"Only when I began to prepare myself for death did I realise I was learning to live"
These words resonate for me
Cancer has taught me that when you face death you learn to live, you make spontaneous decisions and you step outside the square. When you step outside the square you learn to live. When I am travelling over the coming months I will be searching for life, looking for it in out of the way places.
In the meantime I am running a four week course at the Melbourne City Mission. We are currently making creative armour to shield and protect our creativity. Last night six of us met to begin the project. Each of us have a mannequin which we will arm over the coming weeks. We can glue and paste anything we like onto the clear moulded shape of a woman's body. We can dress or decorate her in any way we like.
The discussion last night was just fabulous and the group of women came up with the most stunning ideas. I am convinced more than ever that creativity is dependent on a group bouncing things around rather than working in isolation. As my mother said "it is better than going to a mountain retreat to await inspiration." The people I work with like this become my muse. We made notes and brainstormed and then shared our ideas.
My mannequin's name is Calliope - named in honour of the muse of creative inventiveness. She will have many layers. The first layer on the outside will express my vulnerability. It is like the primer when you paint - I am using rose buds and fine china and scraps that express that capacity for my creativity to be crushed. Then I will add a layer of messages that I have gathered over the years, the feedback I have had about my work and how people feel about what I have done for them. So on top of the rose buds and the fine china etc will be a collection of things that have been given to me affirming what I do. Fine armour indeed.
Inside the model will be images of tree roots, deep roots that tap to far away sources for nourishment. Then I will dress Calliope with a battle jacket, popping a swiss army knife and stuff like that in the pockets to demonstrate that I am on guard and that I will tirelessly defend my creativity.
It is going to be such a hoot to do this and since we have all agreed to help and support one another it will be a very therapeutic exercise. How would you do the mannequin? Consider getting one to work on. You will learn a lot about yourself and gain some interesting insights - I know I have learned a lot about myself and changed my view about who I am. It is very powerful stuff indeed.
These words resonate for me
Cancer has taught me that when you face death you learn to live, you make spontaneous decisions and you step outside the square. When you step outside the square you learn to live. When I am travelling over the coming months I will be searching for life, looking for it in out of the way places.
In the meantime I am running a four week course at the Melbourne City Mission. We are currently making creative armour to shield and protect our creativity. Last night six of us met to begin the project. Each of us have a mannequin which we will arm over the coming weeks. We can glue and paste anything we like onto the clear moulded shape of a woman's body. We can dress or decorate her in any way we like.
The discussion last night was just fabulous and the group of women came up with the most stunning ideas. I am convinced more than ever that creativity is dependent on a group bouncing things around rather than working in isolation. As my mother said "it is better than going to a mountain retreat to await inspiration." The people I work with like this become my muse. We made notes and brainstormed and then shared our ideas.
My mannequin's name is Calliope - named in honour of the muse of creative inventiveness. She will have many layers. The first layer on the outside will express my vulnerability. It is like the primer when you paint - I am using rose buds and fine china and scraps that express that capacity for my creativity to be crushed. Then I will add a layer of messages that I have gathered over the years, the feedback I have had about my work and how people feel about what I have done for them. So on top of the rose buds and the fine china etc will be a collection of things that have been given to me affirming what I do. Fine armour indeed.
Inside the model will be images of tree roots, deep roots that tap to far away sources for nourishment. Then I will dress Calliope with a battle jacket, popping a swiss army knife and stuff like that in the pockets to demonstrate that I am on guard and that I will tirelessly defend my creativity.
It is going to be such a hoot to do this and since we have all agreed to help and support one another it will be a very therapeutic exercise. How would you do the mannequin? Consider getting one to work on. You will learn a lot about yourself and gain some interesting insights - I know I have learned a lot about myself and changed my view about who I am. It is very powerful stuff indeed.