November 11, 2009 at 2:09 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Susanna Gordon, winged messengers
Back in January when I wrote my 101 things in 1001 days post number 73 on my list of things to do was to contact Susanna about her Winged Messengers. I contacted Susannah and I received two of her gorgeous Winged Messengers. You can see that post here. I am not the only one – Susanna has spread her Wings far and wide across the world.
Last month I was contacted to participate in a blog party to show our gratitude to Susanna who sends out these beautiful gifts.
Below is a list of people who have received Winged Messengers:
Thank you Susanna for sharing the gift of your Winged Messengers.
9 Comments
November 5, 2009 at 11:24 am (Uncategorized)
With my new job that I started a few months back, I now have to make time to do art and other creative pursuits. My friend Kathryn – Collage Diva – is participating in Art Every Day Month over at Leah Piken Kolidas blog Creative Everyday - I thought I would join her and make the effort to schedule some creative time each day.
The past few days I have put the collaged book on hold (first I didn’t have enough ribbon and then I forgot to buy the clamps) and started work on another book that I have been working on in the Supernova class.
I created some painted papers using a technique that I learnt in LK Ludwig’s Point & Shoot Journaling workshop. I then used those papers to cover the book covers. The text block is made and stitched together – now it all just needs to be put together.
8 Comments
November 1, 2009 at 3:33 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: Art journaling, Book Making, Julie Prichard
As I mentioned in my previous post I’ve been doing Julie Prichard’s Art Journaling Supernova workshop. Well I’ve been watching the videos but I haven’t really been participating. I have seen some of the books that people had made in the first part of the workshop (that I hadn’t signed up for) and I felt like I was missing out. So I signed up – Julie has videos for making three different books.
I thought I would start with the book called Long Tall Skinny. I’ve been in a bit of a creative rut, so I thought this might just bring me out of it. A few weeks ago I got a great package of paper ephemera from my online friend Amy from An Li Na Designs - which I thought would be perfect for this project – thanks Amy!
Once I’d sorted through the all the pieces of ephemera and added some of my own – I was ready to start collaging.
Here are a couple of the panels that I made.
Below are the completed pages – ready to be bound – If only I had bought enough ribbon!
Hopefully I’ll post the completed book early next week.
2 Comments
October 1, 2009 at 3:48 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Art journaling, GPP Street Team, Julie Prichard, LK Ludwig, True North Arts
Isn’t the internet a wonderful thing? You can reach out and connect with other like-minded souls. You can explore and learn. Best of all you can take workshops and online classes!
This month’s crusade over at Michelle Ward’s GPP Street Team is Back to School – its all about learning something new. I don’t think we ever stop learning. I’ve recently started a new job so that has been full of learning curves! Not content with what is already on my plate I have set aside some time for myself and signed up for some online classes and workshops. The learning never stops!
So here’s what I’ve signed up for:
Julie Prichard’s Art Journaling Workshop - I admire Julie’s style and I’m always on the lookout for new techniques that I can tweak and make my own.
Kathryn Antyr’s True North Arts Personal Retreat Workshop I took Kathryn’s Vision Journaling Workshop earlier this year and it was fanatastic, I highly recommend you check out these workshops.
Last, but by no means least, I have signed up for LK Ludwig’s Point & Shoot Journaling - I have long been an admirer of LK’s work and I was so pleased that she was offering online classes, its not so easy to get to classes when you live in country Western Australia. I’m looking forward to using my own photos in my journaling.
So its going to be one busy month – so what are you going to learn?- be sure to check back as I blog about my progress.
8 Comments
August 3, 2009 at 2:40 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: collage diva, journals, writing
The 10 day writing challenge has ended – I completed it – I only missed one day, I am enjoying writing regularly and will try to keep doing it.
Recently my blog friend Kathryn – Collage Diva found a journal that she had written when she separated from her ex. In her blog post She said “As I read through the entries I was amazed at how I wasn’t affected by it. It was as if I was reading someone else’s story.” She didn’t want to keep it so she burnt it. Kathryn writes morning pages (The Artist’s Way) each day and has decided to burn them at each full moon.
some of my writing journals from the last 10 years
That got me thinking – I don’t know that I could do that, my journals contain a lot of my creative writing and poetry and all my experiences of grieving and life after loss. But that begs the question – What happens to my journals if anything were to happen to me?
After giving this much thought, it is not something that I am able to answer at the moment.
I remember keeping a diary as a teenager and returning home to find that my mother had read my most private and inner most thoughts – it was devastating and I destroyed that diary the first opportunity that I got. I didn’t keep a diary again until I returned to University after Troy was born and I took writing units and workshops. I wish I could read that teenage diary and see what I might make of it.
So what would you do or what instructions would you leave for your journals after your death?
