One of my favorite thrift stores occasionally puts a box of books out front with a free sign. This is VERY exciting for me because I love old books. Sometimes I love them for reading, but they also inspire me to make them into art. This one in particular, titled "Health for All," is a junior high health textbook from the 60's.
Awesome. On so many levels. The possibilities never end. First of all, the 60's is one of my favorite eras for fashion, art, and design. The colors, the graphics, the illustrations, the photos. Awesome. Just the book itself, all other ideas aside, inspires multiple collages just waiting to be made. So many of the headers and topics are strangely relevant to my life right now. For example, I recently made a portrait of a family of owls for a friend from this book, and the background page was titled "tips on getting more sleep".
Here's another Great one--"you're growing up."
Yes. Thanks for the reminder. I try to forget that as often as possible.
Part of the fun for me with collage is putting a cheeky spin on the original content of a book. I will share some of these pieces with you as they work their way out. My goal as a blogging artist (that sounds weird) is to not only share with you my finished work, but bits and pieces of my thought process, my movement through and the joys and pains of the journey of creating. I find that the most rewarding and fruitful part of being an artist is not having a huge fantastic body of work (that would be cool though), but the process of getting there. The most amazing conversations I've had with other artists are over unfinished pieces we are struggling with. My husband has connected to me and my art more deeply because he sees the constant problems and new ideas and techniques I push through in order to produce what is in me to make. When you see an unfinished piece of art in that ugly awkward stage (what many of us experienced in junior high, I might add), it is a vulnerable place for the artist to be. There are always the questions, "am I any good at all?" "can I really do this?" "what was I thinking?!?!" All of these questions and conversations and trials and problems expand me as an artist, as well as my heart and ability to empathize. They make us more healthy.
I'm learning to embrace this ugly stage and all the questions and troubles as valuable and healthy parts of the process. Healthy isn't always fun, but it's necessary for quality of life.
I guess I should go exercise now.
3 comments:
i really like this post, sb! that's so interesting to me, too - the process. the "story about the story" or something. thanks!
Knowing yourself. Wow, thats very interesting seeing that in a book from the 60's. Seems like something that is overlooked by society. At least my society. Almost like it is a new idea, but maybe not. Maybe old idea that was lost. Or maybe just new to me. It takes fearless self examination to truly know yourself; which I see is very difficult for people to do. Hence, I believe; it is at least part of the reason for our enourmous increase of mental health diagnosis, and prescribed medication. Excepting who you are, and being that, could be just as challenging. Anyway, the book. Interesting. I do like the colorful logo that is there, out of nowhere, just there. Disclaimer: I dont believe all mental illness is false, and do believe meds etc..are needed. Thank u, and ask God
Amorone - you rock! I love your response to this post. Thank you Sarah Beth for your courage as an artist. Many artist hind in the art. You are being exposed and as a result art is. What a blessing and encouragement you are!!!
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