Monday, March 23, 2009

Week One: Gather

I cannot resist a challenge.
When Carla invited me to join her soulcollage group this year, using the book: SoulCollage: An Intuitive Collage Process for Individuals and Groups, fear struck me in the centre of my stomach...me? Collage? eeeeeek...I have never done this before, and collage is (I feel) one of my weaknesses.
At first, it seemed like just a fun new challenge for me and I love a challenge, something new to get my 'teeth into', to throw myself into body and 'soul'...like I do with my blog.
Then the book arrived and I suddenly thought 'Hang on a second, you don't actually know what you are doing here!' Did I really want to even attempt this huge commitment, as I now saw it?
I guess the answer was 'yes' because here I am. My intentions now are to:
a.) have fun
b.) maybe learn some new things about myself
c.) learn and practise a new process in art
d.) grow

After a lot of pondering, even worrying, hesitation and dithering, I decided to jump in feet first.
Life has often thrown me many curved balls before, and this looks like it could be a great learning one for me.
I invite any of you who are interested in this to join me, you don't need to be experienced at all, not even artistic, just eager.

This is the space/table I work on in the spare bedroom.On the wall in front of me is some of my own art with lots of the art I have received from my bloggy friends which inspire me and fill me with happiness every day. It is light and airy, has a view of the back garden and the huge sky outside, which looks like this today.

I started a week or more ago, looking, sifting, sorting, finding, tearing, snipping and became completely engrossed in this simple process. Now I drive everyone mad, begging, asking, for and taking newspapers and magazines wherever I find them.
While gathering images, I discovered a few things. Firstly, and mainly, I am mostly attracted to bright images...but then I realised that I am was also looking for more subtle, paler and undertsated images...hence the two sides of my personality. The most important thing I realised at this stage is that certain emages 'talk' to me and that's gotta be a good sign.I now have quite a big plastic container filled with pictures and images of all sorts. I decided to put them into plastic folders in sizes, so that I could just take out a folder at a time to look through, whenever I need it (my attempt at being organised).


Here are a few images randomly thrown together...and viola, here is my header!

Thanks Carla, I am quite excited now. This may be just what I need to get me out of my Winter funk! I have invited lots of my bloggy friends to join us on this new adventure, so I hope some of them respond.

17 comments:

  1. This looks so interesting! I would love to join you! I feel the need to work with paper and paste. I need to find a new purpose for the retired with no schedule whatsoever me.

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  2. It sounds like a very good idea, thanks for inviting me! I've been collecting bits and pieces out of magazines for years and stick them in my journal. Sometimes this can lead on to artwork or sometimes they're just nice to look back on for inspiration. I've noticed that the things I cut out years ago are still very similar to what I collect now! I shall follow you on your journey :)

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  3. I love your desk and the wall above ... what an inspiring, personal area! I haven't done the image gathering part yet at all but I'm looking forward to that -- hopefully TONIGHT. I have a stack of magazines awaiting me on the big kitchen table and told my family that tonight, "I'm closed!" (meaning they're on their own for dinner!) This promises to be a journey, doesn't it?

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  4. This looks like fun! I have stacks and stacks of magazines that I keep for just this reason. I would like to get better at doing meaningful collage. I find it easiest to express myself in pictures, rather than words, so I sould probably join you.
    I love your little studio. Looks very similar to mine. When I painted the walls last summer I intended to keep them pretty, but I can't resist hanging all my collected artwork all over them. My husband asks, "Why did you paint?"

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  5. Wow! You're off to a great start! Isn't exciting when you just let go and let the images find you? I find it interesting that you're seeing patterns emerge in terms of what attracts you and then making some connections to yourself.

    Your studio looks like such a peaceful, creative space. It's wonderful to have art from your friends around you - I am sure it gives you some of their energy as you create:) I'm looking forward to sharing this journey with you:)

    Namaste,

    carla

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  6. What a great challenge - I especially love the ones that feel scary, uncharted waters. I'd be interested in knowing how you organize your 'stuff' since I have acquired so many piles and need desperately to sort -
    I'll keep up and see how you're doing - I'm into week 2 of a Vision Board class and it's all new to me too!

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  7. so excited to follow you on your new collage journey!

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  8. Soul, I think this is something I could get into. I too have collected clippings out of magazines etc over the years. I have a folding file full of such things. Most are from gardens or have something to do with nature. I will try to follow you on this journey. I will look for the book tomorrow when I am at the bookstore. Funny that I got the prompt from you just before I am going to a bookstore. I don't go very often as there isn't a bookstore in the small town where I live. Collage on...

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  9. So, we are to post our collages in our own blogs or here on this...how would we do that? Email them to you? Duh?

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  10. It sounds like fun. I love collecting papers and glue bits and pieces. Do we sign up with Carla...I need to go read that part of the post too.

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  11. You have created a monster with me. I have been collaging the past couple of days. Such fun...

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  12. I must look for the book....this sounds fun!!!

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  13. i want to join you but I think I am too busy. I wonder if this in an excuse? may be I will just follow and watch, and see how I go? this is exciting...

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  14. Hey! Thank you for your comments on the post of my first cards. I HAVE to tell you, everything you are feeling about collage-fear? me, too. I just made a pile of all the images that seemed to relate to one of the 'neters' and slowly moved them around a blank space ... once I relaxed, then the images started to -- I guess 'speak' to me. Some are just more vocal, they pop inside, resound more loudly, and that's how I kept moving closer and closer to what I would use on the card. Then I just played around with placement, and again, the 'pop' was just stronger when it was 'right.' You know, right, that you don't have to show any of these to anyone, so with that in mind it's MUCH easier to give one a try. Now I've got the whole remaining bunch caterwauling and cavorting in my head wanting their turn ...

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  15. You are brave and such an inspiration! Wonderful!

    Got to finish my taxes first (so to clear the table) and then I'm jumping in! I have got boxes of pictures for this SoulCollage Discovery Group by Carla at: http://wings4you.typepad.com

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What in heaven's name is strange about a grandmother dancing nude? I'll bet lots of grandmothers do it. Sally Rand