A Year In The Life of an Art Journal 2/28 + 3/15, creativeTherapy 129

I've been steadily working on my art journaling, using prompts from A Year in the Life of An Art Journal and creative Therapy.  I'm also taking an online class, 21 Secrets, to learn twenty-one new ways to art journal.  My dining room table/art desk is a total mess!  Its awesome. 

A Year In The Life of An Art Journal

February 28th
THE PROMPT: I'm Beautiful
THE SONG: Real Love by Regina Spektor
PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE: Self-portrait

I should say first that I purposely edited out a personal photo.  I'm not quite ready to share images of myself or my husband (although I will share deeply personal art work!).  I took a long time to work on this one - I didn't know what I wanted to say, and I think I kept editing myself instead of just jumping in. 

I started by building up the background with paint, and then stamping the phrase "all i really was doing was waiting for you" from the song.  I was experimenting with using medium on photographs, and slathered two photos with a heavy medium and peeled off the backing.  It took forever, but looks really cool when done.  I used this technique on the two shadow images on the right.  More paint, words, writing. 

Ultimately, this journal page ended up stating that I always felt like I was waiting for my husband.  He makes me feel good, loved, beautiful even.



March 15th
THE PROMPT: Confidence Shot
THE SONG: Strut by Adam Lambert
PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE: eye shadow

Oh I love this one.  My art journal is an altered book:  on this page, there was a scene of a cobbled street that I didn't want to cover up, so when priming the page, I left it uncovered.  I searched for an image that portrayed "strut" and ended up choosing an image from a magazine with a woman running.  I smothered the image in heavy medium, removed its backing and was left with this glowing image.  I placed that over the street.  I played around with more paint, words, writing.  I added one line from "Strut":  let the freedom begin.  And the eye shadow - I actually used some to shade the edges of the pages. I have this great phrase from a magazine:  (IM)PERFECT - I added a quote to change it to (I'M)PERFECT. 

All together, I guess I am saying that running is my confidence shot.  It makes me feel like I'm going somewhere, it makes me feel strong, and it helps me get my thinking together, so I can move forward in my non-running life too.

creative Therapy: 129
What is a family keepsake you have or hope to have?

I had a hard time with this one too, layering on paint and then finally realizing what I wanted to say.  I initially thought I would want to be the keeper of the photographs.  But as I thought of it more, I realized I wanted really to be the carrier of the stories, the elder who passed down the legends of our family. 

I stamped "once upon a time", added transferred images that I applied matte medium to -- I chose an b&w image (it transferred so beautifully), an image of toys in front of books, a photograph book and a person.  I used this image of the person to link the whole page together, drawing these climbing vines all over to indicate the web of family, stories, histories.

creativeTherapy: February / A Year in the Life of An Art Journal: Fight

Along with the photography challenges I'm following along with (Scavenger Hunt & Now to Wow), and the Thing A Day challenge for February (and something else coming up for March...), I've been also working in an altered book and following along with two art journal challenges.  Yikes, this seems like a lot, but its all good stuff. 

Two prompts came up at the same time, and I've been trying to get them done.  They were both really difficult and meaningful, hitting me in a vulnerable spot.  I felt like they go together, and so I worked on them simultaneously.  One was past, one was a wish for the future.

From A Year in the Life of an Art Journal:
THE PROMPT: Fight
THE SONG: Breakin' Dishes by Rihanna
PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE: Bleach

I used a bleach pen that we normally use to spruce up our grout, and experimented on paint, magazine images, and types of paper.  I wasn't really pleased.  The bleach didn't have much of an impact.  Then I used some black card stock and started writing some heavy words using the bleach that I didn't realize were in me.  Those became the basis of my interpretation of the prompt.  To make a long story short, I used to equate fighting with love.  I've since been taught otherwise, and that has been extremely healing.  But I have a lot of residual feelings that are just as conflictual as equating fighting with love. 

From creativeTherapy: 
What are you (or would you be) giving your children that you wish you’d had?

This was a hard one to start.  Seems like some people have babies easy peasy, and others, its an anguishing process.  I guess I fall in the later category.  I've been thinking a lot about "fairness" and the type of mother I would be, and fertility and being "ready."  Frankly, we are so beyond ready, it hurts.  All I can think to do to be more ready is to be as healthy as possible, to keep dealing with my "stuff", and to spend as much time together and with myself as possible.  But that's only so satisfying. 

A lot of my ideas for this one built on the previous prompt.   I couldn't help but feel like I was sending out a plea to our one-day baby, trying to prove that our home would be warm, and full of love, and that they would be given both lots of support and lots of freedom to grow and learn. 

And a shout out to the elephants:  In my magazine cuttings, I ran across this article about elephants in families, and how they fight, protect, and wander alone, all part of the growing process.  I had to include all these amazing images.

creative Therapy: one word

Seriously, I'm having a blast with all this art making that I am doing.  I'm following creative Therapy's monthly prompts, and putting them in the same altered book I am working on for A Year in the Life of an Art Journal. 

The prompt:  one word or focus in 2011

I never seem to be able to follow the rules so I chose two words.  That's okay, right?  I first chose the word Adventure, because I wanted to throw myself into doing and living without overthinking or overplanning or worrying myself out of it.  Things don't need to be a "right way."  (I'm even fussing with this blog post because I'm not sure if this is "right" or "good"!)  I also found that the word shows up a lot when I'm thinking about something I loved doing, or something I'm looking forward to doing.  It makes good, fun sense.  And for some reason, saying Adventure! to myself seems to work. 

I've also chosen the word Hope because I have been struggling to hold on to it.  This week I realized that I was struggling with this when I said "I don't know why I even bother to be hopeful" - referring to my clients (and my office, and our resources, and our pay).  Nonetheless, shameful, and unacceptable.  I chastised myself as I sat with a client, and realized that sometimes I have nothing but hope to hold onto and I cling desperately to it, because he needs it.  And deserves it.  And, I realized I've given up hope for some things that are very important to me, but seem unattainable.  I don't think its time to let those go.

And the two feel like they go together.  They keep me balanced. 

*please excuse the tabs at the top!