the investigator

“I Finally Feel the Universe Expand” is a collage appropriately made from pages and pieces from a space atlas book and many different art magazines. I chose this medium specifically for this piece to represent how Enneagram Fives are always collecting data and how they are known for always collecting information and knowledge. The process of making a collage represents this idea well because it involves layering on piece after piece of new information to create a holistic image, and once this image is complete, the viewer can understand and process how each bit of information comes together to make up the whole image. The space atlas book was an appropriate material to use because what better represents an endless realm of information than outer space? I chose to use the art magazines as a nod to the Five’s wing of Four as Fours are stereotypically artistic and creative.

As for the piece itself, in my research on Fives, I listened to the Sleeping At Last Podcast in which he explains the meaning behind each of his nine songs that he wrote for each Enneagram type. In the podcast, it states that “Fives describe their minds as their own universe or their own fortress that they live in.” This explanation showed me that Fives are so much more than the stereotypical human encyclopedias that we make them out to be, they are deep thinkers with extraordinary minds that we would be lucky to even have a glimpse into.

The man seen in the piece represents a person who identifies as a Five. He is placed on top of layered-up pages of text for the background with a clear border around the edge to resemble a page from a book that the Five may have been reading to obtain information. The text goes in all of these different directions to show the stereotype of endless information, but there is a huge rip in the page revealing a universe that seems to be a little chaotic and hard to understand. This represents the beauty and wonder that Fives have to offer the world, and it shows that there is so much more underneath the surface of the Enneagram Five that we do not get to see unless they allow us to.

Coming out of the man’s mouth are the eight planets of our solar system in order, and these have multiple representations. Fives take on the healthy characteristics of Enneagram Eights when they are growing, meaning that they speak their minds and are very outwardly passionate about the things they are knowledgeable about. These Eight planets are a nod to the Enneagram Eight, and the fact that they are in order (unlike the other planets and objects in the ripped-open universe) represents how they can give us a glimpse into their minds when they choose to open up to those they trust.

Throughout the piece, there are five different Earths. One explanation is because it is the Enneagram Five piece, but my main motivation was to show how Fives overanalyze things from every angle and overthink everything. Showing all these different angles of the same Earth further emphasizes their need to observe, analyze, and investigate. Besides the Earths, there are nine other random planets or objects within the universe to show the chaotic nature of the Five’s mind, and also because there are nine Enneagram types.

I chose the lyric “I finally feel the universe expanding” from the Sleeping At Last song, “Five”, because when Fives open up to their trusted people around them, they are finally able to feel the universe, that is their mind, expanding and becoming a little bit easier to understand. I hope through my piece that Fives can feel seen, and I want them to know that their wisdom is valuable. I also hope that they can see that letting us into their minds is a beautiful thing for us to experience, and it is an honor to be trusted with their true selves.