Lady Bug, Lady Bug…, originally uploaded by pattiebrooks.

Here she is looking for her Nirvana. We actually have had some sunny days here on the coast of Oregon. This little lady bug is happy for the sunshine and looking forward to the spring. I am trying to get some full days in the studio to work on new paintings. When the sun is out it is hard to hole up and paint. The yard calls me and so does the beautiful coastal beaches. Not to worry another storm is brewing!

Go to this link to see my shop, Mystic Alchemy! Etsy

Teacher Card, originally uploaded by pattiebrooks.

This card I created thinking it was about trees, but later discovered it was about the teacher part of me, ” I am one who shows the path” it says.

Goddess of Flight, originally uploaded by pattiebrooks.

This piece was completed recently after a dry spell of creativity and a lot of research about geese for paintings that are in the works. She was born out of the “thrift store challenge” that my altered arts group did as a project. Each of us scoured the thrift shop for items that we then re-created with lots of imagination.

The “Goddess of Flight” rules over the world of flying creatures, she is a protectress of all flying things and a talisman of courage and confidence.

The Goddess is made from a napkin holder, a metal candle holder, a wooden candle holder and a candy dish, among other things. Her face is from an old cabinet card photo.

She is the first in a series of goddesses, and is currently at the River Gallery, along with a few of her recreated friends by the Altered Arts Group.

Gathering the Qi, originally uploaded by pattiebrooks.

Even with all the creative time in the world, there is a time when a person needs to retreat to a place that feeds that individual’s soul. For each soul the place is different. One may love the power of the mountains, another may choose the sea. I have lived in the Eastern Sierras and the pull of those magnificent mountains are amazing, but my personal choice is the ocean, particularly the Oregon Coast. Though, I live here now and can be down on the beach in a flash, there is a place that captures it all for me. When I go there, I simply dissolve into nothingness. This Place is called Oregon House located about 15 miles from Florence, Oregon, and a little closer still to the tiny town of Yachats. The owner, Melita Marshall, believes that the place has been a sacred site for a millennium. The native american women resided here while the men hunted in the neighboring forest. You can feel the presence of something much more powerful than the human experience of enjoying nature. I have not met anyone who has gone to this place that has not left with a new insight into the spiritual nature of life, even if it is just a new inner peace that did not exist before. I come home refreshed and anxious to create again.

Fine Feathers II, originally uploaded by pattiebrooks.

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We really have several parts to ourselves. A student in one of our 2006 Workshops shared this concept and we began an experiment to introduce ourselves to the three main personalities.  These could of course grow to hundreds after time. (See soul collage in activities.)  Here are the main three:

• The linear or left brained self
• The intuitive/creative or right brained self
• Our child self or “old soul”

By giving recognition or naming these parts of ourselves, we then become to accept all aspects of our complex being. We learn to accept these parts of ourselves as personalities, and we begin to love all of them.  Integrating them allows us to be the creative souls that we are seeking. 

Each one assists us in our process of creation. We must give them all a voice. The critic is there to help when we are ready for his or her input.  The child self keeps our ideas fresh and enjoys playing and experimenting.  And finally, the creative spirit brings the inspiration that we need to begin. We call upon these parts when we need them and release them when we do not. It is easy to allow the critic to run everything.  It also may be easy for others to let the spoiled little child self destroy our lives.  The creative spirit sometimes stays hidden because the others are in control. The goal would be to let each part of yourself know that they will have their moment to shine.

Madeline is my child self. She is between 4 and 8 depending on the moment. She likes getting messy, playing with materials and is not fond of cleaning up. Harold is my linear or left brain self, he is 58. Harold likes to analize things and figure costs and pricing.  He also likes to manage my art career and points out errors in composition or color choices, Madeline rarely listens to him.  Sylvia is my intuitive/creative right brain and she is 40 or sometimes 29 when she is feeling young. Since I have given her more power, she controls both Harold and Madeline so that we can create.

Can you give names to your different sides? Try not to think about it too long. One of the women in the workshop could not find the names right away, but after she thought about it at home she discovered that she had twins for her linear side. And quickly called me to share her findings. Twins! Now that is creative!

So, if you have not started journaling because “you have to get it right’, forget that!… And just dive in. There are no rules.This is a place for your authentic voice to come out loud and clear. Think of your journal as your soul mate, your companion in art adventures.

Get your blank sketchbook, and whatever supplies or at hand and start with the present moment. Do you have a song going through your mind, write it in the journal, that shopping list, put it in and decorate all of it. Anything sifting through your mind is fair game for journal pages. As you proceed along check out books on creative journals for ideas and tips. Invest in a rubber stamp alphabet and any other stamps that speak to you. Use all those magazine pictures you have been saving and collage them or copies of them. Get some iridescent paint and have at it. Some journalers suggest painting a number of pages that you will then write on and embellish later. This is a good thing to do when words fail. Just let your feelings out on the page. If pages aren’t quite dry place waxed paper in between them to avoid pages from sticking. The process of keeping an art journal can be a rich and revealing creative experience.

The idea is to make them on 5 x 8-inch cards made from stiff board like illustration board or mat board. You create a card for every aspect of yourself. You know… like the mother, the chef, the critic, the grump etc.… These are called the committee suit (of cards). The next group are cards that you make for your friends, relatives, and teachers, this is called your community suit. Another set is the companion suit, these are the animal guides that you relate to for each of your seven charkas or energy centers of the body. The last set is the council suit for the archetypes that Seena Frost calls council neters. They come from recurring themes in our lives, such as, The Great Mother, The Creator, The Shaman, The Lightbearer, The Fool, Death and… so on. Each person creates one Source card representing the Source of all energy. Each suit has a common backing on the card. Some people have created 75 or more cards. When enough are completed the cards can be dealt and “read” for insight into the self.

This is an absorbing and fun activity best done with a group, but you can do it on you own. Seena Frost wrote a book called SoulCollage®. (Soon to be out of print.) There are great examples on her website showing soul collages done by many people. I will be updating on this each month. I have completed her facilitator course on tape, so if anyone is interested we could start as an informal class using the methods as described by Seena Frost and finish as an informal group meeting monthly or more. Let me know if you would like to get together as a group for this activity. Seena Frost Has a new book out call “SoulCollage®, Evolving”. In the new book she has included 2 Transpersonal cards in addition to the Source card.

Another great source for SoulCollage® is Kaleidosoul.  Facilitator, Anne Marie Bennett has created a wonderful site for communicating the practice of SoulCollage® and even has a group on Yahoo. At her shop you can get everything you need to get started.