Soul Collage Is Beyond Powerful

I don't make a proclamation like this lightly. Soul Collage is one of the BEST tools I have found to not only unlock my creativity, but to work with my intuitive side. It lets me create without knowing what I am creating. Which is something we forget about doing as we get older. We constantly do EVERYTHING with purpose. This is not always the best mode for creativity.

I took this class at The Earth Sanctuary, and have blogged about it previously. The class is taught by Glenda and Sandra - who make the MOST incredible cards, btw. One piece of advice - don't try to make cards like theirs - they are amazing enough to be licensed products, and if you get immersed in trying to make yours as worthy as theirs, then you miss the point of the class . At my last class, I brought my mother, which is a whole other blog post, if you know what I mean.

Here is the process of the class - pull images for a period of time, sort of organize your images and then start creating a collage on one card. I have to go SUPER fast, or I find that I am censoring myself or making my cards with intention, and I want to make them intuitively. After you make the card, it is helpful to journal about it. You may not even know what the images are trying to tell you, which is just fine. Just go with it.

When I made this card, I was sort of scared of it. It is daunting. Fierce. Sort of spooky. This is NOT how most of the things I create look - they are more about happiness, lightness, and color.

I will share with you what I wrote, which is extremely hard, as I do not let anyone read my journals. However, if this helps someone take this class, and learn about the process, it is worth some minor embarrassment. You start each statement with "I am the one who..."

I am the one who feels beaten down by life.
I am the one who has fierceness and fortitude.
I am the one who works tirelessly to get where I need to go.
I am the one who finds refuge in church.
I am the one who feels dragged down at times, tired, and afraid of not getting ahead.
I am the one who is pulling my own cart.
I am the one who feels darkness.
I am the one who is strong.

It is interesting to note a couple of things about the context of this card and what my mind has been processing lately. My Bible study group, through Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, has been studying Ephesians these past weeks. A few weeks ago we talked about dressing yourself in the armor of God. There is a church in the background. And this man looks a little ready for battle, right? He is carrying a rickshaw - a detail that is hard to see. And I recently read a book about rickshaw drivers and other types of laborers in India. My point is that your subconscious mind is like a machine always processing things - things you may not even know need processing.

I am reminded to stay strong. Stay the course. No matter what my hopelessness can feel like in any moment, it can never equate to the feeling of hopelessness that a man in this situation must feel. And yet, he pulls his cart one step at a time. Isn't that how we get through life? One step at a time. And it helps to have your armor ready.

SoulCollage with Miss Lucy Hughes

In my previous post, I talked about a new process I tried called SoulCollage. The best way I can describe it is part art and part therapy. I thought it might be interesting to see if I could apply the process to one rambunctious 3 year old. Here is how our journey went. Do not think for ONE MINUTE that this process is not POWERFUL and REAL.

Headed to one favorite place and sort of neighborhood touchstone, Rudyard's, so we could spread out on a table and work. We were both feeling like this picture....



This was our pile of stuff a la Mary Ann Mossthat we collect and throw in this box to add to our books. I warn you if you got to Mary Ann's blog...you may not EVER get off.



This is the book that I made for Lucy. It looks like her, right?



And this is my tattered and happy book. I use this for experimenting, journaling, collecting keepsakes....whatever.



This is Lucy's page....she picked out all the images and told me where to put them, and I DID NOT critique her or try to tell her how to do it. I let her just do it.



And so what is her page made of? A sticker from the Beryl Grady band. We saw them at West Alabama Ice House not too long ago, and she loved them. A picture of Joby in bed....Joby is out of town right now. A paper cocktail umbrella - he is in Florida and he packed one of these for me before I went to Florida a couple of weeks ago and asked me to put it in my glass on the plane to signify that I was NOW on vacation. I did it - BTW. The last thing is a ripped off side of a RUNTS candy box; something we bought over Spring Break when we went to Candylicious.

So, there you have it. SoulCollage works for the toddler set.