In a couple of previous entries, I mentioned the ways in which Creative Journaling helps inform and inspire my writing efforts co-mingles work with play. (If you missed those entries, you can access them here and here.)
I’m not the only one, of course. Earlier this week, author R L. LaFevers wrote a related entry for the Shrinking Violets’ blog. Here’s an excerpt of "Envisioning the Coming Year" (reposted with permission):
No lesser authority than Carl Jung has claimed that our best work originates in play.
The dynamic principle of fantasy is play, which belongs also to the child, and as such it appears to be inconsistent with the principle of serious work. But without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. – Carl Jung
Now before you roll your eyes and think you left all that back in grade school, let me gently point out that collages and vision boards are a highly effective tool in helping focus your creative energies—either in a personal direction or in a project-related one.
There are a couple of different ways to approach a vision board. You can create one that focuses on:
Personal growth aspirations for the coming year
Professional goals
Creative goals
Spiritual areas you’d like to work on.
Qualities you’d like to more fully embrace or invite into your life
Whatever whispers to you, that’s what you should use for the focus of the board.
But perhaps you’re more comfortable working on something to do with your work-in-progress, and that’s fine, too. Some story collages capture the overall mood and feel of the book.
They can also be representative of certain scenes or parts of the book, maybe even parts you’re having a hard time nailing down. When you work on a collage, you let your subconscious take over and then, watch out!
We’d LOVE to see some of the vision boards and collages you create! If you get motivated over the next few weeks (even after the holidays) please do send us a jpeg of your collage/vision board and we’ll feature them here on the blog. (We can absolutely share them anonymously!) And while sharing your project is definitely not required, we might even have a prize drawing for all of those who participate. If you’d like to share, send your jpeg to us here at Shrinking Violets, and we’ll do the rest.
I think I might adapt the idea of a vision board, maybe glue the images into the pages of my sketchbook instead of creating something poster-sized. The possibilities are endless–form and function, entirely up to me. 
I’ve always loved collages.
Hmm.
Mmm hmmm!
Break out the magazines, glue and scissors!
Mmm hmmm!
Break out the magazines, glue and scissors!
I’ve always loved collages.
Hmm.
Thanks for posting this. I will try it. I actually have a big tub of images I’ve torn out of magazines for some future collage that I never got around to…
I am also very grateful for the connection to shrinking violet!
Shrinking Violets = fabulocity!
How cool, that they’ve inspired you to create a collage for yourself. đ
Shrinking Violets = fabulocity!
How cool, that they’ve inspired you to create a collage for yourself. đ
Thanks for posting this. I will try it. I actually have a big tub of images I’ve torn out of magazines for some future collage that I never got around to…
I am also very grateful for the connection to shrinking violet!
I love that all these art/collage ideas are coming together at once. I have a date with a friend to create vision boards on Monday and I’ve been gathering images for the project. I’ve been wavering on what to do them on. On one hand, I like seeing other people’s big boards but on the other hand, I don’t have a place for a big one in my office that won’t bug me. So I’ve decided to do some mini-boards for the various aspects of my life. Now I’m trying to decide whether to use a hard, flat canvas or perhaps the sketch book. I like the idea of having them in a book, I think, and then paging through it before bed and first thing in the morning.
I was also thinking that if I used a sketch book that was spiral bound but not perforated, I could cut the spiral part off and then use however many pages I needed (so they could be as thick as I wanted) and the holes would be prepunched for me to retie with ribbon.
(See, I think too much.)
I liked the idea at one of the links you had shared, about prepping some pages ahead of time and I think I’m going to do that, paint some in prep.
It’s synchronicity, isn’t it? Definitely, something in the air…! I hope you’ll post some of your efforts, too. I’m eager to see what you come up with next week.
I like that my sketchbook pages are small–I’m intimidated by large canvases. And your idea about creating smaller collages, each for a different aspect of your life? Genius. I think that’d work just perfectly for me.
(And btw, I prep several pages at once, so they’re ready to go whenever I am.)
I hear you on the large canvases though my first landscape is big because the teacher convinced me it would be easier than working small and I think she’s right. I am 99% sure that it is done. We’ll see when I go back to class next week. Today I worked on a present for a friend at smaller size and I was way off on scale.
So what do you do to prep your pages? Are you using Gesso? Painting them?
I just went an looked at all I have on hand and have frustrated myself with the sizes and now am stuck on the fence of indecision. Will a “vision journal” have the same effect as a “vision board?” What do you think?
I Gesso the pages first, to help the colors and paints adhere better. Have you seen black gesso? Very cool, and I can’t wait to try it! Some people don’t bother with this step, but I think it’s nice to have a stiffer page with more “tooth.”
I think a vision journal is a very nice option, if you don’t want to hang something large on your wall. You can carry it with you or store it with your other books/talismans. OR you can scan it and use it as a background wallpaper for your computer monitor.
Portability’s a big plus for me. The canvas/page doesn’t seem so…I dunno, dauntingly permanent when I’m working on a smaller scale. But if you decide you’d rather hang it/them on the wall, you can always arrange things in a (matted?) frame.
Yes, I saw the black Gesso. At this point I am thinking of painted backgrounds so that I don’t have to collage to the edges if I don’t want to (planning on mostly collage work at the moment.)
I bought a large and a small journal and am thinking about the sheer number of pages. For some reason that is daunting to me. ha! Plus I know after gesso and collage they’ll thicken up so that’s why I’m thinking about removing the binding now. The plus of that I guess is that I could prep a bunch of pages spread out at once and then just gather them with a ribbon.
