a little art in your life~

So many projects, so little time...  It seems that I am always beginning a project.  After all, they say that starting  a new project is one of the greatest joys and desires of an artist or craftsman.  It’s that initial step into a new set of thoughts, images and supplies that is so appealing.  It’s sort of a “high” for some of us.  Thank goodness for deadlines, because, without them, I might not ever finish anything!

In the past few months, I have been working diligently on various ventures.  None of any large magnitude really,  just things for the hospital, my art groups, gifts for folks and a few failed attempts at  new techniques.  I often get so excited to begin something new, that I get “lost “ in my process.  But after all, that’s what art is all about anyway, right? Just putting aside “real life” in order to be able to be creative.  It’s very cathartic for me and is much cheaper than therapy!  I get so engrossed in what I am doing that capturing my journey on camera is the last thing on my mind.  Sometimes it almost seems to “spoil the moment” because, instead of “loosing myself” in my work, I get caught up in the mechanics.  When I try to get “back in track”, the rhythm of the flow of my work is lost.

All that goes to say that this is why I have not posted any projects lately.  It’s not that my muse has been on hiatus,  on the contrary.  I just have not recorded much in the way of pictures.

A dear friend of mine, Cindy, who is a very talented artist, has been trying to get me to do some altered art on Rolodex cards.  It has actually been a few years now.  I got excited about the notion, and immediately set out to find a Rolodex card “system”.  It was a difficult task as many of us have become dependent upon our cell phones and the internet for phone numbers.  These card catalogues have become virtually dinosaurs-most extinct.  Since the “thrill of the hunt” is so strong in me, I was determined not to give up on my search.  After months, of hitting yard sales and thrift stores, I secured two of these treasures.  I felt as thought I had really accomplished something!  It seemed, instead a means to an end, it was an end in itself, because I didn’t even attempt a card until just a few weeks ago.  What was my stumbling block?  I used excuses like:" I have the cards now and can work on them whenever" or "my work will never be as good as my friend’s, so why try?”.  Her cards are very stunning!  They truly are miniature works of art.  

I have heard the term “perfectionist procrastinator” as being what often prevents us from starting something new.  It’s that fear that my first step won’t be “good enough” so why even start.  I am learning, after suffering for some time under this negative label, that that is pure foolishness!   You can’t experience the blessing that being creative brings until you begin.  We deprive ourselves of great joy when we worry about what we are doing or what the outcome will look like.

On order to “jumpstart" me on the Rolodex cards, my friend included me in an artist challenge.  Here are my first two attempts at these tiny bits of art:

So, with two under my belt, I can say that I now understand her intrigue with these little cards.  She challenged herself to make something like 100 of them.  They were all gorgeous! 

 The beauty of these is that is doesn’t require much material at all.  They can be made from the smallest little scraps sitting at your workspace.  As I add more to my file, I can see how these finished bits of art will be a source of inspiration for me.  

If you can’t locate a Rolodex, just use an old fashioned index file.  If you can find used index cards to do your art on, all the better.  There is such beauty in layering!