex

A Moodscope member