Welcome to the Iconic: A Roundabout Intro

When I finished up my Monster Series (click here for the quick intro), I thought I was done with this whole series of related blog posts with a common theme. After all, I'd never done them before, so why would I make them part of my normal posting schedule?

And then inspiration hit...

How my inspiration works...

I was lying on my couch after a pleasant afternoon nap, texting my cousin/editor, when I finally figured out a great topic for this week's post. This was both fortunate and unfortunate. Fortunate because I finally had something to write about today. Unfortunate because I didn't have any time to do any research (the lightening bolt hit me around 3PM EST today).

And what was this sudden bout of inspiration?

Icons!

And what makes things iconic.

You know, famous images and stories that are so amazing that they keep popping up over and over again. Events that take place that define a generation. Little images on a computer screen that we click on to access programs (okay this one might just be a bad pun, but really why are they called icons?).

Alright fine, I actually didn't know what the word icon (let alone iconic) meant before getting this idea.

So I took to Twitter. I put out the general question of "what do you guys find to be iconic?" Which, in hindsight could have been a terrible disaster since it's Twitter (let me know if I need to explain further). Since I have just under 30 followers, it was no surprise to me that I only received one response (insert shameless plug here for webcomic creator, yes this is their name, khkddn). They responded to my tweet with "oldish cartoons i guess? i dont really know what makes something iconic".

This made me come to the second realization for the day: that I don't even know what makes something iconic. I've heard the word tossed around, but I've never really thought about what makes something iconic versus, say, popular or viral. For the record, I'm not holding my breath for any other responses to this tweet, so I might have to just rely on my research (which I should do anyway) to determine what is and what is not an icon or iconic.

(Side note: I am aware that the words icon and iconic aren't the same thing, but since they are closely related to the point that I can't think of one without the other, this series will look at both words as though they are so interconnected they cannot be separated.)

Googling the definition of the word "icon" brings up two definition:

1) "a painting of Jesus Christ or another holy figure, typically in a traditional style on wood, venerated and used as an aid to devotion in the Byzantine and other Eastern Churches.

2) a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something."

I honestly had no idea that an "icon" was originally associated with religious depictions of Jesus (though I did know the word is originally Greek - thanks dad and all your impromptu English language root fun facts). Since Jesus is one of the most iconic, if not the number one icon, in Western religion, this makes sense. Religion has and continues to shape human culture, particularly in the west (have you guys ever heard of the "Parable of the Talents" or  phrase"The Good Samaritan"). Is it any wonder that we would adopt a religious lexicon to describe our current worship of celebrities and pop culture. [Insert bad joke here.]

Merriam-Webster's dictionary contains both the above definitions (with different wording) and adds in that an icon is "a usually pictorial representation", "an object of uncritical devotion", "a sign", and "a graphic symbol on a computer display screen that represents an object (such as a file) or function (such as the command to delete)". Coincidentally this last definition is what I first thought of when I was thinking of really bad puns to make for this series. Especially since images of pop culture icons serve a specific function to our society in our need to objectify everything (oh yes, I went there).

Definitions aside, what does it mean for something or someone to be an icon or iconic?

Is it a symbol? Does it have or need a meaning? Does it define something? Is an icon always an image? How does something become an icon let alone iconic? And, most important, do all icons stand the test of time (because secretly we all want to be immortal).

Will I answer all of these questions? Probably not. Like opinions, language is always changing. The definitions I am looking at right now have the potential to change based on a little more than a whim. What I might try to uncover using the information I have (i.e. the Internet is a deep, dark, and dangerous place when looking for answers to anything) could lead me to completely new questions and answers that I didn't expect.

So this series on Icons/The Iconic will be completely different from the orderly and totally pre-planned Monster Series. I don't even have a set number of posts to write yet (but it is likely higher than two posts).

My question for you guys (and participation is completely voluntary, but highly appreciated) is to tell me what you guys think about when you hear or see the words "Icon" and "Iconic" as well as any images, symbols, or ideas that surround these two words. Heck, you could even give me an iconic inspirational quote to help me out (are those a thing?).

I can already tell that this is going to be a very interesting journey. Especially since I have no destination planned.

Until next week...

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Maybe I too, will one day be an icon.