Most fractal images posted here are characterized by a certain aesthetics, an amazing fractal pattern, an unexpected finding, a shape that reminds of something real, ...
Nearly all of them are abstract. Emotions are abstract too. But images with sorrow, joy, love, ... are to be found in the 2D gallery, not here. How does it come? Or am I wrong?
Did you ever express your own emotions in your images?

While I don't plan a fractal to the extent that it can deliberatly show an emotion, I do find that having created one, it often strikes an emotional chord within me--and I then assign it a title which reflects that emotional response. But since language can never fully convey a thought or emotion in its entirety, I can only hope the viewers' response is similar.

It seems to me that personality, rather than emotion, tends to be reflected in fractal imagery - something to do with the choice of colours, textures and the development of certain styles. I think it is perfectly possible though, to deliberately create an image to reflect a certain emotion, if that was what was needed.

I agree with both comments. I suppose we all develop a certain style in whatever arts or crafts we attempt, and that style shows through in many pieces. However, emotion can play into, not only the emotional response that you see when you create a fractal, and hope to convey to the viewer, but perhaps, also, the mindset and emotions you are feeling that day determine what kind of fractal you will create. Hard to concentrate when things are hectic and noisy. Or perhaps a darker tone shows through if you weren't in a bright and happy state of mind that day. Some times things really click and a fractal just blossoms very easily, and sometimes you have to work hard at it to achieve what you were after. At least it is for me.

OK, let's get more concrete... Have you ever been very angry or sad or under great emotional pressure and created a fractal to compensate/express this feeling?

The closest I've come to deliberately creating a fractal to match the way I was feeling was when I broke my right hand. Every time I moved my fingers a spike of pain shot up my arm and made it almost impossible for me to use the hand - and I'm right handed! The image I was working on at the time was all pale creams and delicate texturing so I threw a spikey red shape into the mix. Can't say it made me feel any better but I did reflect the pain I was in.

Other times I find that the colours I choose for my images match the way I'm feeling - so I use strong colours when I'm happy, paler colours when I'm unhappy or feeling quiet, and darker tones when I'm angry etc.

I've created a number of fractals specifically to convey an emotion, starting with that emotion in mind and not stopping until I've achieved what I wanted.

Emergence was about trying to escape from depression. The "cave" from which the viewer looks out is an obvious metaphor - the moon is the distant, almost unachievable goal of happiness. It's setting for a reason, always out of reach.

"Wedding," an early fractal which I haven't posted here yet, was created from the start to express the indescribable joy I felt nine years ago when first seeing my wife in her wedding dress. The colors and the free-flowing fractal are supposed to be joyous, though I don't know if anyone else sees that in the image but me. But it's a personal thing anyway, so that doesn't really matter.

• Sean

Yeah, I do emotional fractals all the time, it gets the emotions out in a calm obsessed way that doesn't usually eat at me. I did one last year -- had some kind of dawn in the title-- I was putting my dog down the next day and was half out of my mind. It bothered me to have people say how pretty the fractal was, but, looking back at it, it sorta was. In an edgy kind of way. But that's the only time I was able to do a succesful fractal over as strong an emotion as that. In other words, one that wouldn't be dissolved in the fractal itself. I think fractalling and almost any other kind of art can be fueled by emotion. Emily

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=212283

Although I've never specifically created a fractal with 'emotional intent', I HAVE had people tell me certain of my works has evoked emotional responses in them. One person told me the combination of colors used in one of my FraxPlorer images recalled childhood memories for her that she had not thought of in years. I'd personally classify that as an artistic success, if not a deliberately emotional one. And so it goes.

Mostly I do not create fractals when I'm in a bad mood (sad, depressive, angry or so). So these emotions can hardly find their way into my creations. What I normally do is working in a calm atmosphere, concentrating without any outside stressing factors disturbing me. I'm not a kind of "emotional painter or creator", I do the work just from an aesthetic viewpoint or to show technical possibilities of a formula. On the other hand, sometimes an image makes me smile or I'm really glad about a creation looks. So I assume there IS an emotional factor inside all the fractals.