Collage Archives - Cindy Goes Beyond

February 11, 2017

Creating an Art Journal Cover

Tonight’s project was extraordinarily fun…and totally unplanned. I had another artistic journey I had planned to take. However, as often happens, a shift occurred, due to an invitation from Inspiration to play in a different way.

Inspiration can come to me in the form of a visual download, which is exatly what happened this evening. From nowhere, seemingly, I began to get images popping rapidly into my head: brown craft paper, an inspirational quote, colorful cut outs, the newly arrived J Peterman Catalog, the travel publications…and my art journal. Ah! My art journal. Putting those clues together, I knew where Inspiration was leading me. Would I play? Of course!

I have enjoyed an art journal that I created, using a technique called altered books. You can read about art journaling HERE.

I removed the book’s original cover. Tonight I would create a new one, decorating it to suit my current journey, using collage. Collage work has been a favorite activity this year, and I feel like I’m just getting warmed up.

Here are the simple steps to creating a new cover:

I used the original book cover as a template to cut out a new cover from plain brown craft paper.

The new cover is a blank canvas, ready for my artistic touches.

I created the front cover first, using cut outs around a favorite quote that I hand wrote. All pieces were glued down. The word “beautiful” reminds me to fill my soul with beauty every day.

I used the back flap to tell my travel story for this year. I’ll add a cut out of an airplane or a world globe or luggage to the empty space at the bottom.

The front flap was embellished, and I love the play on words, with a cut out from the J Peterman Catalog, that just arrived in the mail today. Not only do I love the little black dress, with its off the shoulder look, I love the name of the dress, Some Innocent Embellishment, and the description. I cut out a section of the descriptive copy.

The dress makes me think of classiness, and the feminine mystique, and the healing journey I am on. I am inspired to own that dress!

I have left the back cover of my art journal blank, for now. I have some creative ideas for it that are in development. I had SO much fun creating this art journal cover, thinking about upcoming travel opportunities and creative projects, and feeling truly inspired as I played. I am grateful for the tap on the shoulder from Inspiration and the invitation to engage.

In fact, the project was so satisfying that as I finished, the evening felt complete. I almost forgot to write about it. When playing captures my attention to such an extent that all else fades away, that is a good thing. That means I’m in the moment, fully present with myself and my project, and experiencing deep joy.

Want to play? Oh yes, thank you, yes I do.

January 31, 2017

Vision Board 2017

On this last day of January, my mom, sister Linda, and I completed our vision boards for 2017. This project has become a fun shared event that we look forward to each yeat. As we flip through magazines, searching for images and words that represent our journeys, we chat and laugh and discuss life.

I have created vision boards for years, hanging them in my studio for inspiration. Over the years they have become less and less goal oriented, and more and more a visual snapshot of where I am in my journey. My theme for the year is represented, along with my symbol, and oft times a song or quote that carries deep significance for me.

Linda’s board is on the left, above. Her word for 2017 is FREEDOM. She selected images and words that reflect her desire for greater health and encourage her toward a personal project she is creating.

My mom’s word is GRACE. She included words and pics that remind her to eat better and embrace happiness, kindness and magnificence.

Their boards, and mine, have images representing an upcoming trip to Ireland, Scotland, and England that we will enjoy together, along with my other sister Debbie and my niece Ashley. Much of our conversation this evening centered around that anticipated trip.

My board is hanging in my creative studio tonight. This is perhaps the most simple board I have ever created, and I love that. My board emphasizes my healing journey and my desires to make life a little more tender and art a little more robust. Creativity is represented, along with gardening and writing. Travel dominates the top of my board with images of Italy, Scotland, Ireland and England.

I am excited to see how this year unfolds. I am full of inspiration.

I am so grateful for my traveling companions, all of them. I appreciate my mom and sister and their willingness to dream and create and cast visions with me. We are not meant to travel alone. We are made to journey together and help each other along the way. And if we can laugh along the way, that’s even better.

January 12, 2017

Visions from the Heart

It is Vision Board creation time. My mom and sister Linda and I gather over several evenings, in the month of January, to create these visual representations of where we are…and where we are headed. Tonight we began with looking through magazines, and cutting out the pictures and words that captured our interest while also capturing our visions.

I love these times of companionably sitting together with my mom and sister, discussing life as we look for the perfect images. We laugh…a great deal. We share what’s on our hearts, and the hopes we have for the upcoming year. We discuss our chosen words for the year. Mine, as I have shared, is Inspiration. Linda’s word is Freedom. And my mother chose the word Grace.

My pictures and words collected so far.

Linda’s collection.

I realized this evening, amid the animated conversations, that while I believe these fun boards to be important, as they provide daily visual inspiration, there is great power as well in the spoken word. As we chatted, ideas were shared for the first time. The new thoughts took on form and shape and clarity as we talked back and forth about them. Or…they quickly died! Those creative intentions that began to live and breathe took hold, and deepened in our minds and hearts, as we found visual images to represent them, in pictures or words.

The beginning of Mom’s collection.

Carl Jung says, “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”

Tonight our dreams began the transformative process of becoming visions, as we delved into our hearts. Our conversations helped us to examine the dreams, and then hold them up to our heart-driven desires. They helped us to awaken to who we are and what we can accomplish. I look forward to completing our vision boards over the next week. And I so appreciate having these two companions to journey and create with.

We took several selfies, to accompany my blog post. The one I have chosen to include best captures our evening. We are laughing. I can’t keep my eyes open, in my mirth. Linda can’t keep her head held up as she is consumed by giggles. And my mom is beaming with jovial joy.

Yep, that is the kind of evening we had! I think laughter is not only good medicine for the soul, it also fosters a fertile environment for creativity and visions.