Symbolic Projections

Summer seems to be the time for tie dye and outdoor activities -- in Florida that also means spontaneous monsoon-like thunderstorms and zillions (yes, zillions) of mosquitoes. So, if you’re stuck indoors with weeks old (or older) tie dye, this post is for you! As seen in previous posts I love re-purposing and up-cycling, however believe me when I say that I do not go looking for these opportunities. I just go with it when the muse calls and sometimes it works out and others it does not. This was one of those creative opportunities that paid off. 1 First, I happen to find some tie dye left by my students (maybe as far back as April or early May). It had been mixed ages ago (months) and packaging instructions say to discard after a few hours...umm. OK so I couldn't bring myself to pouring it down the drain. 2 Finding some pieces of light color or white absorbent cloth (mine were about 4”x4” bed sheet cloth) I set to purposefully experiment. I folded & wrapped e...

These days it is hard to be mindful. So much negativity and anger floating around, bogging us down. In a mindfulness group I run we dived into a daily practice for the month of December (yes that was so 2016, seems like only yesterday).  We began by splashing and smearing paint on old folders (the 1/3 tabs). Then turning them into small books. Using a prepared calendar with prompts for each day's mindful practice. The writing of a goal. Contemplating on a color. Conjuring and writing a pleasant memory. And so on... Everyone approached the tasks a bit differently. Some with words, others with pictures, or even drawings. Everything/anything was OK. The purpose had been achieved. To slow down, stop, contemplate for a few minutes, before getting all wrapped-up in the day. Or as a breather after a long day. Having served its purpose, we now place it aside and ourselves permission to pick-it-up when we need a break. A distraction, and a breath. Have the c...

June has been one exhausting month for this doctoral student. Putting the final touches on my dissertation while carrying a full time job and remaining faithful to the daily #creativedeed365 was quite tough. And some days I dare say, the art got cut. There is always remorse when I have to cut the art out of my day, and it is always a last resort measure. This month was jam-packed full of due dates and weekends spent on self-imposed house-arrest to get things done and turned-in on time. I cherished those 15-30 minute creative deeds (yes they take longer than you may think) on those days where all I did was write. Like I mentioned last month  I used only the pieces created for the 6 Degrees of Creativity 2015 workshops . Its been a huge change from my earlier deeds ( January , February , March , April , May ) and I must confess I struggle through the guilt of whether I should do more. Then follow-it-up with some positive self-talk about how if that's all I can give for t...

As as an artist it is hard to practice mindfulness. Don't get me wrong, I love mindfulness. I think it is a very attainable state of mind for the artist/art therapist/client to strive towards. Art part may even make it more attainable for those who have a harder time grasping the text-book-concept. However, when there is already an expectation of what something "should" be it is doubly hard to step aside and be "willing" to let things be as they may.  My creative endeavors and my clients remind me of those very concepts quite frequently (as is the case in today's post).  After 1 evening of soaking in Yerba-Mate tea. In my previous post ( Transitioning into 2015 ) I mentioned I would be participating in Creativity In Motions' Creative Deed 365 . In preparation for my participation I dug-up some old library cards from back in the day when they were hand-written. For those who have never used a library card, think of it as a 3x5 card stoc...