My Wet Poppy Bud (shown below) has been one of my most stolen images over time. It’s found in some of less savory corners of the internet—inevitably without requesting permission or crediting me. While I’m a firm believer in the sanctity of copyrights, by now this recurring usage amuses me more than it irritates (after all, my image is twenty years old!).

In this context, the term “projection” as it is used in the title of this blog story refers to what someone sees in an image. This is the basis for Rorschach tests: what is seen says more about the viewer than the subject. In other words, it is in the eye of the beholder.

I would also add that sometimes a dirty mind is indeed a great consolation; although, since flowers tend to be pretty upfront about their x-rated parts, the anthropomorphism shown by projecting human genitalia on this innocent flower is conceptually irrelevant and totally, needlessly prurient.

Some related posts: Eros; Sacred and Profane Love; Little Shop of Horrors (my original blog post about this image).