October Review of #creativedeed365

All the planning and scheming didn't help, as October turned into a month of creative catch-up. Those on Instagram noticed my posts came in 2s and 3s -- sometimes days after the creativedeed. I wouldn't call it a creative slump; I managed to muddle through, didn't I!

As the year winds down, I too seem to need some rest and recuperation. On days where I just couldn't find the time I left post-its on my cards with the intended passage or image. At first there was plenty of guilt at the thought of leaving it undone. As if doing so would undo all the others before it (psst, it didnt).

High expectations can sure be motivating, but we must be able to take our own advice and be willing to adapt to our changing needs/demands. Only then will we be able to remain resilient in our practices.

Began with a black chalkboard paint base - and it proved quite the challenge as very few things showed-up well. Made me miss the subtleties of the naturally dyed papers I used a couple of months back.

For those who have missed the prior months' of creativedeed365 take a peek here: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September) or sign-up for the Instagram posts.

See you all next month with more creative exploits!

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Capturing a Moment: Gelatin Printing

Lets just get right down to it, you've either tried it and loved it or you're currently wondering what I'm talking about. Gelatin prints that's what. A few years ago a student introduced me to the wonders of using homemade gelatin as a printing plate (sugar free kind). As it turns out it is a very versatile work surface that brings an element of intrigue and play into the work space. When my clients first hear I'll be bringing in gelatin, they seek out napkins and forks and eagerly away the obviously tasty snack. The sound of dreams shattering as I pull-out the gelatin plates is audible (if only short lived). Soon everyone is poking and wiggling the gelatin and wondering what we'll be doing with it. Play is an important aspect of what I do. So is creativity and genuine interest. These things are however harder to come-by in adults than their younger counterparts (who jump-into explorer mode instinctively). Sometimes I have to coerce these attr

Stress Relief Recipe Book

Found some time this weekend to de-stress and what better way than delving into one of those “for later” piles. This particular pile consisted of a menagerie of brown paper bags (and the envelopes they were mailed-in). They were accompanied by notes, quotes, dyed papers, hand made paper, ribbons, and on and on, etc. These bits of mail have been coming-in at wonderfully random intervals for maybe 2 months. Now it is time to bind the collection into the Stress Relief Recipe Book it was meant for. To the bag full of bits of mail I also added: ruler, pencil, x-acto blade (and scissors), ice-pic, elmers (and other glues), thick string, wax candle (used it to wax the string), thick-blunt needle, and cardboard. *for anyone trying this out for the first time - go ahead and make your life simpler by having the inserts all be the same measurements (or close to it). First there was extensive Pinterest and Google searches for DIY paper bag books, but those mostly consisted

Technique Book #1

Returning from this years’ AATA Conference in San Antonio thankful to have connected and reconnected with so many amazing art therapists. It’s been busy and I didn’t mean to set the blog aside, but here’s some visual yummies to begin to make things up. Last August (yep, 2013) I made a small accordion book. In this accordion style, I essentially pieces together several strips of paper into one continuous page that folds at repeating intervals. I gave the book purpose when I decided to use it as a place to document art techniques. These art techniques were small samplings of ones I would be using in my groups. Today I completed the small book and am posting some of the images here with brief dialogue on some of the techniques. If there's interest I will consider separate posts later-on. Book Cover: Layered tissue paper with pressed leaves. Accordion style pages were 'seamed' with strips of tea bags. On left: Tea bag sheets can be used to age/antique. On

Symbolic Projections

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