I think. This is why I need to do more art…so I will quit thinking so much. đ
Believe it or not, I watercolor over Gesso.
Dive in, Susan. Nothing’s permanent. You can rip unwanted pages from your spiral journal just as easily as you toss away single pages.
And I definitely understand what you’re saying. Sometimes my thinky self obstructs my creative urges.
Okay, my last comment here, really. đ What medium are you using to attach things and are you coating over things or just gluing down? I realize I might do one thing if it was just single, like on the wall, but I don’t want the pages to stick together.
I affix things with Golden’s gel medium, using a very inexpensive paint brush. Some people use plain ol’ glue stick, though.
I sometimes brush the gel over the whole page, but when I’m using lots of different materials that might bleed (watercolors, inks, etc.) I just coat the edges of the things I’ve glued down to the page, mainly so they don’t curl up on me.
Here’s a really fun video that demonstrates how to use Gesso and gel medium:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QCt-9Aq92Y
Experimental play…that’s key! I’m sure our artist friends will have lots more tricks and tips (read: better ways of doing things) but I’m happy to tell you what I’m doing, so ask away!
Oh I’m all for experimenting…(I’m sure they thought I was a little wonky in class today when I brought in moss for my leaves on my tree but I “think” it worked and they were surprised.)
But I also know that if I don’t set myself up for some success to start with I will quit – that’s just me. đ But I have stacks of pictures and words and a vision in my head of the container I want to use to I am looking forward to it all.
đ
Oh, don’t get me wrong: I’ll research ’til the proverbial cows come home before I begin something new like this. Oh, the articles, videos, websites I could refer you to… and will, if you’d like:)
You know, you could do a post about that, places you’ve found helpful. đ Or just tell me.
Best thing I learned on that video you sent me was the idea of using Gesso to go over the edges of something you put down. I have thousands of words/phrases cut from magazines that I use with the kids and poetry (sit in front of the tv and cut them out so they are ready for class) but I love the torn paper look in the collages. Now I can still use them and just Gesso the edges to soften the harsh cut lines. đ
In the class I’m working with lovely papers that thrill me just to touch. I went looking for bargains and found this terrific place: https://handmade-paper.us/
Oh I’m all for experimenting…(I’m sure they thought I was a little wonky in class today when I brought in moss for my leaves on my tree but I “think” it worked and they were surprised.)
But I also know that if I don’t set myself up for some success to start with I will quit – that’s just me. đ But I have stacks of pictures and words and a vision in my head of the container I want to use to I am looking forward to it all.
đ
PS – That WAS a fun video. Thank you for sharing it. Now I’m going to spend some time checking out her website.
Oooh, you’re in for a real treat! I get lost in there, I swear.
Oooh, you’re in for a real treat! I get lost in there, I swear.
PS – That WAS a fun video. Thank you for sharing it. Now I’m going to spend some time checking out her website.
I love that all these art/collage ideas are coming together at once. I have a date with a friend to create vision boards on Monday and I’ve been gathering images for the project. I’ve been wavering on what to do them on. On one hand, I like seeing other people’s big boards but on the other hand, I don’t have a place for a big one in my office that won’t bug me. So I’ve decided to do some mini-boards for the various aspects of my life. Now I’m trying to decide whether to use a hard, flat canvas or perhaps the sketch book. I like the idea of having them in a book, I think, and then paging through it before bed and first thing in the morning.
I was also thinking that if I used a sketch book that was spiral bound but not perforated, I could cut the spiral part off and then use however many pages I needed (so they could be as thick as I wanted) and the holes would be prepunched for me to retie with ribbon.
(See, I think too much.)
I liked the idea at one of the links you had shared, about prepping some pages ahead of time and I think I’m going to do that, paint some in prep.
Re: petals scattering
You’re very welcome! I love the Shrinking Violets, and I hope you’ll enjoy following them, as well. Don’t you just love making connections with creative people? And also, it’s so much fun to watch like-minded people experimenting with new ideas…
Re: petals scattering
You’re very welcome! I love the Shrinking Violets, and I hope you’ll enjoy following them, as well. Don’t you just love making connections with creative people? And also, it’s so much fun to watch like-minded people experimenting with new ideas…
I use my message board as my vision board. It doubles as a message board and a cork board that I found for ten dollars. Aside from important dates, I also like to tack on pictures of family, friends, and inspirational quotes and outfits from fashion magazines that I like. It makes me smile every time I look at it.
The message board half is also magnetic too. When a friend of mine found about this, she made magnets and gave them to me to help remind me of my aspirations.
I love the idea of using a corkboard/magnetic board for a vision board. It’s got the look & feel of something permanent, but if you decided to switch things up a bit (design or contents), it’d be very easy.
And that your friend crafted homemade magnets for you–that makes the vision board even more special, doesn’t it?
Yep. It means that no matter what I put on my vision board, I won’t let it distract myself from what truly matters sometimes. And in terms of the latter, that’s where the magnets come in and who made them and pictures of my family and friends. đ
I use my message board as my vision board. It doubles as a message board and a cork board that I found for ten dollars. Aside from important dates, I also like to tack on pictures of family, friends, and inspirational quotes and outfits from fashion magazines that I like. It makes me smile every time I look at it.
The message board half is also magnetic too. When a friend of mine found about this, she made magnets and gave them to me to help remind me of my aspirations.
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