creative journaling

Last week we had another Creative Call journaling exercise - this time a collage prayer. We found words and images in magazines, then collaged them together in our journals as a prayer, asking God for the things we need, thanking him for what he's given us, whatever we needed to talk to him about. We didn't worry about whether it made sense to anyone else, because we know that God knows. I'm sharing my collage prayer here, so that you can get the idea and try one of your own - a nice way to journal, I think.

To see this image larger, just click on it, then click your back button to get back to this post - As for what some of this means, the big frame is around the whole thing; I want my life to be God's work of art, so I'm framing this prayer to express that. The word nature and natural images are references to the inspiration I have for much of my work, which I am so thankful for. I need from God his guidance daily for my own artistic growth which is so rewarding to me - and I always want to be sending God's message of love. Down below is the word studio - I'll be renting new studio space soon, which God will have to bless financially or I won't be able to do it very long, so that's a big request right now.

All these things were on my collage but it was missing something, and I didn't know what, so I was looking through one of my art magazines and found the quote, "You've got to touch people. That's why you create art." That pretty much sums it all up. Amen

more heaven showing

Since many of the artworks that were shown at the Artisan Gallery were never shown at First Cov, we decided to have a reprise of the Heaven Show in the Upper Room and the Cafe - in stages. Currently showing are works by Ross Conklin (work in first photo), Jared Konopitski (work in next photo), David Kiesewetter and Vincent Dixon. Apparently my brain was out to lunch when I took photos Sunday morning - I'll have to take more to showcase Dave & Vincent's work!
At least I managed to capture a nice still life in the Cafe'...

cov arts workshop goes to high school

This week I had the pleasure of bringing a Cov Artist's journal-making work-shop to a group of high school girls - whether they knew it or not - a good time was had by all...

creative journal help

Since we are currently working our way as a group through The Creative Call by Janice Elsheimer, I thought I would use this blog as a tool to help out. As a visual artist going through this book for the third time, I was struck at how writer-oriented her exercises are, which is a good way to get some creative juices flowing, but I know so many visual artists who are put off or freaked out by writing that this gets in the way of the study.




So now that we're in Chapter 3, I'll start adding my own suggestions as to how to work out these exercises. Specifically, for Exercise 1: Visions and Longings, Janice asks us to remember the things we loved to do as a child and list as many of these things as we can in five minutes - finding our way back to our inner child, as it were. I'd challenge you to go a step further and then create a collage from magazine images, or to sketch out images, find old photos, whatever, that takes you back to these same activities.

One of my all time favorite things is time at the beach, sitting and playing in the sand as a child, making roads and castles, finding seashell treasures, running in the waves. And then later photographing at the beach, including my own children engaging in these very same activities.

Make this your creative journaling time today - and just try to keep it to only twenty minutes... ;)