Well Fitted Soul Collage Sleeves

I found a site that sells cellophane bags and sleeves that fit the Soul Collage cards a lot better than the ones Soul Collage sends you.  I ordered the sleeve type that just slip over the cards without a tape flap.  That way if I want to take a card out I don't have to be afraid of the bag losing stickiness or sticking to the card itself.

I found them at...

Magikal Momentsz Etsy shop  

It opens in a new window.

Soul Collage #1

Here is my first Soul Collage card.  I call it "Trying to be Invisible".  It is about trying to not be seen.  About blending into the background to avoid confrontation or being put on the spot.

It can also be seen as attention seeking or the ability to have fun and be free spirited and not caring what others think.  Oftentimes those who disapprove are secretly wishing they had such moxie.

Art Journal Page

I haven't made my first soul card yet.  I am finding it not as straight forward as I thought.  I cut out a mat yesterday and it is amazing how it changes the perspective.  So I am working on it.

In the meantime I have this art journal going.  It started out just to draw something or add quotes to etc. but I was doing it as a way of showing people so I wasn't really journaling from the heart.  More superficially which is how I live my life.  Don't dig too deeply.

I made this a month ago or so.  I keep turning to it because this is how I feel.   Keep treating me like I don't exist or matter.  If you can't acknowledge I exist then I guess I don't...

Jeff Beal - Paradise (Jesse's Theme Night passage)

These DVDs have changed my life.  To me they encompass everything I need right now.   They are moody, the music is beautiful, filmed in Nova Scotia and although Jesse Stone is flawed as we all are he is trying to do the right thing.


I have watched these movies over and over.  The music really touches me.  This morning while I was doing my morning pages I thought what can an artist possibly do that brings all three of these things together on a canvas or paper?  Nothing!  It cannot be done which I suppose is why we keep striving to do so.


Beauty, lust, imperfection, human experience, love, tears, justice, unconditional love (Reggie).  Can it be done and if so where does one even start?

Edit:  If you appreciate this soundtrack you will discover you cannot buy it online for under $150.00-$1000.00!!  BUT if you contact the creator directly jeff (at) jeffbeal (dot) com he will personally send you a direct link to mp3 and offer you the opportunity to send him directly a donation!  Although it would be great if it the music was more assessable to the general public I love the idea of paying the creator directly, cutting out the middleman.  It was less than 24 hours that I got my reply but realize it may take longer as Mr. Beal travels.  Be patient, he will come through.

Brain Dump

Yesterday I took a notebook I had and did a brain dump.  The book "The Artist's Way" recommends doing what is called Morning Pages where the first thing you do is get up and write three pages longhand in a notebook.  So I started that again.  It has been over 2 years since I have done it and I am sure I wasn't laying it all out on the line as I always want to come across "nice".

Wow what a crock.  I'm nice on the outside.  I seem like I have my shit together on the outside but on the inside I am a tragic mess of anxiety, fear, anger, hostility and just plain numbness.  And dare I say, hatred.

So I got bold and now have six pages written.  They are downright ugly but it is how I feel!  If I don't let it out it is going to kill me.  I hope that releasing the valve will help me to see the bigger picture and to find some peace.

I have come up with my first Soul Card idea.  It actually was something I put together in an art journal but I think rather than pasting it in there I will try and put it on a card.  I had cut out the picture over a month ago and didn't really know what to do with it.  But this morning it's message hit me and as soon as it is done I will share it with you.

Note to Self:  Create a framing mat.

Fear

This morning I had gotten an email from a NZ blogger I follow.  She seems to have the pulse of journaling down that I can relate to.  She asked for our opinions on what keeps us from journaling and I sent her an email albeit reluctantly.  Because I deal with a lot of anger and shame and guilt.  I mean if I wrote what truly went through my head and then never returned home again who would read these?  Even if it isn't the TRUTH it is MY truth inside.  And even I sometimes realize OMG you are over the edge with your thinking...xyz had nothing to do with it.

Because I am reluctant to put it down where someone can read it I took out a notepad and started designing a solstice card.  Then I thought ok, put down words randomly that I feel.  That isn't so damning if someone should come across it.

Short of burning my writings right after committing them to paper what does one do?  Put a disclaimer at the front?  LOL.

Cosmic

Yesterday after work I went to put gas in my car and pick up some groceries.  I decided to stop at the thrift store as I was wanting to pick up some old National Geographic magazines to use in my Soul Collage.  The magazines I have don't really have those awesome cosmic type backgrounds that I'd like to use.  So I did pick up 4 and unfortunately a few other things I'm hoping I can sell at my antique booth.  We'll see how they go.  If they don't at least I'm not out a lot of money.

I came home to find that my eldest son must have come and picked up his double bed mattress and boxspring.  Great!  That was the big barrier to me getting that room organized.  I stood in there and looked around.  I have a twin bed set in there yet, the desk/wall partition, another desk frame I may try and set up or donate to the thrift store and an old sleeper sofa I'd like gone or raised up a few inches.   

The purpose for that room is for art and exercise.  So it all depends on how it fits and flows.  The ceiling is a problem because it follows the roofline so there is a bit of wasted space.  But we shall see.

I'd perhaps switch the rooms but this one has a door I can close, the other doesn't.  In winter this house is drafty so being able to close a door is important.  Same for in the summer I guess as we are not air conditioned but by a window unit.  We haven't needed it the past two years and I do have a unit for here but my fan got me through the July and Aug. I was here.

Stay tuned :)