|
Michael Jackson had a complex personality.
It is doubtful whether anyone - besides his family and those who
were closest to him - were able to understand him
properly.
For those of us who have only seen him
on shows and on TV and through the eyes of paparazzi - it helps
to be able to study his handwriting in order to get some insight
into the personality of this amazing celebrity.
There are a number of samples of his
handwriting from his early days that we could study but it is
probably more interesting to examine two of his signatures
from different periods in his life.
We need to bear in mind that a signature
is a symbol of an individual's personality - something like a
personal logo. (See
Signatures)
And because we all change with time, our
signatures change along with us.
That is why we will be looking at two of
Michael Jackson's signatures - one from an earlier period and
the second from a more recent time in his life.
Here is one of his earlier signatures:
You will see how it started off as being
rather simple and practical.
The words are legible and easy to read.
Each letter is easily identifiable.
But his later signature is very
different and shows a big personality change.
Take a look at the following signature
and see how it became more delicate, fragile and ethereal.
It was in fact expressing these elements as they were emerging
in his personality.
You'll soon see that the most striking
thing about it is the huge discrepancy between the body of the
signature and the soaring upper zone that seemed to touch the
stratosphere of his ambitions.
And then note how it plummets from great
heights into great depths as well. Depression and euphoria were
never far away. Note also how some of the lines lean to the left
- a recoiling gesture from what he found difficult to face.
His tragedy was that his real life and
his fantasy life could never come together. They were poles
apart.
The tiny body of the signature reflects
his dissatisfaction with his ordinary, earth-bound self while
the soaring upper zone reflects his boundless aspirations. It
was all about the things he wanted to do, the things that he
still hoped to achieve.
But his aspirations were so high that
they caused him to lose touch with reality and inhabit more and
more a strange world of fantasy. He poured his whole being into
this world of fantasy until it became his reality.
And then look at that great circle which
takes centre stage in his signature. Could this be the symbolic
expression of his all-consuming love of dance? It’s as if he
feels that music and dance can bring everything together.
But Michael Jackson’s amazing success
was not only due to his musical and dancing talent. It was a
personality thing as well.
His remarkable versatility, his
physical, mental and emotional agility, his soaring aspirations
and his driving ambition helped him to become the legend that he
was.
He redesigned and changed everything
from his physical appearance to the very environment he wished
to live in. Neverland was the epitome of the dream world that
he wished to inhabit.
However, he couldn't consciously alter
his signature and that is why it reveals so much.
And so we find that Michael Jackson's
signature is the expression of his ambitions, his desires
and his dreams – But also of his fears.
If you would like to know more about
signatures and the messages in handwriting check out
The Meaning
of Signatures
|
