Different Versions of Me

On puppets, gorillas, and the question of who we are when no one's watching

I started creating a small puppet version of myself a while ago.
I don’t think I ever shared it here in the newsletter — though I did write a short blog post about it once. The thoughts I had back then feel a little outdated, but the process has stayed with me. I returned to it recently on the blog — a longer reflection on learning, patience, and lost internet strangers (Spike Jonze may or may not be among them).
You can read it HERE.

The old me

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Versions of me (and maybe you too)

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about different versions of myself.
Do you know that feeling — when you come home after socializing and realize you’ve spent the whole evening as someone who’s not quite you?

Or even mid-conversation, there’s a flicker of awareness:
This isn’t how the real me would have responded.

Is the “real me” the one who shows up when I’m alone?
Or is it the one who feels safe — around people I love and trust?
And then... who is the other one? The version that nods and smiles, smooths the edges, plays along?

I’m not sure. But I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Maybe this resonates. Maybe it doesn’t.
Maybe you carry your own quiet shape-shifter around too.

Inside me

There’s one version of me I’ve drawn before — a friendly gorilla living inside my chest.
It looks kind. Protective. But it can also get angry. Not without reason though. Guess this is where my Gorilla is very different from myself.

If you feel like it, I’d love to know:
What does the real you look like?
Words are welcome. Or drawings! You can always send them to me via email.

Now, about that puppet...

I’ve been building a new version of myself. Maybe a better version of the old puppet version, maybe even a better version of myself.

I’ll include photos and a short video so you can compare.
The puppet. The older puppet. The different selves.
But not a picture of the real me. Not this time.

(Or maybe you’ve already seen one. Maybe you know me.
But then — which version do you know?
Something to think about this weekend.)

New me in the making

Wishing you a gentle weekend, whoever you are right now

I’ll be in my studio, tending to my art and to my back pain.
(Maybe there’s a version of me somewhere without chronic pain. Good for her.)

I just finished listening to Lights On, a beautiful audio documentary about consciousness — and the idea that it might be the foundation of everything.
There was talk of Quantum Physics too.
I think I got a little inspired.

And if you’d like to support this work...

If you enjoy my letters, you can support it in simple ways:
* Leave a comment — I read every one. (nothing to be so proud of, with the few comments I get ^^)
* Click the little heart to let the algorithm know it’s worth sharing.
* Or, if you’d like to fuel the next puppet or the next quiet question, you can buy me a coffee — it truly helps.

More soon,
Claudia