Dear Francoise,
Once again, I’d like to congratulate you on an excellent update to and revision of your earlier book, ‘Through the Needle’s Eye’! As the designer of this book, I feel privileged to have worked alongside you, and be part of your creative vision and mission in how your dolls worked, subtly and not so subtly, for the betterment of society.
Being a cartoonist and illustrator myself, I understand the power of visuals and characters. But unlike my hand-drawn characters, where I have the luxury of using facial features and action poses to convey feelings and emotions, your dolls literally speak volumes without as much as batting an eyelid or furrowing a brow. All the drama and action are being played out within the viewer’s own imagination as uniquely personalized stories. And this is where the real magic and true power of the dolls lie! They are able to create stories that touch viewers at many levels. And their very limitations in terms of expressions or limited body poses suddenly open up newer vistas in storytelling, pushing the viewer to scale new heights of their imagination, while re-living, re-telling, re-creating, re-imagining Life’s realities. They become a tool, a medium, for an experience of catharsis within oneself, exorcising long-suppressed negative emotions from within, leading one to a process of cleansing and self-purification and help bring about a holistic awareness of Life in all it’s intricate complexities and joyful creative possibilities!
I believe a person’s passionately creative work in this world is an extension and expression of their rich inner life and oneness with the Divine. And you prove, by your very special and sacred work, that this is the way forward for humanity. In these troubled times of ours, everyone is searching for ways to go within and find, not just answers, but also shape for themselves a creative, holistic life that is a life of joyful giving and peaceful communion with others. This, I believe, is an innate longing in each human being. And when one experiences your life’s work, vision and mission through your dolls, one comes away with hope that it is, indeed, possible, to create and live a life of divinely inspired creativity and joyful service, even amidst our daily troubles and injustices we see around us. Your iconic dolls truly speak, not just on your behalf, but for each human being and each human longing to be whole once again, and to feel for humanity and be one with humanity. Closing with much love, and wishing for you and your dolls to continue speaking ever more loudly in your own gentle and silent way!
(and again, later sometime, in response to Francoise’s email…)
Ah well, the gratitude is all mine, and your very presence itself is a blessing to many, Francoise! Your dolls speak in so many ways, and the most amazing thing I realize is that: when I speak to many of my friends and clients, trying to describe you and your creative work and inspired mission, they all get so visibly excited and very spontaneously say that they want to meet you and see your dolls and interact with you!! And this is even before they have seen photos of your dolls. And those who have seen the photos are totally struck by their creativity and visual power. Sometimes, their spontaneously positive responses surprise even me, who has worked so closely with you, and know the inside story of the dolls! There really is magic in what you do, Francoise, and in your choice of expressing the Divine Vision in your own uniquely creative hand-crafted, organic, wholesome way.
Look forward to our next collaboration soon, which will be definitely be a combination of your dolls and my cartoons.
~ Dinesh Francis
Cartoonist, Illustrator and Book Designer
June 2017
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