Trying Something Different
Last week, completely fed up with being sick, I took the day off. In a pms-and-death-cold haze I walked the dog, listened to podcasts, read a book, sipped tea and ate breakfast. And somewhere around 10am, I had the idea to collage.There I was, scissors in hand, thumbing through piles of magazine cut-outs, trimming and sorting. I spread out over the kitchen table. I made more tea. There wasn't a goal, so whatever looked good, whatever resonated when I read it, was coated with a thin layer of glue, paintbrush swiping back and forth, and stuck down to the paper. The pages were slightly damp, they crinkled as they dried. Little bits of glue peeled off my finger tips. Phrases were built out of words of different fonts and colors. Gorgeous images I'd pulled out of magazines months ago caught my attention.It seems silly, but as I worked, I was listening to Elizabeth Gilbert and Ann Patchett, and then found that quote from Gilbert herself. And then I was reminded of Susannah Conway sharing her collaging experience:
My spontaneous creativity reboot felt really decadent... which is why it was exactly what I needed... sometimes you just gotta shelve the to-do list and do something DIFFERENT. I try to remember this, and am getting better at taking time off... it’s okay to indulge in creative play that has no specific destination in mind. It’s the best-ideas-in-the-shower syndrome — by doing something else you make space for epiphanies.
Without intending to, I was trying something different.I was exploring something, tapped into a part of myself that I shut down too often, the part that knows so much, but can't articulate it in words. It felt intuitive, creative and most of all, in the flow. It gave me some breathing room. It brought me back to myself while creating space.And we can all use a bit of space at times.Other resources:My other dreamboardsSusannah's Creativity RebootCaylee's art journals and Get Messy projectAmy Tangerine's Handbook promptsVanessa's blogPam's art is lovely, and she shares some art journalingAnd not an art journal, but Kelly's mini travel album is just as pretty