Animal Lego...

We look at animals and we empathize with their living-ness (or not). But there is something else in animals that draws our attention. They trigger something in us, something ancient and deeply creative. In many ways, artists and writers have inherited the shamanic tradition of adopting other creature’s characteristics, scrambling, and feeding off their mute muse-like qualities. Reinventing and layering our own desires onto other creatures is just something we do. At times it clouds our empathy with the living animal itself, which is something to be aware of. Still, art and anthropomorphization are an integral part of our human experience, so let's not discard those...

("Monkey Sphinx" from this incredible Worth 1000 gallery)