collage – creativity in motion

2023 Artful and Intentional Living

I have just finished my 2023 altered book of intentions and wanted to share the pages and intentions I identified for this year. This year marks 15 years of this creative practice!

The process begins with preparation, including finding the children’s board book I will be using, getting the book ready to create, gathering materials, and prepping the creative space I will be working in. I then direct my focus to intention, which includes creating a list of words I want to guide me throughout the new year ahead with meaning and purpose. From this list, I shift to creation, crafting a page inside my altered book that symbolizes or embodies each intention.

This year I chose the intentions: Meaning, Resolve, Respite, Anchor, Tempo, and Artistry. I primarily used material from my paper stashes, magazine photo collage, dictionary pages, ink, paint pens, washi tape, handmade paper, and oil pastels in a 5×5 children’s board book.

Meaning

Resolve

Respite

Anchor

Tempo

Artistry – The heart piece was done with the handmade paper I made in a BlendJet blender I recently purchased— I wrote on small pieces of paper things I wanted to let go of/transform, ripped them up, put them in the blender to pulp, and then formed new paper from it— other pages/intentions also include hearts with the same handmade paper….

As the year unfolds, I revisit my altered book of intentions to reflect on and witness their transformation. I am grateful I am also able to participate in this process year-round within an inspiring digital community of women who are engaging in this creative practice as part of Prepare.Intent.Create.Transform workshops.

What are some intentions you have for this year?

Mission Statement Crafting

Recently I attended a retreat where part of the day introduced a closer look at the meaning behind mission statements. A mission statement offers intention and guidance towards ones goals and potential, often empowered by important values and beliefs. A common practice in organizations and companies is to have a mission statement that helps define and offer focus about what the organization does, its purpose, and values.

Also introduced as a component of self-care during this retreat, mission statements can also be created as a personal declaration that helps define meaning, intentional living, and our own values that guide and empower our work, life, and goals. It also helps strengthen resilience and compassion satisfaction, especially important for combatting compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and burnout. After reflecting on this practice more, I was inspired to create a mission statement collage to explore this idea deeper.

Before crafting the collage I used a provided template inspired by the work of Covey, Merrill, & Merrill (1997) that offered a series of “it is my mission to” prompts. I also discovered there are a lot of mission statement generators and builders online if you want additional help!

Creating this collage also will serve as a visual reminder to continue reflect on and refine.

It is my mission to

Live mindfully with intention and courage

Work creatively to help others

Continue growing and learning

Love unconditionally

Be grateful, calm, and present

Become open to what unfolds

Believe in humanity and the greater good

Promote hope and possibility

Strive for grace and presence

Seek understanding with integrity

Paper Stash Swap Show & Tell

In July, I organized a Paper Stash Swap for my 6 Degrees of Creativity online workshop community, where interested members signed up to exchange artsy paper stuff and goodies with another participant:

Below is some the creative goodness I put together for the couple of fun stashes I mailed to Nancy and Jessica. These packages included a variety of scrapbooking paper, tags, paper bag books, scrap collage bits & pieces, bingo cards, book catalog file cards and more:

Paper Stash Show & Tell | creativity in motion — Preparing Creative Goodness for Paper Stash Mailing

Here’s a collection of awesome paper stashes I received from Jessica, Roseann, and Nancy (thank you!) which included lots of colorful printed paper, book & dictionary pages, maps, tags, tickets, and so, so much more:

The second part of this Paper Stash Swap is this month’s Show & Tell where we can share what we’ve created with some of the gifts & treasures we’ve received. I’ve used a lot of the stash stuff in my 3×5 365 cards during the past month. It was also really easy to take the stashes (contained in a large mailing envelope or plastic bag) on the go with me to create with. I really thought the patterns, textures, & colors of the stashes I was generously gifted with brought a new excitement and an inviting warmth to my 3×5 art. It was a pleasure to begin incorporating these positive elements into my creative practice and feel these meaningful additions come to life (each day and each week).

I look forward to seeing other Show & Tells from this exchange on the 6 Degrees of Creativity site and how what was received was used or what it inspired. 🙂

In case you’re looking for your own paper stash inspiration check out some of these ideas from my Creative Goodness with Gluebooks e-book that you can download free here.

What’s your favorite paper item to use in your stash or to gift to others?

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Gluebookers Unite: Let the Paper Stash Swapping Begin!

Getting Ready: Gluebooking, Paper Swapping, Page Exchanging & More

334 days of revo’lution making | my 365 project [and collage sheet giveaway!]

Holy wow! It’s month 11 for my 365 project— I can hardly believe it… Behold my revo’lution making for days 305-334:

Days 305-317 | my 365 project | creativity in motion — Days 305-317

It feels like this month of my 2013 life has flown by. Thankfully, this practice continues to pull me in and anchor me in moments of still reflection.

311: my 365 project | creativity in motion — Day 311

Inspired by this still point of reflection, comes each of these pieces… small records of intention beginning to manifest into a collective, larger whole.

Days 318-329 | my 365 project | creativity in motion — Days 318-329

As the final month and days approach for this year’s revo’lution making I’ve been spending more time reflecting back and through each piece…. It is an exciting and heartfelt process to revisit this year through daily images inspired by this project and practice.

