Art Slam

Busy, busy two weeks and weekend, so I did not have a chance to post the Slam prompt.

This week, use your words. Use one of your catch phrases as the focal point of your journal page. This would should be relatively easy and fun to do and you will see how you can create a page using only words. Have fun, enjoy the process, no pressure.

I have many favorite shots from this shoot. Such a wonderful family. And, in spite of the cold, windy, rainy weather, we ended up having a pretty good shoot.

In an effort to be more green, I ordered  a set of reusable shopping bags from Envirosax. I must say, they are better looking than the pictures and  much larger than I expected. I am rather impressed  with them. I ordered the Amazonia collection. Love them.

I did an interview a couple of months ago for Wendy and her very cool site. She posted my interview yesterday. Go visit the site. There are a bunch of great creatives there.

Let me first thank Kristina Contes for being our guest Slammer this week. I have always loved her rebellious style and her willingness to create for the sake of creating. Have fun with this week’s prompt and SLAM ON!

One of my favorite ways to spice up a page is by creating tension.
Mixing up big/little. Rough/smooth. Messy/sleek.  Combing opposites is
just way too fun. By playing with balance, texture and whitespace, you
can create really simple pieces that speak volumes.  I love the
fingerprint-like texture of the woodgrain letterpress next to the
sleekness of the transparency. The roughness of the glitter emboss and
then starkness of the word "don’t". A messy, painted background with
sparkly sequin ribbon. The shiny transparency on top of the cork. When
the contrast is this visually stimulating, you don’t need to add a
bunch of journaling or titles. When I look back through my books and
cards, it seems these simple pieces always evoke the most complex
feelings. So this week I challenge you to use less and have it say
more. Practice mixing it up and playing with opposites.

Let me first thank Kristina Contes for being our guest Slammer this week. I have always loved her rebellious style and her willingness to create for the sake of creating. Have fun with this week’s prompt and SLAM ON!

One of my favorite ways to spice up a page is by creating tension.
Mixing up big/little. Rough/smooth. Messy/sleek.  Combing opposites is
just way too fun. By playing with balance, texture and whitespace, you
can create really simple pieces that speak volumes.  I love the
fingerprint-like texture of the woodgrain letterpress next to the
sleekness of the transparency. The roughness of the glitter emboss and
then starkness of the word “don’t”. A messy, painted background with
sparkly sequin ribbon. The shiny transparency on top of the cork. When
the contrast is this visually stimulating, you don’t need to add a
bunch of journaling or titles. When I look back through my books and
cards, it seems these simple pieces always evoke the most complex
feelings. So this week I challenge you to use less and have it say
more. Practice mixing it up and playing with opposites.

I read this interesting post on Zen Habits today about avoiding being judgemental. I like it. I thought I would share.

Kristina Contes will be the guest Slammer for the Art Slam this week. I really like how creating connects us. It has been very inspirational seeing how the prompts are interpreted. I hope this has been an interesting exploration for those participating.

Go to this site and read this message by Scott Young. What a profound message about being happy about not wanting things. I did not think about it this way until I read it, but it explains my boredom with a goal once I reach it. I think that is why I have so many hobbies. Once I learn a new skill, the thrill of the chase is gone. The bad thing is I end up with all this crap around my house that is left over from achieving the goal.

What I love about my art journaling is I am returning to things I was passionate about. The difference is I am enjoying the process of creating instead of doing it for the wrong reasons. Now, I actually enjoy my happy accidents instead of seeing them as being all bad.

In the post, Scott mentions something called Process Focus, where successes and failures are equal. He says this about the process which I really like:

"A process focus treats any pursuit as you would a game. In a game, the
act of playing is the real motivation, not the win. After a heated
chess match, you are generally no better off now that you’ve won. The
only reason to play was the process of playing."

Isn’t that something else? Wish I had known this a few years ago, hell many years ago. I think this is what I am trying to do with the Art Slam. It is not about having a perfect journal. It is about the process of creating and discovering through art.

Seriously, read that post. I know I am going to read it again.

There will be many blogs participating in the Blog Action Day event. Thinking about what I can do to be more green, I decided to talk about greening up in the paper arts world.

How I am going Green

1. Use those scraps. I scrapbook and I love all the neat papers that come out twice a year. In an effort to not kill anymore trees than necessary, I use my scraps in my art journals. Plus, my kids like to play when I scrapbook, so they also use my scraps for their little projects.
2. Reuse. I used to alter things all the time. Notebooks, boxes or whatever was available. Instead of going out buying new things, I have been looking at all the packaging that comes in my house differently. How can I use it? I have used mailing boxes as stencils and painting tools. Very cool!
3. Digital scrapbooking. Digital is one less way to kill a tree. You still get to create wonderful crafty stuff without going out all the mess and leftover paper scraps.
4. Donate. Schools are so desperate for donations and materials for art classes…well, schools that still do have art classes. I am saving things and offering them to my kids teachers. Kids always seem to find unique was to use what we consider useless.
5. Research. There are paper companies out there that are eco-friendly. Find them, support them.

I received the journals from Linda last week so I can start creating for her students next year. I really appreciate all the creativity I have seen with the art journals lately and all the slammers. Your work has been incredible. Here are a few pages I have been working on. Many more to come in the next few weeks.

I hope you all enjoyed Melody’s project this past Friday. She definitely gave me some new techniques to try out.