Metaphor

While listening to Paul Coldwell, I realised that I didn’t have a very good understanding of the word metaphor. In his work, Coldwell often used an image of a suitcase or a postcard. Were these his metaphors?

I tarried after the lecture, hoping to catch a moment to discuss this topic.

My question was simple, or so I thought. How do I find my metaphors? Coldwell's answer was much more complicated than I expected.

We discussed their origin and how the conscious seeking of a metaphor can often lead the artist to create an icon or symbol. A metaphor is often revealed to the artist over time and appears repeatedly in the work. This unconscious emerging into the art was very different from what I imagined. I believe I have been using symbols rather than metaphors in my work.

I did consult Wikipedia:

A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to create a likeness or an analogy.

Example. "A wave of terror washed over him" compares a wave of terror to something that washed over him 

Also:

The word metaphor itself is a metaphor, coming from a Greek term meaning 'transference (of ownership)'. The user of a metaphor alters the reference of the word, "carrying" it from one semantic "realm" to another.

Interesting.