Days 330-334 | my 365 project | creativity in motion — Days 330-334

To celebrate this project and thank you for your on-going support, throughout the month of December I am going to be giving away 8.5 x 11 full color collage sheets that include some of my favorite revo’lution pieces so far. Each sheet includes a copy of 24 revo’lution pieces that I’ll mail out to you for use in your art journaling, collage work, or other creative projects and ideas!

To enter, comment below on an intention you’ve focused on throughout this year…. Every Friday, be sure to check back here to this post (around 9am-ish EST/US) where I’ll post 2 winners from someone randomly picked from comments made.

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my 365 revo’lution project: past posts

Daily Paper Prompt: Dictionary Inspiration

I was thrilled to be invited by Tammy at Daisy Yellow to contribute a DPP [aka a Daily Paper Prompt]:

Each day, a daily prompt. A technique, an experiment, something to do with paper. The Daily Paper Prompt is a prompt that you can do on paper of any size. The prompts are mostly techniques-based but some involve a color theme or a particular style of art. [Daisy Yellow]

After brainstorming a variety of ideas, I chose to dedicate my DPP to dictionary pages and ways I love to use their inspiration in my art journaling and collage work. Especially throughout this year, I’ve been using lots of dictionary bits & pieces in my 365 revo’lution project.

Check out my DPP (#16): Dictionary Love here.

DPPs started this month and will go until September 30, creating a collection of 61.

View all the DPPs here.

Thank you to Tammy for the opportunity to guest post for this challenge! If you’re looking for art prompts, projects, link love, and inspiration for sparking or sustaining your daily creative practice – be sure to visit Daisy Yellow!

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Mail Art & Dictionary Inspiration

My Top 10 Favorite Things to Glue: Glue It Tuesday

In Bloom: Glue It Tuesday

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anais Nin

Happy Glue It Tuesday! I started this mini collage, originally for gluing down as part of my smashbook… but after sitting with the image I’m going to transform it into an artist trading card and add the intention bloom to my 2013 revo’lution:

[flowering, blossoming, growing]

[glowing with healthful vigor, warmth, and freshness]

[flourishing, prospering, thriving]

Yes!!!

Be sure to check out what other Glue It Tuesday-ers inspired by Aimee at Artsyville are up to this week, here.

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I Like This: Glue It Tuesday Smashbooking

Twentythirteen Revo’lution Cards of Intention

Inside These Pages: A Miniature Book with Big Reminders

I was looking through some paper scraps this week-end and came across some lovely sheets that inspired me to create this simple, 1.5 x 2 inch miniature book:

This book holds these 5 spreads:

I’ve been reflecting on the metaphor of small things and their big importance: in the form of simplicity, happiness, gratitude, and kindness… And continuing to be mindful of the space, journey, flow, and growth this perspective helps create.

A nice reminder: “Life is made up of little things.” ~Frank A. Clark

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Through a Grateful Lens: Spring Light Simplicity

Mindful Studio Practice Continues: 2 Weeks Strong!

I Like This: Glue It Tuesday Smashbooking

I had some time this morning to do some smashbooking inspired by Artsyville’s Glue It Tuesday:

This spread is dedicated to some of my favorite intentions for well-being to start off this day: trust, simplicity, balance, and embracing inspiration in today’s moments…I like that!

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Glue It Tuesday Smashbooking- May 28, 2013

From My Smashbook: April Inspirations

Glue It Tuesday Smashbooking

I did a little smashbooking today in honor of Artsyville’s Glue It Tuesday!

On this page I used some images from an old photo stock catalog, magazine photo collage, and a couple of Tim Holtz’s Alpha-Cards. This smashbook is filling up nicely… 🙂

Check out more #glueittuesday activity and share your own adventures with smashbooking here!

Mail Art & Dictionary Inspiration

I’ve been working on a collection of summer themed art cards for another one of Christine’s mail art exchanges:

I used some sturdy 4 x 6ish cards then cut & paste some paper bits to create suns, as well as added some distressed stain, ink, acrylic paint, sheet music scraps, ink, and of course, one of my collage loves: dictionary page pieces.

Sunshine, sunlight, sunrise, sunbeam, summer….

It always delights me that whatever words I am looking for (depending on the theme, emotion, need) can still be found in my tattered dictionary dedicated to this art making purpose. So many of the pages are torn out, missing, previously used- but the right words always seem to be there waiting for me.

This Creative Dictionary Paper Techniques tutorial and video inspired me to experiment some more with not just word bits & pieces from my dictionary, but with the sheets I’ve torn out. I had fun playing with some Dr. Martin’s concentrated watercolor, which added a nice touch of color to the pages. Once I get some more gel medium, I’m going to experiment more with its effect as seen in the Joggle‘s video!

Keeping with the dictionary inspiration, I also worked on art for this month’s Creative Pay It Forward recipient: collaging dictionary pages on a large file card with some handstiching around the edges:

Are there fun ways you’ve been inspired to incorporate dictionary pages into your art-making?

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