3 Comments
July 30, 2009 at 1:20 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: vision journaling workshop
Week two of the Vision Journaling Workshop is about Values – what is important to you in life. This weeks prompts help you to identify your core values and then to determine if there is a pattern to your values in your life, how do they affect decisions that you make in your life.
This journal page is a collection of words that make up my values, surrounded by the outine of a raven.
I also created another relaxation collage.
6 Comments
July 28, 2009 at 4:11 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: Art journaling, bereaved parents, collage diva, grief and loss, Kelly Kilmer, lynn fisher, True North Arts, writing, writing workshop
Lynn Fisher has just finished up her 10 day writing challenge - I decided to take up the challenge, I’m on day 6 now and I’ve only missed one day. If you check out Lynn’s blog post she talks about Natalie Goldberg’s book Writing Down the Bones – I often refer to that book too, I dug it out again today to go through it. It got me thinking about the books that I refer to for writing. Here’s what I use most often:
Natalie Goldberg – Writing Down the Bones & Wild Mind
Anne Lamott – Bird by Bird
Tristine Rainer – The New Diary & Your Life as Story
So what have I been writing – I’ve been journaling the prompts from Kathryn – Collage Diva’s - Vision Journaling Workshop, I’ve been writing about stuff that frustrates me and I’ve been formulating my ideas for an online workshop.
Back in 2002 while I was studying for my undergraduate degree I wrote and facilitated a writing workshop for bereaved parents. The workshop was run with the assistance of SIDS & Kids WA and proved to be quite successful. I found it to be very rewarding.
I myself am a bereaved parent. I have suffered a number of miscarriages and preganancy losses. Three of our son’s were stillborn and one died shortly after birth. Art and writing were what kept me sane during the most difficult times.
Recently I have been doing some online workshops and in particular Kelly Killmer’s art journaling classes and thought that I could bring together my art and writing together to explore grief and loss. Hence the raven journal was born.
To that end I am re-writing my workshop to be offered as an online workshop later this year. At this stage it will only cater for parents who have experienced the loss of a child, but this may be expanded to cater for other types of loss and grief.
If you are interested in the workshop or would like further details email me. megken[at]westnet.com.au
2 Comments
July 22, 2009 at 3:22 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: creative visualisation, True North Arts
This week marked the start of Kathryn – Collage Diva’s new workshop – Vision Jouraling Workshop. Week one’s prompt included an introduction and overview of creative visualization, a meditation and a prompt for a journal exercise that can then be turned into vision cards. The focus of this weeks prompt is Relaxation.
I love Kathryn’s prompts – they are so detailed, well researched and well written. As soon as I read this weeks prompt I thought “this is just what I need right now”. So far I have created two collages – well one collage and the other is one single image that I just couldn’t resist.
This woman looks to be relaxed and enjoying the solitude of the beach. How cool is the canopy – I love this canopy – I’d love to make one to use in our backyard or down the beach.
This one came straight out of the magazine – I would love a gypsy caravan to escape to!
Some of my favourite things to do to relax and unwind:
- Take a walk along the beach
- Yoga
- Listening to music
- Creating art
- Writing
- Meditation
- Reading a good book
- Watching tv
I still need to turn these images into vision cards and I’d like to create some more relaxing collages. If you are interested in learning more about the Vision Journaling Workshop check out True North Arts.
7 Comments
July 20, 2009 at 12:23 pm (Uncategorized)
Into the Sun, originally uploaded by Megan Warren.
Carol a fellow member of Soul Food Cafe posed the question “Do you display your own artwork? If not, why not?” which was a journal prompt at another group that she is a member of.
I pondered the question and then went for a wander around the house to see how many pieces of my own art I had displayed.
Here is my response to the question:
I do display my artwork – I have actually created artwork specifically for display for my own home and for family members. I finished a large canvas on the weekend and once it has been sealed it will take pride of place in our bedroom. You can see it here.
I sometimes make a piece of artwork for my husband or family members as a present for birthdays, christmas or anniversary’s. All of which are on display. A quick glance around the house reveals the blackbird painting waiting to be hung, two pieces in the lounge room, a collage canvas in the kitchen, 5 different pieces of artwork in the dining room, 2 paintings in the hall, one in our bedroom, my son’s room and the study.
I don’t really create art for anyone other than myself – unless of course if it is for a gift – so I don’t think about what anyone else thinks, whether they get it or not. My husband is very supportive of my art, as is my father-in-law who is an artist and displays much of his work in his home, we also have a number of his pieces in our home.
5 Comments
July 19, 2009 at 4:11 am (Art Journal Pages)
Tags: art journal
I decided to fill in the raven with the words of one of my favourite Beatles songs – Blackbird. Not sure if it is finished yet – I think it is a work in progress.
1 Comment
